kono toti ha takai.

It is read:

この とち は たかい。
Kono tochi wa takai.

A few pronunciation notes:

• は is written ha but pronounced wa when it marks the topic.
• 高い is an i-adjective, so たかい ends with a clear -i sound.

この means this and must come directly before a noun.

So:

• この土地 = this land / this piece of land / this area

A useful comparison:

• この
  • noun = this ...
• これ = this one / this thing

So you can say この土地, but not これ土地.

土地 means land, plot of land, or sometimes area/region, depending on context.

It often refers to land as property, real estate, or a place in a geographic sense.

So この土地 could mean:

• this land
• this plot
• this area

The exact nuance depends on the situation.

は marks the topic of the sentence: what the sentence is about.

So この土地は高い means something like:

• As for this land, it is expensive
• This land is expensive

Using が would sound different. が tends to identify or focus on the subject more strongly, while は presents this land as the topic already under discussion or contrast.

For a beginner, the key idea is:

• は = topic marker
• が = subject marker

In this sentence, は is the natural choice if you are simply making a statement about this land.

This is one of the first unusual things learners notice in Japanese.

The particle は is normally read wa when it functions as a topic marker.

So in this sentence:

• written: は
• pronounced: wa

This is just a standard rule of Japanese grammar.

高い can mean both:

• high / tall
• expensive

In this sentence, because the noun is 土地 meaning land, 高い normally means expensive.

So the idea is not that the land is physically high, but that its price is high.

Context usually tells you which meaning is intended.

This sentence is in plain style:

• この土地は高い。

A more polite version would be:

• この土地は高いです。

Both are correct. The difference is politeness, not basic meaning.

• 高い = plain
• 高いです = polite

Japanese often leaves off です in casual or plain statements.

In Japanese, adjectives like 高い can act as the predicate by themselves.

So:

• この土地は高い。

already means:

• This land is expensive.

You do not need a separate word equivalent to English is in this kind of sentence.

This is very common in Japanese.
With i-adjectives, the adjective itself can finish the sentence.

高い is an i-adjective.

That means it ends in -い in its basic form and can change form on its own.

For example:

• 高い = expensive / high
• 高くない = not expensive / not high
• 高かった = was expensive / was high
• 高くなかった = was not expensive / was not high

This is different from na-adjectives, which behave differently.

Yes, but Japanese word order works differently from English.

The basic structure here is:

topic + は + description

So:

• この土地 = this land
• は = topic marker
• 高い = expensive

Japanese often puts the main predicate at the end of the sentence, so 高い comes last.

A literal breakdown would be:

• As for this land, expensive

which becomes natural English as:

• This land is expensive.

No, normal Japanese usually does not use spaces like this.

Normally it would be written:

この土地は高い。

Spaces are often added in beginner materials to make the sentence easier to read and break into parts.

So both represent the same sentence, but the no-space version is the normal one in real Japanese writing.

Yes, depending on context.

Because 土地 can sometimes refer to a place or area, the sentence might mean:

• this land is expensive
• this area is expensive
• land here is expensive

If the conversation is about real estate, this land is expensive is very likely. If the conversation is more about a region, this area is expensive could also fit.

Context decides the most natural translation.