Mission—Team—FAQ—Privacy—Terms—Sponsors—Grammar—Typing Course—Donate

© 2026 Elon Automation B.V.

Learn Hardcore Japanese: isya ga syuzyutu wo simasita. - The doctor performed surgery.

Hardcore Japanese
/Taking a pottery class
/isha ga shujutsu o shimashita.

isha ga shujutsu o shimashita.

Word

医者いしゃ　が　手術しゅじゅつ　を　しました。isha ga shujutsu o shimashita.

Meaning

The doctor performed surgery.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Japanese

Lesson

Taking a pottery class

Breakdown of isha ga shujutsu o shimashita.

direct object particle

subject particle

医者いしゃisha

Questions & Answers about isha ga shujutsu o shimashita.

What do が and を mean in this sentence?

They are particles, which show the role of each word in the sentence.

医者が = the doctor is the subject of the sentence
手術を = surgery / an operation is the object
しました = did

So:

が marks who did the action
を marks what action was done

In this sentence, the doctor is the one doing the surgery.

Why is it 医者が and not 医者は?

This is a very common question.

が marks the subject
は marks the topic

Using が here simply presents the doctor as the person who performed the surgery.

医者が手術をしました。 = The doctor performed surgery.
医者は手術をしました。 would feel more like As for the doctor, he/she performed surgery or could imply contrast, depending on context.

In beginner sentences, が is often used when the focus is on who did it.

How do you read this sentence?

Nihon-shiki romanizationwatasi ha tyuugoku kara kimasita

Hepburn romanizationwatashi wa chuugoku kara kimashita

手術しゅじゅつshujutsu

surgery; an operation

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have hundreds of Japanese lessons and thousands of exercises.

Start learning Japanese

Start learning Japanese now

It is read:

いしゃがしゅじゅつをしました。

Word by word:

医者 = いしゃ
手術 = しゅじゅつ
しました = しました

So the full reading is:

いしゃがしゅじゅつをしました。

What is しました exactly?

しました is the polite past form of する, which means to do.

The verb forms are:

する = do / to do
します = do / will do, polite
しました = did, polite past

In this sentence, 手術をする literally means to do surgery, which in natural English becomes to perform surgery.

So:

手術をしました = performed surgery

Is 手術 a verb?

No. 手術 is a noun, not a verb.

It means:

surgery
an operation

Japanese often makes nouns into actions by adding する.

So:

勉強 = study
勉強する = to study

And here:

手術 = surgery
手術をする = to do / perform surgery

That is why the sentence uses 手術をしました instead of a single verb meaning operated.

Does this sentence mean the doctor had surgery, or that the doctor performed surgery?

It means the doctor performed surgery.

That is because:

医者が = the doctor is the subject, the one doing the action
手術をしました = did/performed surgery

If you wanted to say the doctor had surgery, the sentence would need a different structure, because the doctor would be the patient, not the performer.

So in this sentence, the doctor is the one carrying out the operation.

Where is the patient? Who received the surgery?

The patient is not stated in this sentence.

Japanese often leaves out information if it is already known from context or not important.

So 医者が手術をしました。 only tells us:

who performed the surgery = the doctor
what action happened = surgery was performed

It does not tell us who the surgery was performed on.

If you wanted to include that, you might say something like:

医者が患者に手術をしました。

But in real Japanese, that particular phrasing may sound unnatural depending on context, so native speakers often choose different wording to specify the patient more clearly.

Can the word order change?

Yes, to some extent.

Because Japanese uses particles, the roles are shown by が and を, so word order is more flexible than in English.

This sentence could also appear as:

手術を医者がしました。

That still means the doctor performed surgery, because:

医者が is still the subject
手術を is still the object

However, 医者が手術をしました is the more neutral and natural order here.

So yes, word order can change, but it may affect emphasis.

Why are there spaces between the words?

Normally, standard Japanese is written without spaces.

So the usual written form is:

医者が手術をしました。

The spaces are often added in beginner materials to make the sentence easier to read and to show where the words and particles are.

They are a learning aid, not standard Japanese punctuation.

Why is there no a, the, or plural marker?

Japanese usually does not use articles like a or the.

So 医者 can mean:

a doctor
the doctor

depending on context.

Also, Japanese nouns usually do not have a separate plural form like English does. Context tells you whether something is singular or plural.

So 医者が手術をしました could mean:

A doctor performed surgery
The doctor performed surgery

The exact English translation depends on the situation.

Is 医者 male or female?

医者 is not gender-specific.

It simply means doctor.

So the sentence could refer to:

a male doctor
a female doctor

Japanese often leaves gender unstated unless it matters or is made clear by context.

Is there any difference between 医者 and お医者さん?

Yes.

医者 is a plain, dictionary-style word for doctor
お医者さん is a more polite or friendly everyday expression

In many contexts, お医者さん sounds softer and more natural in conversation, especially when talking to children or speaking casually about doctors.

But 医者 is perfectly normal in example sentences and general explanations.

Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io