Wa-t the heck?
Welcome to Day Three of the Manga Sensei 30-Day Challenge!
Now that you’ve started learning Hiragana and Katakana, it’s time to begin putting Japanese words together into sentences.
As we mentioned previously, Japanese is a little different from English. One of the biggest differences is that Japanese doesn’t normally use spaces between words.
かれはせんせいです。
Instead, Japanese uses a combination of writing conventions, context, and small grammatical elements called particles to help us understand how a sentence fits together.
What is a particle?
Particles are small grammatical markers that tell us how words and phrases function in a sentence.
Unlike most vocabulary words, particles don’t usually identify a person, place, object, or action. Instead, they help us understand the relationships between different parts of a sentence.
Think of Japanese like a puzzle.
Each word is a puzzle piece, and particles help us understand how those pieces connect.
Some particles identify topics, others identify objects, and others show things like direction, location, or possession.
Once you learn to recognize these particles, Japanese sentences become much easier to understand.
And today, we’re starting with one of the most useful particles in Japanese: は (wa).
Meet は (wa)
The particle は is used to identify the topic of a sentence.
The topic is simply what the speaker is talking about.
In English, we might say something like:
“As for the book…”
This tells the listener that we’re about to say something concerning a particular book.
Japanese uses は to accomplish something similar. For example:
Here, ほん (hon) means “book,” and は marks it as the topic.
We haven’t actually said anything about the book yet. We’ve only established what we’re talking about.
That’s the job of は.
Wait! Isn’t は pronounced “ha”?
Excellent question!
You learned in Hiragana that は is pronounced “ha.” And that’s correct!
However, when は is used as a grammatical particle, its pronunciation changes to “wa.”
Let’s compare:
The character doesn’t change. Only its pronunciation does.
Japanese has a few particles with spellings that differ from their modern pronunciation. You’ll encounter the others as you progress through the challenge.
How do I know when は is “ha” or “wa”?
The trick is to look at what は is doing.
When は is part of an ordinary word, it’s generally pronounced “ha.” But when は is functioning as the topic particle, it’s pronounced “wa.”
The topic particle typically comes immediately after the word or phrase it marks. For example:
Notice how は follows each topic.
These aren’t complete sentences yet, but they show you how the particle works.
And here’s something important: even though we’re separating the words to help you learn, Japanese normally doesn’t put a space before the particle. So, you would ordinarily write:
As a beginner, it’s perfectly fine to separate particles while studying. Just remember that standard Japanese writing doesn’t normally use those spaces.
Understanding the topic of a Japanese sentence
One of the most helpful things you can learn about Japanese is that the topic and the grammatical subject are not necessarily the same thing.
For now, we don’t need to dive too deeply into that distinction. Just remember that は tells us what we’re talking about, not necessarily who is performing an action.
Let’s use a very simple example:
Actually, hold on! This isn’t a complete, natural Japanese sentence. We still need something to say about the book.
That’s an important distinction to understand.
The particle は introduces a topic, but the rest of the sentence needs to provide information about that topic.
Here’s a better example using two vocabulary words:
Let’s break that down:
- かれkarehe
- はwaidentifies the topic
- せんせいsenseiteacher
- ですdesua polite ending used here to complete the statement
We haven’t formally learned です yet, but don’t worry! That’s coming in Day Four.
For now, look at what は accomplishes.
It tells us that かれ (he) is what we’re talking about, and the rest of the sentence gives us information about him.
That’s the basic idea behind the topic particle.
Japanese doesn’t always repeat the topic
Here’s another interesting difference between Japanese and English.
In English, we frequently repeat the subject of a sentence.
“He is a teacher. He is nice. He is funny.”
Japanese often avoids repeating information that is already understood.
Once a topic has been established, speakers can leave it out when the listener already knows what they’re talking about. This happens all the time in everyday Japanese conversation.
You can think of it like setting the subject of a conversation and then continuing to discuss it until something changes.
A useful beginner strategy
Pay attention to the topic when a conversation starts.
If the next sentence doesn’t identify a new topic, ask yourself whether the speaker might still be talking about the same thing.
Of course, context matters, and topics can change without another は. But this is a great habit to start developing.
A quick note about Japanese word order
Japanese is commonly described as an SOV language, while English generally follows SVO:
One major difference is that Japanese verbs typically come at the end of a sentence.
However, Japanese word order is more flexible than English, and not every sentence includes an explicitly stated subject or object.
For now, the important thing is to recognize that は marks the topic, helping us understand what the sentence is about.
We’ll explore sentence structure in more detail as we move through the challenge.
Japanese name suffixes
Japanese uses different levels of politeness and familiarity depending on who you’re speaking to.
