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Languages Study | Languages of the East | Japanese III

ÀÓÄÈÎ 358 | GRAMMAR I - 03.08
   
Grammar I - 03.08 Grammar L3 - 003 Menu - Grammar
The Topic Particle は  
  The particle は [wa] presents the topic of one's utterance ("As for item X, it is such that...").
  It puts forward the item that you want to talk about and comment on.
メアリー　さん　は　さんねんせい　です。 Mary is a third-year student.

mearii-san wa san-nen-sei desu.

  
わたし　の　せんもん　は　にほんご　です。 My major is Japanese language.

watashi-no senmon-wa nihongo desu.

  
  A topic phrase, however, need not be the subject of a sentence.
 

In these two examples, ha [wa] promotes time expressions as the topic of each sentence.
メアリー　さん、
しゅうまつ　は　たいてい　なにを　します　か。		 Mary,
what do you usually do on the weekends?

(Let's talk about weekends; what do you do on weekends?)

mearii san,
shuumatsu-wa taitei nani-o shimasu ka?

  
きょう　は　きょうと　に　いきます。 I'm going to Kyoto today.

(Let me say what I will do today; I will go to Kyoto.)

kyoo-wa kyooto ni ikimasu.

  
   
 

In this example, ha [wa] used to direct the listener's attention and thereby to invite a comment or completion of a sentence.
You may also note that the broached topic (bangohan) does not stand  in subject relation to the verb, but is rather its direct object.
ばんごはん　は？ How about dinner?

bangohan wa?

  
たべません。 I will not eat.
tabemasen.