seigenjikan wa mijikai.

topic particle

Breakdown of seigenjikan wa mijikai.

• 短みじかい: short
• 制限時間せいげんじかん: a time limit

Questions & Answers about seigenjikan wa mijikai.

How do you read 制限時間は短い?

It is read:

せいげんじかん は みじかい。

• 制限時間 = せいげんじかん = time limit
• は is written ha but pronounced wa when it is the topic particle
• 短い = みじかい = short

Why is は pronounced wa here instead of ha?

When は is used as a particle, it is pronounced wa.

So in this sentence:

• 制限時間は = As for the time limit, ...

But when は is part of a word, it is usually pronounced ha.

This is one of the first pronunciation exceptions learners meet in Japanese.

What does は do in this sentence?

は marks the topic of the sentence.

So 制限時間は短い literally feels like:

• As for the time limit, it is short.

That is why the sentence does not sound exactly like a word-for-word English sentence. Japanese often presents a topic first, then comments on it.

Why is there no word for ?