On this page, you can learn what the subject of a sentence is.
The subject of a sentence
The subject of a sentence is a person or a thing which controls the verb.
The words in bold below are the subject of a sentence.
- Bill went to a party yesterday.
- Donald is going to buy milk at a shop.
- A car was stolen last month.
Like English, the subject usually comes at the start of a sentence in Japanese.
However, when you find the subject at the start of a Japanese sentence, you must place は or が after it.
は or が is called a ‘subject marking particle‘ and does not mean anything on its own.
【Difference】between は (wa) and が (ga) which are subject marking particles
Use が if you want to make the subject of a sentence specific and exclusive. Other than that, use は.
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Example
わたし は ねこ がすきです。
I like cats.
- subject marking particle: は
- the subject of a sentence: わたし
Example 2
ちち が チョコレート を たべました。
My father ate chocolates.
- subject marking particle: が
- the subject of a sentence: ちち