You probably wouldn’t speak to your teacher exactly the same way you speak to your little sister. The same idea applies in Japanese, although the rules and social expectations are a little different.
One of the easiest places to see this is in the use of name suffixes, also called honorifics.
These are endings attached to someone’s name to express politeness, familiarity, respect, or the relationship between the speaker and the person being discussed.
In Japanese, the family name generally comes before the given name. Honorifics can follow either name, depending on the relationship and situation.
For example, addressing someone by their family name with -san is often an appropriate, polite starting point.
Japanese names don’t always require an honorific.
Leaving off the suffix can be natural with close friends, family members, and in certain other situations.
Let’s look at five common honorifics.
-san
さんThe most common and versatile honorific.
-san is often compared to “Mr.” or “Ms.” in English, although it isn’t exactly the same.
It’s a polite way to address or refer to someone without being overly formal.
When in doubt, -san is generally a safe choice.
-chan
ちゃんAn affectionate or familiar suffix.
-chan is commonly used for children, close friends, family members, and people with whom the speaker has an affectionate relationship.
Although it’s frequently associated with girls and women, it isn’t exclusively feminine. The important distinction is familiarity and affection rather than simply gender.
Be careful using -chan with someone you don’t know well, because it can sound overly familiar.
-kun
くんA familiar suffix commonly used for boys and younger men.
-kun is also used by teachers addressing students, by seniors addressing juniors, and in some professional environments.
It isn’t exclusively masculine, and it doesn’t automatically mean the speaker is being disrespectful.
As with most Japanese honorifics, the relationship and context determine whether it’s appropriate.
-sama
さまA highly respectful honorific.
-sama expresses a higher level of respect or formality than -san.
It’s often used when addressing customers, in formal correspondence, and in certain expressions of deep respect.
It can also be used sarcastically in particular situations, so context matters.
You’ll see -sama frequently in formal or customer-service Japanese.
-sensei
せんせいA title used for teachers, professors, doctors, and certain other respected professionals or experts.
Sensei literally carries the sense of someone who has “gone before,” although in everyday Japanese it’s used as a professional title or respectful form of address.
Unlike -san, it can also be used by itself when addressing someone.
And yes, that’s where Manga Sensei gets its name!
Today’s 20 words
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| さん | -san | Honorific: polite Mr./Ms. |
| ちゃん | -chan | Honorific: affectionate/familiar |
| くん | -kun | Honorific: familiar, often boys/juniors |
| さま | -sama | Honorific: highly respectful |
| せんせい | sensei | Teacher; respected professional/title |
| ほん本 | hon | Book |
| ひと人 | hito | Person |
| おとこのひと男の人 | otoko no hito | Man |
| おんなのひと女の人 | onna no hito | Woman |
| こども子供 | kodomo | Child |
| かのじょ彼女 | kanojo | She; her; girlfriend (context-dependent) |
| かれ彼 | kare | He; him; boyfriend (context-dependent) |
| たべもの食べ物 | tabemono | Food |
| のみもの飲み物 | nomimono | Drink; beverage |
| でんしゃ電車 | densha | Train |
| しつもん質問 | shitsumon | Question |
| なまえ名前 | namae | Name |
| げんご言語 | gengo | Language |
| ぼこくご母国語 | bokokugo | Native language |
| おちゃお茶 | ocha | Tea; usually Japanese tea |
Vocabulary tip
You don’t need to memorize the Kanji yet! They’re included to help you recognize how these words are commonly written in Japanese. Focus on the Hiragana, pronunciation, and meaning for now.
Also, remember that かれ and かのじょ are sometimes translated as “boyfriend” and “girlfriend,” but they can also mean “he” and “she.” Context is what tells us which meaning is intended.
Put it into action!
Let’s put today’s lesson into action!
Practice 1: Identify the topic
Look at each example and identify what is being marked by は. Tap a card to check your answer.
1ほんはTap to check
2ひとはTap to check
3こどもはTap to check
4かれはTap to check
5かのじょはTap to check
Remember, these are topic phrases, not complete sentences.
Practice 2: Read aloud
Read each of the examples above out loud.
Make sure you’re pronouncing は as “wa,” not “ha.”
Practice 3: Think about the topic
Read this sentence:
Can you identify the topic? What information are we learning about that topic?
Check your answer
The topic is かれ (kare), “he.” It’s the word marked by は.
The rest of the sentence, せんせいです, tells us about him: he is a teacher.
And remember, we’ll learn more about です tomorrow!
Before moving on to Day 4
Before moving on, make sure you can: 0 of 7 done
Congratulations! You’re beginning to move beyond individual Japanese words and into the building blocks of actual sentences.