Core Function
が marks the subject - who/what performs the action or has the state.
雨が降る
ame ga furu
"Rain falls" (rain is the subject)
Main Uses
1. New Information
Answering "who" or "what":
Q: 誰が来ますか？
"Who is coming?"
A: 田中さんが来ます
"Tanaka is coming"
2. Existence (ある/いる)
Always use が with existence verbs:
机の上に本があります
"There is a book on the desk"
部屋に猫がいます
"There is a cat in the room"
3. Desires, Abilities, Preferences
Fixed patterns that require が:
水が欲しい - "want water"
日本語ができる - "can speak Japanese"
寿司が好き - "like sushi"
意味がわかる - "understand the meaning"
4. Emphasis
Stressing who/what specifically:
私が作りました
"I made it" (emphasis: I did it, not someone else)
これが好きです
"This is what I like" (not that)
5. Subordinate Clauses
Use が in relative clauses:
私が買った本
"the book that I bought"
彼が住んでいる家
"the house where he lives"
が vs は
| が (ga) | は (wa) |
|---|---|
| New information | Known/topic |
| Answers who/what | Sets context |
| Emphasis | Contrast |
| Existence | General statement |
猫が好きです
"I like cats" (what I like)
猫は好きです
"Cats, I like (but maybe not dogs)"
See: は vs が Explained
Mandatory が Patterns
Some expressions always use が:
〜が欲しい (want)
〜が好き/嫌い (like/dislike)
〜ができる (can do)
〜がわかる (understand)
〜がある/いる (exist)
〜が見える/聞こえる (can see/hear)
Double Particle Sentences
Both は and が in one sentence:
私は猫が好きです
watashi wa neko ga suki desu
"I (topic) like cats (object of liking)"
象は鼻が長い
"Elephants have long trunks"
(Topic: elephants, Subject: trunks)
Subordinate Clauses
が marks subjects in dependent clauses:
雨が降ったので、家にいました
"Because rain fell, I stayed home"
彼が言ったことは正しい
"What he said is correct"
Question Words
Question words typically use が:
誰が来ましたか？ - "Who came?"
何が起きましたか？ - "What happened?"
どれがいいですか？ - "Which is good?"
Emphasis Contrast
私は行きます - "I will go" (neutral)
私が行きます - "I will go" (I, not others)
本を読みます - "read a book" (neutral)
本が読めます - "can read" (ability focus)
Key Takeaways
✓ Marks the grammatical subject
✓ New information/answers
✓ Always with ある/いる
✓ Required with 好き/できる/欲しい
✓ Emphasis on who/what
✓ In subordinate clauses
Related: