Japanese “Wa” (は) and “Ga” (が)
Two weeks ago I talked about Japanese particles and how the Japanese particle “ga” (が) (subject marker) started appearing in my Pimsleur lessons when I was expecting “wa” (は) (topic marker), and how it sounded new to me. But actually, last week my daughter and I were driving around and I played lesson one in the car for us to listen to together, and I was reminded that “ga” (が) was used then. This got me thinking more about the wa/ga situation.
I am still fuzzy on when to use “wa” (は) and when to use “ga” (が), but in addition to the guidelines I mentioned in my Japanese particle post, I think I have found another general guideline that makes sense to me. When the passive voice is used, which moves the object into the subject position, then “ga” (が) is the marker. Here are some Japanese particle examples, some from various lessons I’ve had, with word markers highlighted:
| English | Rōmaji | Japanese | Literally | Notes |
| I understand English. | Eigo ga wakarimasu. | 英語がわかります。 | English (is) understood (by me). | Passive voice. The “I” is understood. |
| As for me, I understand English. | Watashi wa, eigo ga wakarimasu. | わたしは, 英語がわかります。 | As for me, English (is) understood. | Also translates to “I understand English.” |
| I understand a little Japanese. | Nihongo ga sukoshi wakarimasu. | 日本語が少しわかります。 | Japanese, (a) little, (is) understood (by me) | Passive voice. The “I” is understood. |
| Where is Ueno Station? | Ueno-eki wa doko desu ka? | 上野駅はどこですか？ | Ueno station, where is? | “Ueno station” is the subject and the topic. “Ka” is the question marker. |
| I like cats. | Neko ga suki desu. | 猫が好きです。 | Cats liked are (by me). | Passive voice. The “I” is understood. |
| Dogs are nice. | Inu wa yasashī desu. | 犬は優しいです。 | Dogs nice (or gentle) are. | “Dogs” is the subject and the topic. |
| Cats are also nice. | Neko mo yasashī desu. | 猫も優しいです。 | Cats also nice (or gentle) are. | Here the marker for “also” or “too,” “mo,” replaces any other marker. |
| The dog and the cat are friends. | Inu to neko wa tomodachi desu. | 犬と猫は友達です。 | (The) dog and (the) cat friends are. | “The dog and the cat” is the subject and the topic. |
| Maria walks in the snow. | Maria wa yuki no naka o aruku. | マリアは雪の中を歩く。 | Maria snow through walks. | “Maria” is the subject and the topic. |
When listening to Japanese, I think I just start to get a feel for when the passive and active voices are used, without analyzing sentences in my mind.
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