kono reen wa nagai.

This bowling lane is long.

Breakdown of kono reen wa nagai.

• は: topic particle
• この: this
• 長ながい: long
• レーン: a bowling lane

Questions & Answers about kono reen wa nagai.

Why is は pronounced wa here?

In this sentence, は is the topic particle, and when は is used as a particle, it is pronounced wa, not ha.

So:

• この レーン は 長い。
• is read kono rēn wa nagai

This is a very common point for beginners. The writing stays は, but the pronunciation changes to wa only in this grammatical use.

What does この mean, and why is it placed before レーン?

この means this, but it must be followed by a noun.

So:

• この レーン = this lane

This is different from:

• これ = this one / this

A useful comparison:

• これ = this
• この + noun = this + noun

So you can say:

• これは長い。 = This is long.
• このレーンは長い。 = This lane is long.

Why is レーン written in katakana?