Let's think about the difference between ``ha'' and ``ga'' / Japanese Learning Support LLC
Let's consider the difference between .
We often receive questions about not knowing the difference between the particles "wa" and "ga."
■My name is Taro Yamada.
●I am Taro Yamada.
*Taro Yamada: A typical male name in Japanese.
■Example sentences using “ha”
Example sentences with ● using “ga”
I have shown two example sentences.
Indeed, except for "ha" and "ga", they all have the same shape, and the meaning seems to be the same as "I = Yamada Taro", so they are similar.
So, if you ask me whether the sentences ■ and ● are the same sentence, I have no choice but to answer "no."
Today, let's think about the difference between "ha" and "ga" as simply as possible.
1.When do you think that ``wa'' and ``ga'' are similar?
Q: When do we think that "ha" and "ga" are similar?
A: It's time to indicate the subject .
[The subject is ...] or [The subject is ...]
*Subject: The main word spoken in the sentence.
I think people often run into trouble when they try to make a sentence by specifying the subject and adding ``wa'' or ``ga'' after it.
The following cases apply. ↓↓
→ ■[He is Japanese] or ●[He is Japanese]
→ ■[The weather is nice] or ●[The weather is nice]
→ ■[Yamada-san is absent] or ●[Yamada-san is absent]
↑↑I selected one piece of information for the subject and created three simple example sentences using ``wa'' and ``ga''.
The sentence ■ with ``wa'' shown on the left and the sentence ● with ``ga'' shown on the right are indeed similar, so you may be wondering which is the correct Japanese .
■The difference between “ha” and ●“ga” and how to use them (how to choose)
2. What does "ha" mean?
3. What is "ga"?
Let's take a closer look at items ``2,'' and ``3,'' which will be discussed later.
I would like to add one important point here.
We will confirm that the two particles ``wa'' and ``ga'' can be used in many other ways in addition to [indicating a subject] .
Regarding “ha”, for example, ↓
■I'm sleepy today .
...I'm sleepy today, unlike usual.
■I come to this hot spring every year.
...It is a set of "ni" and "ni". [This hot spring] is emphasized. *Unlike other places, you come here every year.
■ Tokyo has held the Olympics twice.
...This is also a set of "De". It emphasizes that it is a specific place [in Tokyo]. *This is not somewhere else.
■Do not smoke here.
...It is one of the sentence patterns. The form of prohibition is ``(verb) must not '' .
■ If something happens, please contact us immediately.
...I pick up (focus on) a certain situation and talk about it. Simulate [what if something (problem) happens]. This means assuming a certain case.
Such
Regarding “ga”, for example ↓
●I like cod roe rice balls .
...It shows the object (target) of the feeling of love.
●I understand Spanish.
...It's similar to the above. Indicates the target of the ability (status) to understand.
●You can see the fireworks at the summer festival tomorrow.
...This is a sentence pattern (sentence pattern) that appears in elementary learning. ` `...is (possible verb) ''. *Although "wo" may be used as a particle, it is generally recommended to use "ga" .
●I can speak Spanish.
...This is a sentence pattern that indicates possibility. `` The dictionary form of the verb can be done .''
● I have been to Hokkaido.
...This is a sentence pattern that expresses experience. `` The verb ta form is sometimes ''.
Such,
*Actually, you could imagine a case where "ga" in the example sentence above could be replaced with "wa", but the meaning would change quite a bit. This is when context is needed. I will discuss the details in another article. I will omit it as it is a little different in terms of category and concept from what I am trying to learn in today's article.
Q: What kind of particle is "ha"?
A: It's a particle that introduces the topic before what you're going to say. It's about what you're talking about.
Think of a scene where you introduce yourself.
*For example, if you remember when you first started studying Japanese, that is, your "first Japanese" class, I think you will get a very good image.
【self-introduction】
Nice to meet you all!
I am ...〈Name, hometown, job, hobbies, etc.〉
``Washi wa'',...'' ←This is the basic form of starting a sentence, and it is definitely the most natural Japanese.
■Me...Topic/The subject of what we are going to talk about (target)
Roughly speaking, from short sentences to long sentences,
“[Topic] is ...(what you want to talk about)+.”
↑↑This pattern is the core sentence of Japanese.
*There is no problem in adding the feelings of the person speaking and adding a particle at the end of the sentence, as shown below.
“[Topic] is ...(what you want to talk about) + desu/masu (final particle).”
→Example: I go bouldering!
First of all, please keep the above points in mind and do not forget them whenever you use Japanese.
■ Ask them to listen to what you want to say by saying “ha”
To confirm, I will write example sentences as I can think of them. The theme is seasons and weather, which Japanese people, and of course myself, often talk about during conversations. Pick up four related keywords.
[March], [Cherry blossoms], [Cherry blossom viewing], [Rain]
①March
March is the season for cherry blossom viewing as cherry blossoms bloom in Tokyo, but there are surprisingly many rainy days, so it's the turning point of the seasons.
②Cherry blossoms
Cherry blossoms bloom beautifully from March, the end of the Japanese year, to April, the start of a new year, painting every street corner of Tokyo with the colors of encounters and farewells, whether on rainy or sunny days. I'll give it to you.
