kono tatemono wa kaisha no honbu desu.

topic particle

Breakdown of kono tatemono wa kaisha no honbu desu.

• です: to be
• の: possessive case particle
• 会社かいしゃ: company

Questions & Answers about kono tatemono wa kaisha no honbu desu.

Why are there spaces in この　建物　は　会社　の　本部　です。? I thought Japanese normally doesn’t use spaces.

You’re right: normal Japanese is usually written without spaces.

This sentence is spaced out because it is probably aimed at learners, to make the parts easier to see:

• この = this
• 建物 = building
• は = topic particle
• 会社 = company
• の = linking/possessive particle
• 本部 = headquarters
• です = polite is / am / are

In natural Japanese writing, it would usually appear as:

この建物は会社の本部です。

How do you read this sentence aloud?

A natural reading is:

この たてもの は かいしゃ の ほんぶ です。

In romaji:

Kono tatemono wa kaisha no honbu desu.

A few notes:

• 建物 = たてもの
• 会社 = かいしゃ
• 本部 = ほんぶ
• The particle は is written ha but pronounced wa here.

What does この mean, and why is it used before 建物?