Grammar › Particles
が (ga) — the subject particle
Marks new or emphasized information; used with あります/います and question words
が marks the grammatical subject, and especially new information. The classic rule of thumb: question words (だれ, なに, どこ) and their answers take が, never は. It's also the default with existence verbs (あります/います) and likes/skills (すき, じょうず).
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Question word + が | だれが来ますか — Who is coming? |
| X + が + あります/います | 時間があります — There is time / I have time |
| X + が + すき/じょうず | ねこがすきです — I like cats |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| だれが来ましたか。 | だれがきましたか。 daregakimashitaka。 | Who came? |
| 田中さんが来ました。 | たなかさんがきました。 tanakasangakimashita。 | Tanaka came. (answering: it was Tanaka) |
| 駅の前にコンビニがあります。 | えきのまえにこんびにがあります。 ekinomaenikonbinigaarimasu。 | There's a convenience store in front of the station. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
は vs が is a lifetime topic, but the beginner version: は sets the scene (“as for today's weather…”), が points at the newsworthy thing (“it's raining”). When in doubt with あります/います and すき, choose が.