Particle は・が
The basic difference between "は" and "が "
To begin with, “は wa” and “が ga” are both particles, but they are actually different types of particles.
Ga” is called a case particle and “は wa” is called a tori-teki particle, and they are completely different in nature.
Before considering how to distinguish between “が ga” and “は wa“, let’s first look at the functions of “が ga” and “は wa“.
Case particle “が ga“.
First of all, a case particle is a particle that connects a noun to a predicate such as a verb.
In the example above, the nouns “mother”, “kitchen”, and “dinner” are connected to the predicate “I am making”.
For these nouns, case particles are used to indicate the subject, object, or place of the action.
Then, what function does the case particle “が ga” have?
In order to make a sentence, there must be a “doing” subject (a person or a thing), a “being/being” subject, and a “becoming” subject, and these subjects are usually expressed by “が ga“.
The “は wa” of the particle to be taken
On the other hand, a “とりたて tori-tate particle” is a particle that implies the speaker’s way of understanding, and is called a “sub-particle” or “mochi-particle” in classics and school Japanese.
Typical examples are “も、だけ、しか、ばかり、こそ、さえ…”, and “は wa” is one of these “tori-tate” particles.
What does “は wa” mean? It means the subject of the sentence.
The subject is “what is being discussed,” in other words, the theme of the story, which is followed by an explanation of the theme.
How to use ” は wa” and “が ga”
(1) : Information rules
Use “が ga“ for the information you want to convey (new information) and “は wa” for the information you already know (old information).
The speaker can’t make a subject out of information he doesn’t know, so he uses “が ga“.
Sentence A is for teaching about “that guy” in a situation where both parties are looking at “that guy.
In other words, “that person” is already known to both of you, and what you want to tell is “the guy”.
Sentence B is a case where you are in the presence of the president and you want to tell someone who doesn’t know who the guy is, “That’s him.
In other words, “the president” is information that we already know, and the information we want to convey is “that guy.
In a “は wa” sentence, the information you want to convey comes after the “は wa“.
In a “が ga” sentence, the information you want to convey comes before the “が ga”.
Differentiating between “は wa” and “が ga”
(2) : Rules for the nature of sentences
Use “が ga” to refer to the phenomenon as it is,
and “は wa“ when you’ve made a judgment or evaluation.
In the case of a sentence that describes the situation as it is seen (a phenomenon sentence), “が ga” is used.
Look outside.
It is often used when you have discovered something, as in the example above.
On the other hand, when we recognize what we see and say a judgment about a general property or attribute, we use “は wa “.
Thank you for reading! ありがとう。 Namu Shinnyo ■
