Meaning
が is a subject particle that marks the subject of a sentence, similar to は. However, while は is the basic subject marker, が emphasizes the subject or identifies which specific person/thing performs the action. が is especially used when answering 'which one?' or 'who?' questions, or when you want to highlight who is doing something.
Formation
| Part of speech | Formation |
|---|---|
| 名词が+名词 | 名詞1が 名詞2です（名词1就是名词2，寻找中的名词2正是名词1） |
| 名词が+动词 | 名詞が 動詞（强调主语） |
Examples
-
A:ジャパンホテルは どれですか。 B:あの 白い 建物が ジャパンホテルです。
A: Which one is the Japan Hotel? B: That white building is the Japan Hotel. -
A:山田さんは 誰ですか。 B:あの人が 山田さんです。
A: Who is Yamada? B: That person is Yamada. -
金さんが 大阪に 行きます。
It is Ms. Kim (specifically) who is going to Osaka. -
山田さんが コーヒーを 飲みました。
It was Yamada (specifically) who drank the coffee.
Summary
- が marks the subject and emphasizes which person or thing is performing an action
- Use が in responses to 'who?' or 'which one?' questions to identify specific subjects
- While は is the basic subject marker, が adds emphasis and focuses attention on the subject