# は vs が: How to Choose the Right Particle on the JLPT > は marks the topic, が marks new or focused information. Four checks that settle most JLPT は vs が questions, with examples. Source: https://toey.app/en/blog/jlpt-wa-vs-ga-particles Published: 2026-11-03T20:44:05.041331+00:00 Updated: 2026-11-03T20:44:05.041331+00:00 Category: grammar Tags: jlpt, grammar, particles, wa-vs-ga, n5, n4, n3, japanese --- The は vs が choice is one of the most tested particle decisions on the JLPT, and one of the most misunderstood. Textbooks often say "は is the topic, が is the subject", which is true but does not tell you what to pick in a fill-in-the-blank question. This guide gives you four practical checks you can run in a few seconds. ## The short answer Use **は** when the noun is the topic: something already known, or something you are about to comment on or contrast. Use **が** when the noun is new information, the answer to a question word, or the thing you want to single out. If you only remember one rule: は says "as for this", が says "this one, and no other". ## Check 1: Is the noun already known? The first time a thing enters the conversation, Japanese marks it with が. After that, it becomes the topic and takes は. Folk tales show this pattern clearly: > 昔々、おじいさんがいました。おじいさんは山へ行きました。 The old man is new in the first sentence (が), then known in the second (は). On the exam, look at the sentence before the blank. If the noun already appeared there, は is usually the better choice. If it has not appeared, が is likely. Weather and sudden observations work the same way, because the situation is new to the listener: > あ、雨が降っています。 You are not talking "about" rain as a known topic. You are announcing it. ## Check 2: Is there a question word? When a question word such as だれ, なに, どれ or いつ is the subject, it takes が, and so does the answer: > だれが来ましたか。 > > 田中さんが来ました。 Here the answer 田中さん is the missing information, so it gets が. Compare this with a question about a known person: > 田中さんは来ましたか。 This asks about Tanaka, who is already the topic: did he come or not? If a JLPT sentence has a question word in the first half, expect が in the matching blank. ## Check 3: Is there a contrast? は can mark contrast, even when the noun is not a topic in the usual sense. It often appears twice in the same sentence, or with a negative: > コーヒーは飲みますが、紅茶は飲みません。 The two は here set coffee against tea. A very common negative version also hides a contrast: > 漢字は読めますが、書けません。 The unspoken idea is "reading is fine, but as for writing, no". When a sentence has these two halves joined by が (meaning "but") or けど, look for は in both halves. Note that the conjunction が is a different word from the particle が, so do not let it confuse you. ## Check 4: Does the predicate need が? Some predicates mark the thing they describe with が, even though English would treat it as an object. These include 好き, 嫌い, 上手, 下手, わかる, できる, ほしい, and the potential form of verbs: > 私は犬が好きです。 > > 彼は日本語が話せます。 Here は marks the person (the topic) and が marks what is liked or what can be done. Both particles appear in one sentence, each doing its own job. This is the pattern behind the famous example 象は鼻が長い: "as for elephants, the nose is long". A related pattern is the double-subject sentence, where the topic is the whole and が marks the part or feature: > この町は人が多いです。 "As for this town, there are many people." If you spot a pattern of 〜は〜が〜です describing a quality of the topic, the second particle is が. ## Where が is almost forced: subordinate clauses Inside a modifying clause or a clause that sets a condition or time, the subject normally takes が, not は: > 私が作ったケーキを食べてください。 > > 雨が降ったら、試合は中止です。 In the first sentence, 私が作った modifies ケーキ, so が is the natural choice. In the second, the first clause (雨が降ったら) uses が, while the main clause topic 試合 takes は. This kind of mixed sentence appears often in reading passages. When you see a verb or adjective that describes the noun directly after it, check whether the noun is inside a clause. If so, prefer が. ## How the choice shows up on the JLPT You will meet this decision in a few forms: - **Particle fill-in questions** in the Language Knowledge (grammar) section, where one blank needs は, が, を, に or another particle. - **Sentence composition**, where you order four pieces and the particle position tells you which noun is the topic. - **Reading passages**, where an author uses が to introduce a new idea and は to develop it. Noticing this helps you follow the structure of a paragraph. Some blanks accept both particles in isolation, and the answer depends only on context. This is why the questions look unfair. Learn to look at the surrounding sentences instead of the sentence alone. ## A practice routine that works 1. Collect 20 example sentences from your textbook or past papers, and cover only the particle. 2. For each one, ask the four questions in order: known or new, question word, contrast, special predicate. 3. Write one line explaining your choice. A reason in words is worth more than a correct guess. 4. Re-do the sentences a week later without the notes. 5. Keep a short list of the sentences you got wrong and review that list before each practice test. Aim to be able to give a reason, not just an answer. If you can say "new information, so が", you will make fewer mistakes on sentences you have never seen. ## Common mistakes to avoid - **Treating は as "the subject marker".** It marks a topic, and the topic can be an object, a place or a time: この本は読みました. - **Using は inside a modifying clause.** Prefer が there. - **Forgetting the contrast meaning.** A negative with は often implies "but something else is true". - **Memorising one rule only.** Each rule above covers a different situation, and exam sentences often combine two. ## Where Toey fits Toey's JLPT practice on the web includes grammar questions that you can work through level by level, and the AI-free mock scoring shows which section needs work. It is a web app only for now, with no mobile app yet. You do not need it to use the method above: a notebook and past papers are enough. Checked on 3 November 2026. [Practice JLPT grammar on Toey](/en/jlpt) ## FAQ ### What is the difference between は and が in Japanese? は marks the topic of a sentence: something known, or something you contrast. が marks new information, the answer to a question word, or the item you single out. In short, は means as for this, and が means this one specifically. ### Which particle goes after a question word like だれ? When the question word is the subject, it takes が, as in だれが来ましたか. The answer also takes が, for example 田中さんが来ました. ### Why do 好き and できる use が? Predicates such as 好き, 嫌い, 上手, わかる, できる and ほしい mark the thing they describe with が. In 私は犬が好きです, は marks the person and が marks the thing liked. ### Should I use は or が inside a relative clause? Inside a clause that modifies a noun or sets a condition, the subject normally takes が, as in 私が作ったケーキ. Using は there is usually wrong or changes the meaning. ### How do I choose between は and が in a JLPT fill-in-the-blank question? Check four things in order: whether the noun was already mentioned, whether there is a question word, whether the sentence contrasts two things, and whether the predicate needs が. Then read the surrounding sentences, because context often decides the answer.