Subject Marker (が)
〜が
The particle が marks the subject of a sentence, identifying who or what performs an action or exists.
Pattern
Noun + が + Predicate
Explanation
The particle が marks the grammatical subject of a sentence. It identifies who or what does the action, exists, or has a particular quality. While は marks the topic (what we are talking about), が identifies the specific subject.
が is essential with certain predicates. Verbs of existence (ある, いる), ability (できる, わかる), and desire (ほしい, 〜たい) require が to mark their subject. For example: '猫がいます' (There is a cat), '日本語がわかります' (I understand Japanese).
が is also used to introduce new information or to answer 'who/what' questions. In 'だれが来ましたか？' (Who came?), が marks the unknown subject. The answer also uses が: '田中さんが来ました' (Tanaka came).
Examples
猫がいます。
ねこがいます。
Neko ga imasu.
There is a cat.
日本語がわかります。
にほんごがわかります。
Nihongo ga wakarimasu.
I understand Japanese.
雨が降っています。
あめがふっています。
Ame ga futte imasu.
It is raining.
だれが来ましたか。
だれがきましたか。
Dare ga kimashita ka.
Who came?
Common Mistakes
Wrong
日本語はわかります。
Correct
日本語がわかります。
With わかる (to understand), the thing understood takes が, not は. は would imply contrast.
Wrong
猫はいます。
Correct
猫がいます。
When introducing something for the first time (existence), use が. は implies the cat is already known in context.
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