Marking the topic with は and も
Grammar: Particles
は marks the topic of a sentence, the person or thing that the comment is about. も marks something as also included in the same kind of statement.
Usage Notes
Japanese often uses a topic-comment structure. The topic marked by は sets the frame, and the rest of the sentence says something about that frame.
も works similarly in position, but instead of simply setting a topic, it adds the marked item to something already mentioned or understood: “also”, “too”, or “as well”.
Formation
- Noun + は + comment
- 私は学生です
- "as for me, I am a student"
- Time or place + は + comment
- 今日は寒い
- "as for today, it is cold"
- Noun + も + comment
- 私も行きます
- "as for me, I will go too"
- Particle phrase + は / も
- 学校には行った
- "as for me, I did go to school"
Topic and Comment
The particle は marks the topic, what the sentence is about. The rest of the sentence is the comment, what is being said about that topic.
- 私は東京に住んでいます。
As for me, I live in Tokyo.
- この店は静かだ。
- As for this shop, it is quiet.
English often translates these without “as for”, but that phrase helps show the Japanese structure. Zen lived in a glittering, idyllic town until his family moved. During his first day of school, he found everyone to be glaring and rugged. Rather than being gentle and playful, his classmates sought a brawl and chased after him.
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Zen uses ここは to set “here” as the topic, then makes a comment identifying the place as another world with 異世界だ. At breakfast, Touya teases Sakura for stomping down the stairs like a giant monster. He finishes eating and heads out on his bike to meet his friend Yukito on their way to school. Sakura hurries to eat her breakfast and get her roller blades on, so she can see Yukito, too. When they reach Yukito, he commends Sakura for being up early.
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Touya starts with 怪獣は to make the “monster” his topic, then makes the comment that it can finish breakfast in five minutes.
は Is Not Always the Subject
The topic is not always the grammatical subject of the predicate. It can be a person, object, time, place, or broader frame.
- 日本語は少し分かります。
As for Japanese, I understand a little.
- 週末は家で休みたい。
- As for the weekend, I want to rest at home.
In the first sentence, Japanese is the thing understood, but the speaker is the one who understands it. In the second, the weekend is the time frame, but the speaker is the one who wants to rest at home. は marks what the comment is about, not necessarily the doer of an action. After Yousuke finishes moving his belongings into his new home with the help of his friend Jumbo, Jumbo offers to pick up some gifts for Yousuke to give his new neighbors when he goes around the neighborhood to introduce himself.
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Jumbo makes himself the topic with 俺は, but he uses プリンが for the thing he likes. You can read 俺 as the topic and プリン as the grammatical subject. Cocoa inquires about the board and pieces sitting in front of Chino. Chino says it’s chess and gives a further explanation.
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Chino uses この温泉は to make the hot spring a location frame. She uses 強者が for the people who gather there, so the location topic is not the subject of 集まる.
Contrastive は
Because は sets one topic apart, it can also suggest contrast.
- コーヒーは飲むけど、紅茶は飲まない。
I drink coffee, but I do not drink tea.
- 駅には行ったが、店には入らなかった。
- I went to the station, but I did not go into the shop.
The contrast does not always need to be translated with “but”. Sometimes the contrast is only implied by the context. After school, Ninako notices Ren sleeping a few seats away on the train. When Ren wakes and rushes for his stop, he knocks Ninako’s phone from her hand. The phone hits the floor, and the strap charm breaks. Ren misses his exit while apologizing and offers to replace the charm.
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Ninako singles out the phone as safe with ケータイは無事. This contrasts it with the phone’s broken strap charm. Sanae’s teacher, Mr. Tanabe, has proposed to her older sister, who is also a teacher at the school.
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Tanabe limits his command to school with 学校では. He contrasts 先生 at school with what Sanae may call him elsewhere.
Adding with も
The particle も marks that the item is included too.
- 田中さんも来ます。
Tanaka is coming too.
- 私もそう思います。
I think so too.
- 水も買った。
- I bought water too.
Like は, も can replace が or を. After other particles, it usually follows them.
- 学校にも図書館にも行った。
I went to both the school and the library.
- 朝から夜までも働いた。
- I worked even from morning until night.
Yacchin eats little and dislikes many foods, so his friend Takeo helps by eating the parts of his lunch he doesn’t like. A teacher catches sight of this and yells at them not to give or take food from one another. When the coast is clear, Takeo continues, only to be sighted and punished by the teacher. Yacchin goes up to the teacher afterward.
- やっちん:
- 「あの… さっきは猛男くんひとりが悪いみたいになったんですけどオレも共犯です…」
- “Um... It seemed like Takeo was the only one at fault just now, but I was in on it too...”
Yacchin says Takeo looked like the only person at fault and adds himself with オレも. He uses も in the place that は or が would occupy in a statement about him. Kogorao, Ran, and Conan are at a convention for game software makers, since Kogoro helped as a consultant for a murder mystery video game. There, a punch strength test game catches Ran’s eye. She sees one of the developers throw a punch at it.
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Takeshita uses 蘭さんも to invite Ran after someone else has tried the machine. He places も after に in ストレス解消にもなる when he presents stress relief as another benefit.Related Grammar
Supplemental Examples
