A is B. / A は B です。

In this beginner Japanese grammar lesson, you’ll learn how to use the essential sentence pattern A は B です。

This structure is one of the most important foundations of Japanese. You can use it for introductions, descriptions, occupations, nationalities, and everyday conversation.

How to Say “A Is B” in Japanese

Unlike English, Japanese does not change the verb depending on the subject. Whether the subject is “I,” “you,” or “they,” the basic pattern remains the same.

You can express simple statements using the pattern A は B です。

You can think of the structure like this:

• A = topic
• は = topic marker
• B = information about the topic
• です = polite sentence ending

“は” is pronounced “wa” in this pattern.

Japanese frequently omits topics and subjects when they are obvious from the context.

In this article, “～” means that one or more words can go in that position.

Examples

私わたしはさとしです。

I am Satoshi.

私わたし [pronoun] I

彼かれは学生がくせいです。

He is a student.

彼かれ [pronoun] he
学生がくせい [noun] student

Japanese nouns usually do not change between singular and plural.
Context normally tells you whether the meaning is singular or plural.

When speakers want to emphasize plurality, they may add words such as ～たち or ～ら.
For example:
彼ら = they
学生たち = students

彼女かのじょはアメリカ人じんです。

She is American.

彼女かのじょ [pronoun] she
アメリカ人じん [noun] American

さとしさんはポケモントレーナーです。

Mr. Satoshi is a Pokémon Trainer.

～さん [suffix] Mr. / Ms.

です can be replaced with だ (casual speech) or である (formal or written style).

When you strongly emphasize the subject, は is sometimes replaced with が.
However, the difference between は and が is more nuanced and will be explained later in this article.

炭次郎たんじろうといいます。

©吾峠呼世晴／集英社・アニプレックス・ufotable

I am Tanjiro.

In Japanese, subjects are frequently omitted when they are obvious from the situation or previous context.
Repeating the subject too often sounds unnatural in many cases.

～といいます [expression] My name is ～
～と申もうします [expression] My name is ～ (more polite)

Japanese self-introductions often omit the subject completely.
Expressions such as ～といいます and ～と申します are very common in natural conversation.

Vocabulary

Pronouns

Japanese pronouns are used differently from English pronouns. In natural conversation, they are often omitted when the meaning is already clear from the context.

Japanese	Pronunciation	English	Note
私わたし	watashi	I	often omitted
あなた	anata	you	often avoided in conversation; the person’s name is commonly used instead
彼かれ	kare	he	can also mean “boyfriend”
彼女かのじょ	kanojo	she	can also mean “girlfriend”
これ	kore	this	something close to the speaker
それ	sore	that	something close to the listener
あれ	are	that over there	something far from both speaker and listener

Unlike English, Japanese often relies heavily on context instead of pronouns.

Occupations

Here are some common occupation words frequently used with the pattern A は B です。

Japanese	Pronunciation	English
学生がくせい	gakusei	student
先生せんせい	sensei	teacher, instructor, professor, doctor
医者いしゃ	isha	doctor, physician
弁護士べんごし	bengoshi	lawyer, attorney
警察官けいさつかん	keisatsukan	police officer
店員てんいん	tenin	store clerk, salesperson
会社員かいしゃいん	kaishain	office worker, company employee
エンジニア	enjinia	engineer
運転手うんてんしゅ	untenshu	driver
料理人りょうりにん	ryoorinin	cook, chef
歌手かしゅ	kashu	singer

Suffix Words (Related to People)

Japanese uses many suffixes after names and numbers. These suffixes add politeness, social meaning, or counting information.

Japanese	Pronunciation	English	Note
～さん	~san	Mr. / Ms.	standard polite suffix
～様さま	~sama	Mr. / Ms.	more polite; often used in business settings
～先生せんせい	~sensei	teacher / professor / doctor	used for teachers, doctors, professors, authors, etc.
～人じん	~jin	nationality	e.g. アメリカ人 = American
～人にん	~nin	people	used when counting people
～歳さい	~sai	years old	used for age
～才さい	~sai	years old	simplified kanji version
～年生ねんせい	~nensei	grader / school year	e.g. 1年生 = first grader

Practice

Translate the following sentences into Japanese using the pattern A は B です。

The Deeper Story of “A Is B”

The explanations above are enough for basic communication. However, Japanese particles such as は and が contain deeper meanings that are difficult to translate directly into English.

