Questions & Answers about matto wa kirei desu.
What does は do in this sentence?
は marks the topic of the sentence.
So in マット は きれい です, マット is what the sentence is about, and the rest of the sentence says something about it.
A natural way to think about it is:
- As for the mat, it is clean.
- or simply The mat is clean.
Even though は is often translated as is in very simple beginner sentences, it does not literally mean is. Its real job is to show the topic.
Why is は pronounced wa here?
This is one of the first unusual things Japanese learners notice.
When は is used as a particle, it is pronounced wa, not ha.
So:
- マット は きれい です
- is read matto wa kirei desu
But when は is part of a normal word, it is usually pronounced ha.
This is just a special rule for the particle は, and you will see it very often.
Where is the verb? Japanese sentences usually need a verb, right?
