Topic Marker

ln this week, we’ll learn two key grammar points in Japanese: WA – the topic marker, and DESU – the polite ending. You’ll use them in a lot of Japanese sentences!

【GRAMMAR】

💡1: What is “WA”?
→WA is a topic marker and comes after the topic — the main thing you are talking about in the sentence. It shows what the sentence is about.

WA tells the listener: “This is the thing I’m talking about now.”

Example: “I am Japanese”

In this sentence:

• You want to talk about yourself,

• so Watashi (I) becomes the topic.

• Add “WA” after Watashi to tells the listener, “This sentence is about me.”

•  After marking the topic with WA, you describe something about that topic.

→ “Watashi WA Nihonjin”

※ Watashi = I, Nihonjin = Japanese ( people )

Example:

• Sushi is delicious
  →Sushi WA oishii 
  ※ Oishii = delicious

• Summer is Hot
  → Natsu WA atsui
  ※ Natsu = summer, Atsui = hot

Nationality
In Japanese,  you can often say your nationality by adding “jin” after a country name. It means “person.”

Example:

• Italy + person = Italia jin = Italian
• Thai + person = Thai jin = Thai

But there are some exceptions where it’s a little different because the country name is in Japanese, not English.

• Korean person = Kankoku jin
• Chinese person = Chugoku jin
• German person = Doitsu jin