は vs が for Beginners: When to Use Each Japanese Particle

2026年4月23日

は (wa) and が (ga) are two of the most important particles in Japanese — and the most confusing for beginners. This guide breaks them down with simple rules and clear examples.

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At a Glance

Particle	Main Role	Focus	Example
は (wa)	Topic marker	What the sentence is about	私は学生です。
が (ga)	Subject marker	Who performs the action / new info	誰が来ましたか？

What は (wa) Does

は marks the topic — what the sentence is talking about. The topic is often already known information.

Example: 私は学生です。 — As for me, I am a student. (I is the topic)

Example: 東京は大きい都市です。 — As for Tokyo, it is a big city. (Tokyo = topic)

What が (ga) Does

が marks the subject — the one performing the action. It highlights new or important information.

Example: 誰が来ましたか？ — Who came? (が asks for new information)

Example: 田中さんが来ました。 — Mr. Tanaka came. (が provides the new info)

Yuka

When I say my name, should I use は or が?

Rei

Use は! 私は田中です — I am Tanaka. You’re making yourself the topic. が would sound like you’re emphasizing that YOU specifically are Tanaka (not someone else).

Yuka

So が has a “specifically” feeling?

Rei

Exactly. 私が田中です = I’M the one who is Tanaka (implying others might not be). It’s used when identifying someone specifically.

は for Contrast

は is also used to contrast two things. The contrast meaning comes from context.

Example: 私は行きますが、彼は行きません。 — I will go, but he will not.

Here both は markers signal a contrast between two subjects.

が with Adjectives of Feeling

Japanese adjectives of desire, like, dislike, and ability use が for the object:

私はりんごが好きです。 — I like apples. (が marks what is liked)

彼女は日本語が上手です。 — She is good at Japanese. (が marks the skill)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Situation	Use は	Use が
Introducing topic	○	✗
Known information	○	✗
New / emphasized info	✗	○
Question word answer	✗	○
Adjectives (like/want/can)	✗	○
Contrast	○	✗

Decision Flowchart

Is it known / already mentioned?
├─ Yes → Use は (topic)
└─ No  → Is it new or emphasized info?
          ├─ Yes → Use が (subject)
          └─ Is it a "feeling" adjective (好き/嫌い/できる)?
                    └─ Yes → Use が for the object

Common Mistakes

Wrong	Correct	Note
誰は来ましたか？	誰が来ましたか？	Question words (誰/何/どこ) always use が
私がジョンです（introducing yourself normally）	私はジョンです	Use は to introduce yourself
猫はいます（answering “what’s there?”）	猫がいます	が when announcing existence for the first time