〜は — Topic Marker

〜は

Property	Value
Pattern	〜は
JLPT Level	N5
Type	particle / topic-marker
Formality	Neutral
Register	Both

Meaning

Marks the topic of the sentence. The topic can be the grammatical subject or any other element the speaker wants to comment on. Everything after は says something about that topic.

Structure Formula

[Topic] + は + [Comment / Predicate]

Usage Notes

は is written with the hiragana は but pronounced "wa" when used as a particle (not "ha").
The topic sets the stage; the rest of the sentence comments on it.
Most commonly seen in the X は Y です ("X is Y") pattern for introductions and descriptions.
The topic does not have to be the grammatical subject — it is simply what the sentence is "about."

Examples

Japanese	Romaji	English
わたしはがくせいです。	Watashi wa gakusei desu.	I am a student.
これはほんです。	Kore wa hon desu.	This is a book.
やまださんはにほんじんです。	Yamada-san wa Nihonjin desu.	Mr. Yamada is Japanese.
きょうはげつようびです。	Kyō wa Getsuyōbi desu.	Today is Monday.
このレストランはおいしいです。	Kono resutoran wa oishii desu.	This restaurant is delicious.

は vs. が

は (topic) announces what the sentence is about; が (subject) identifies who/what performs the action or fits a description.
Use が when introducing new information or when the subject itself is the focus: だれがきましたか → たなかさんがきました。
は often implies contrast or background context: わたしはいきます (as for me, I will go — implying others may not).
Both can appear in the same sentence: ぞうははながながい (As for elephants, their noses are long) — は marks the topic, が marks the subject.

Common Mistakes

❌ わたしわがくせいです。 → ✓ わたしはがくせいです。

Explanation: The particle must be written as は (ha), not わ (wa), even though it is pronounced "wa."

❌ だれはきましたか。 → ✓ だれがきましたか。

Explanation: Question words like だれ (who) and なに (what) that ask for the subject take が, not は.

❌ Dropping は entirely in formal speech → always include the particle in complete sentences.

Explanation: While は can be omitted in very casual spoken Japanese, omitting it in written or formal contexts sounds unnatural.