This section explores the deeper grammatical structure behind Japanese sentence patterns and explains why native Japanese expressions often feel very different from English.

The Grammatical Structure of “A Is B”

In English, the sentence structure is usually analyzed around the subject and verb. Japanese works differently. Japanese focuses more heavily on topics, context, and the relationship between pieces of information.

Japanese is often described as a “topic-prominent language,” while English is more “subject-prominent.”

This difference is one of the main reasons Japanese sentences often omit subjects that would normally be required in English.

Role of “は”

The particle は is commonly introduced as a topic marker for beginners, but its actual role is much broader and more nuanced.

Role of “は” No.1

・Functions as a topic marker

In many situations, Japanese speakers avoid repeating information that is already understood by both speakers.

For example, during a self-introduction, the topic “I” is usually obvious from the context.

ゆきてぃです。

I am Yukitty.

The subject “I” is omitted because it is already understood from the situation.

If the subject is explicitly stated when it is already obvious, it often sounds emphasized.

Role of “は” No.2, 3, and 4

・indicates contrast
・expresses the speaker’s perspective
・indicates a choice of predicate

The particle は often creates nuance rather than direct meaning. Depending on the context, it can imply contrast or highlight the speaker’s viewpoint.

These nuances are difficult to translate directly into English because English usually relies more heavily on word order and intonation.

Role of “は” No.5

・used in question sentences

The particle は is also frequently used in questions when the speaker introduces or revisits a topic.

Role of “は” No.6

・continues the topic into the following sentence unless a new topic is introduced

Once a topic is introduced with は, Japanese often continues discussing the same topic without repeating it.

This is one reason Japanese conversations can sound vague to learners. Much of the information is implied rather than spoken explicitly.

Role of “です” and “だ”

Both です and だ express judgment or assertion, but they differ in politeness and tone.

です is polite and commonly used in everyday conversation.
だ sounds more casual and direct.

The form である is often used in formal writing, explanations, articles, and narration.

Role of “が”

The particle が is often translated as a subject marker, but its actual usage is more nuanced than that.

While は introduces or revisits a topic, が often focuses attention on the subject itself or introduces new information.

A simplified explanation is:
は = topic / shared context
が = subject / focus / new information

However, the real difference depends heavily on context, emphasis, and the speaker’s intention.

Role of “が” No.1, 2, and 3

・functions as a subject marker
・indicates a logical relationship
・indicates a choice of subject

The particle が is commonly used when the speaker wants to identify or emphasize a specific subject.

Compared with は, the particle が often sounds more direct and focused.

Many English textbooks oversimplify the difference between は and が. In reality, native speakers choose them based heavily on nuance and context.

Role of “が” No.4

・used when reporting something the speaker noticed

Japanese frequently uses が when the speaker discovers, notices, or experiences something directly.

This usage often feels emotional or immediate compared with は.

Role of “が” No.5

・used when an interrogative word is the subject

Question words such as 誰 (who), 何 (what), and どこ (where) are commonly followed by が when they function as the subject of the sentence.

This is one of the most consistent grammatical uses of が.

Role of “が” No.6

・used as the subject inside subordinate clauses

The particle が is frequently used inside embedded clauses and subordinate sentences.

This is another reason why translating Japanese particles directly into English is often difficult.

Why Japanese Subjects Are Often Omitted

One of the biggest differences between Japanese and English is the amount of information that can be omitted.

English usually requires explicit subjects:

• I am tired.
• She is a student.
• They are busy.

In Japanese, subjects are frequently omitted when they are already understood from the context.

• 疲れた。
• 学生です。
• 忙しいです。

Japanese communication relies heavily on shared context and implicit understanding.

Because of this, directly translating English sentence structure into Japanese often sounds unnatural.

Summary

The sentence pattern A は B です。 may look simple, but it contains many important ideas that are central to Japanese grammar.

• Topic vs subject
• Shared context
• Subject omission
• Politeness levels
• Speaker perspective
• Contrast and emphasis

Understanding these concepts will help you sound much more natural in Japanese.

Mastering the difference between は and が is one of the most important steps toward understanding natural Japanese.

Continue studying these particles gradually through real examples and conversation practice.