③ Cherry blossom viewing
Although hanami is written as ``looking at flowers,'' it is actually a spring gathering of ``hana yori dango'' where people eat bento and drink alcohol rather than an artistic gathering to admire flowers.
④Rain
Rain falls unexpectedly in March, when Tokyo's cherry blossoms are beautiful, and can scatter the ephemeral pink flowers by the peak of the cherry blossom viewing season.
Did you make sure that each sentence says what you want to say about the topics indicated by "ha"?
It sounds like an attempt to make advances, but ``(What I want to talk about) is...'' ← Speaking in this form is the central sentence form of the Japanese language.
Q: What kind of particle is "ga"?
A: It is a particle that refers to an object. In other words, it marks something important as a target.
Example: I am Taro Yamada. *(←Example title sentence)
①〈Who〉= Is it Taro Yamada?
② “I” = Taro Yamada.
①＋②・・・“ I am Taro Yamada.”
Following this step-by-step flow from ① to ②, complete the completed sentence ``I am Taro Yamada.''
*In the case of the title sentence ● above, the subject is indicated by "ga".
From now on, let's take a look at sentences that use "ga" in ways other than indicating the subject .
Example: I like cod roe rice balls .
①〈What〉= Is it something you like?
② “Cod roe onigiri” = something I like.
①＋②・・・“I like cod roe rice balls .”
The last part of the sentence, ``ga'', indicates the target (object) of ``I love you.''
Example: I can understand Spanish.
①〈What language〉 = Is it a language you understand?
② “Spanish” = It is a language that I understand.
①＋②・・・“I understand Spanish ”
The last part of the sentence, ``ga'', indicates the target (object matter) of ``I understand''.
As in the example sentence above, I think it's easier to organize if you think of the main function of ``ga'' as indicating the target of what is being said at the end of the sentence using a verb or adjective.
The same goes for the final part of the title sentence ●, "desu".
``This is Taro Yamada.'' The target for the ``what I want to talk about (= statement part)'' is ``me.''
■You can see that the function is completely different from saying an introduction about ``I'' in the form ``I am...''.
Next, I will present three example sentences below, but these are sentences that use "ga" (Japanese sentence pattern) .
Example ●: Tomorrow, we can see the fireworks at the summer festival.
↑ This is a sentence pattern of a verb that expresses
(Basic sentence using verb dictionary form) "Watch the fireworks ." → Fireworks can be seen. (sentence that conveys possibility)
*Change "wo" to "ga".
In general, words that are paired with "wo" in basic sentences should be expressed with "ga" in sentences that use "possible verbs" to indicate possibility.
This is because "to be seen" = [ a word that indicates a possible state, not the action of "seeing" ] .
Similarly to the similar words ``see'' and ``hear'', I would like to indicate the target with ``ga'' .
Example: You can see the fireworks at the summer festival from here.
Example: Inside the room. I can hear the sound of fireworks at the summer festival.
Example ●: I can speak Spanish.
Sentence pattern: “I can do [verb dictionary form + thing]”
*It is a sentence pattern that expresses something that is possible or can be done .
Example: I can eat natto .
Example: You can drink black coffee .
Such,
Example ●: I have been to Hokkaido.
Sentence pattern: “There is [verb form + thing]”
*This is a sentence pattern for talking about experiences.
Example: I have ridden the Shinkansen .
Example: I have taken the JLPT .
Such,
In this way , there are some patterns in which it is decided to make a sentence with "ga" .
I'm sure you'll hear and talk about it a lot as a general-purpose, easy-to-use word pattern, and I'm sure everyone reading this blog is familiar with it on a daily basis.
In today's blog, I talked about ``ha'' and ``ga'', keeping them as simple as possible.
I tried to limit the description to the main points and summarize it in as few words as possible without adding too much volume. This may have been a bit too simplistic, but that's all for today's article.
There are so many things that I couldn't write down in order to cover the proper use of ``ha'' and ``ga'' in classes and daily study of Japanese as a foreign language, as well as in practical situations in a wide range of Japanese society, including business. (It can be said that most of the items are not mentioned today.) I will leave that point to the next article. However, I have certainly tried to convey the points that are the ``core'' of studying Japanese, and clearly answer questions such as ``What is ``wa'' and ``Ga''?
By applying the basics of the views on ``wa'' and ``ga'' that we looked at today to each case, you should be able to form all related Japanese sentences.
Let's start with this first step.
Particles are Japanese elements with very complex functions.
It can be said that there are countless ways to use ``ha'' and ``ga'' depending on the number of sentences in Japanese, but I would like to reiterate here the points that you should definitely keep in mind.
The "wa" indicates the topic, and the "ga" clearly points to the target .
■Spring is the season of cherry blossoms.
●I want to go see the cherry blossoms.
Let's talk in Japanese like this. I believe that if you remember what you have learned in this article, you will be able to use beautiful Japanese in almost all cases, even if your Japanese level improves.
We would be happy if you could use it as an aid to your Japanese learning.
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