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Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha izyou wo mitukemasita. - I found an abnormality.

Hardcore Japanese
/Camping with friends
/watashi wa ijou o mitsukemashita.

watashi wa ijou o mitsukemashita.

Word

私わたし　は　異常いじょう　を　見みつけました。watashi wa ijou o mitsukemashita.

Meaning

I found an abnormality.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Japanese

Lesson

Camping with friends

Breakdown of watashi wa ijou o mitsukemashita.

私わたしwatashi

direct object particle

見みつけるmitsukeru

Questions & Answers about watashi wa ijou o mitsukemashita.

Why is は used after 私 instead of が?

は marks 私 as the topic of the sentence: as for me, ....

So 私は異常を見つけました presents the sentence as talking about me and what I did.

If you used が instead, it would put more focus on I as the subject, as if answering a question like Who found the abnormality? In many situations, は is the more neutral choice when introducing what someone did.

What does を do in this sentence?

を marks the direct object of the verb. In other words, it shows what was found.

異常を見つけました
found an abnormality / found something abnormal

The verb 見つける is a transitive verb, so it takes an object marked by を.

What is the breakdown of 見つけました?

Nihon-shiki romanizationwatasi ha tyuugoku kara kimasita

Hepburn romanizationwatashi wa chuugoku kara kimashita

異常いじょうijou

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見つけました is the polite past form of 見つける.

Breakdown:

dictionary form: 見つける
polite non-past: 見つけます
polite past: 見つけました

So 見つけました means found in a polite style.

Is this sentence in the past tense?

Yes. 見つけました is past tense, so the action of finding already happened.

By contrast:

見つけます = find / will find
見つけました = found

How do you pronounce this sentence?

A natural reading is:

わたしはいじょうをみつけました
watashi wa ijō o mitsukemashita

A few pronunciation notes:

は is written ha but pronounced wa when used as a particle.
を is usually pronounced o in modern Japanese.
異常 is いじょう.

What does 異常 mean here? Is it the same as strange?

異常 often means something like:

abnormality
something unusual
something wrong
an anomaly

It is often used in technical, medical, mechanical, or formal contexts. It does not just mean strange in a casual way; it often suggests that something is not normal in an important or problematic sense.

For example, it could refer to:

a machine malfunction
abnormal test results
an irregularity in data
a suspicious condition

Can 私 be omitted?

Yes, very often.

Japanese frequently leaves out subjects and topics when they are clear from context. So in a real conversation, people might simply say:

異常を見つけました。

That can still mean I found an abnormality, as long as the context makes it clear who is speaking or acting.

Including 私 makes the subject/topic more explicit.

Is the word order fixed?

Japanese word order is more flexible than English, but the most natural basic order here is:

私は異常を見つけました。

This follows the common pattern:

topic + object + verb

Because particles show each word's role, some rearrangement is possible, but the verb normally comes at the end.

For example, 異常を私は見つけました is possible, but it gives a different emphasis and is less neutral.

Why is there no article like a or the before 異常?

Japanese does not have articles like a, an, or the.

So 異常 could be understood as:

an abnormality
the abnormality
something abnormal

The exact interpretation depends on context.

Could this sentence sound formal?

Yes, it sounds polite because of 見つけました.

It is not extremely formal, but it is appropriate for:

speaking to someone you do not know well
workplace communication
reporting information politely

A plain-style version would be:

私は異常を見つけた。

That is less polite and more casual.

What is the plain-form version of this sentence?

The plain-form version is:

私は異常を見つけた。

polite: 見つけました
plain: 見つけた

Both are past tense. The difference is politeness, not meaning.

Is 見つける the same as 見る?

No. They are related in writing, but they mean different things.

見る = to see / to look at
見つける = to find / to discover / to spot

So 見つける is not just to see something; it means you noticed or found it.

Would a Japanese sentence normally be written with spaces like this?

No. Japanese is normally written without spaces.

So the standard written form is:

私は異常を見つけました。

The spaced version is often used only for learners to make the parts easier to see.

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