JLPT N5 Grammar: The Particle は

Explanation

In JLPT N5, は is the “topic marker” of the sentence. It tells us “as for X…” or “speaking of X…”, and then the rest of the sentence is a comment about that topic.

Basic pattern is:
Topic (noun or noun phrase) + は + comment (description, action, state, etc ).
Example:

  • 私は学生です。
    “As for me, (I) am a student.”

The topic marked by は is typically information that is already known or relevant in the context, such as the speaker (“私”), time expressions (“今日”), places (“ここ”), demonstratives (“これ”), or possessives (“私の本”). The topic does not always equal the grammatical subject; it simply sets the frame for what the sentence discusses.

Key points to remember:

  • It is written は but pronounced “wa” when it’s this particle.
  • It usually comes after a noun or a noun-like phrase (これ, 今日, この本, etc.).
  • It shows what the sentence is about, not necessarily who does the action (that’s often が). Topic and subject can be the same, but not always.

Pro Tip

は (topic) vs. が (subject):
At N5 level, a safe rule is: when you just want to say “As for me / today / this book…”, use は. が is more for introducing something new or emphasizing who/what does the action, which you’ll refine more at higher levels.

は is not “am/is/are”:
Beginners sometimes think は means “is”, but that’s actually です (or the verb). は only marks the topic, it has no meaning by itself.

Examples

  • これはペンです。
    Kore wa pen desu.
    “This is a pen.”​
  • 田中さんは先生です。
    Tanaka-san wa sensei desu.
    “Mr./Ms. Tanaka is a teacher.”
  • 明日は休みです。
    Ashita wa yasumi desu.
    “Tomorrow is a day off.”
  • 私の家はロンドンにあります。
    Watashi no ie wa Rondon ni arimasu.
    “My house is in Luxembourg.”​
  • この映画は有名です。
    Kono eiga wa yūmei desu.
    “This movie is famous.”​
  • 日本語は面白いです。
    Nihongo wa omoshiroi desu.
    “Japanese is interesting.”
  • 学校は八時からです。
    Gakkō wa hachi-ji kara desu.
    “School starts from eight o’clock.”​

Exercises

A. Fill in the blanks (add は where needed)

  1. 私＿＿学生＿＿です。
  2. 今日は雨＿＿です。ここ＿＿寒い＿＿です。
  3. 日本語＿＿難しくない＿＿です。
  4. あの人＿＿先生＿＿ですか。
  5. この＿＿映画＿＿長い＿＿です。

B. Make sentences with は
Use the hints to make simple “Topic + は + comment” sentences.

  1. 私 / ロンドンに / 住んでいます
  2. 今日 / 忙しいです
  3. この店 / 安いです
  4. 日本 / 小さい国ではありません
  5. 私の母 / 会社員です

C. Spot the mistake (if any)
Correct the sentences if they are wrong. If you think they are OK, write “OK”.

  1. 私が学生です。
  2. 日本は好きです。
  3. これは何ですか。
  4. 今日が暑いです。
  5. 私は日本語を勉強します。

New words

RomajiHiraganaKanjiMeaning
watashiわたし私I
anataあなた*you
senseiせんせい先生teacher
ishaいしゃ医者doctor
ieいえ家house
umiうみ海sea
utaうた歌song
tomodachiともだち友達friend
honほん本book
teて手hand

* Kanji form not commonly used

Translation Practice:

  • “The student studies Japanese.” (Gakusei …)
  • “We eat ramen.” (Watashitachi …)

Writing Task: Write three daily routine sentences in romaji using SOV order.

Answers:

  1. wa / o (Watashi wa mizu o nomimasu.)
  2. ga / o (Inu ga booru o kamimasu.)
  3. ga / o (Sensei ga jisho o wakarimasu ka?)

Scroll to Top