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<p>
	We've already learned that the particle <strong>は</strong> is used to mark the topic of a sentence.
	Apart from this usage, <strong>は</strong> is also used as a contrast marker.
</p>

<p>
	You can use the particle <strong>は</strong> as a contrast marker by using it multiple times.
</p>

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<p>
	Note that in the sentence above, <ruby>馬uma</ruby> and <ruby>犬inu</ruby> are subjects of the clauses they're in.
	But to emphasize the contrast, <strong>は</strong> is used instead of the subject marker <strong>が</strong>.
	We cannot use the particle <strong>は</strong> after the particle <strong>が</strong>.
	The contrast marker <strong>は</strong> can also not be combined with the object marker <strong>を</strong>,
	and therefore also replaces it if we want to contrast two objects.
</p>

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    <tbody>
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<p>
	Note that <strong>は</strong>'s role as contrast marker is consistent with its role as topic marker,
	as there are multiple topics that are talked about:
	as for <strong>A</strong> it is <strong>X</strong>, as for <strong>B</strong> it is <strong>Y</strong>.
</p>

<p>
	This becomes even more apparent in the following sentences,
	which show that the contrast marker does not need to be used multiple times in a sentence,
	and that making something the topic is already inherently contrasting it with other things that are not the topic.
</p>

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    <tbody>
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        <tr data-item="251969"></tr>
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The contrast marker は

hiragana character

kanji

adnominal

adverb

auxiliary

conjunction

compound

i-adjective

interjection

noun

na-adjective

numeral

particle

case particle

conjunctive particle

discourse particle

prefix

pronoun

suffix

verb

sentence

hiragana writing

kanji writing

kanji component

reading vocabulary

katakana writing

katakana character

godan - group 1

itidan - group 2

group 3

transitive

intransitive

proper noun

discourse

phrase

expression

adjectival noun

adverbial phrase

adjectival phrase

The verb to be

Hiragana 1

Kanji 1

Writing hiragana 1

Writing kanji 1

Hiragana 2

Kanji 2

The question particle か

Writing hiragana 2

This one and that one

Writing kanji 2

Reading exercise 1

Reading exercise 2

Hiragana 3

Negating nouns

Writing hiragana 3

The topic particle は

Kanji 3

The possession particle の

い-adjectives and な-adjectives

The subject particle が

Here and there

There is, there are

Writing kanji 3

Kanji 4

Group 1 verbs, direct and indirect objects

Group 2 verbs

Hiragana 4

Verbs in the past tense

Negating verbs

Invitations and the particle と

Negating past verbs

Writing hiragana 4

Reading exercise 3

Writing kanji 4

Reading exercise 4

Kanji 5

Nouns and the past tense

This and that

The group 3 verbs する and 来る

The discourse particles ね and よ

The location particles に and で

Hiragana 5

Writing hiragana 5

Writing kanji 5

The destination particles に and へ

Kanji 6

The origin particle から

Hiragana 6

Relative positions

Conjugating い-adjectives

Writing hiragana 6

Writing kanji 6

Hiragana 7

Writing hiragana 7

Kanji 7

Conjugating な-adjectives

How are you?

The particle も

The word ちょっと

Reading exercise 7

Question	Answer
horse	馬うまuma
I don't like horses, but I like dogs.	馬うま　は　好すき　じゃ　ない　が、　犬いぬ　は　好すき　よ。uma wa suki ja nai ga, inu wa suki yo.
(I) did not buy a game. (I) bought a notebook.	ゲーム　は　買かわなかった。　ノート　は　買かった。gemu wa kawanakatta. nooto wa katta.
As for Mary, I like her.	メアリー　は、　好すき　だ。mearii wa, suki da. May imply there's someone else I don't like.
As for the house, I bought it.	家いえ　は、　買かいました。ie wa, kaimashita. Points attention to the house, in contrast to the previous topic talked about.

Japanese 222 - The contrast marker は

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