atai ga takai.

subject particle

Breakdown of atai ga takai.

• 高たかい: high
• 値あたい: a numerical value

Questions & Answers about atai ga takai.

How is 値 read here?

Here, 値 is read ね. So the sentence is ね が たかい.

The kanji 値 can also be read あたい in other contexts, especially when it means a numerical value, as in math or programming. But in a short sentence like this, meaning price/value, ね is the natural reading.

What does 値 mean in this sentence?

値 means something like price, value, or worth, depending on context.

That means this sentence can describe:

• a high price
• a high market value
• high worth

Japanese often leaves the exact nuance to the situation. If you are talking about buying something, it may feel like the price is high. If you are talking about worth or merit, it may feel more like the value is high.

Why is が used here?

が marks 値 as the thing that has the property 高い.

So the structure is basically:

値 = the price/value
が = subject marker
高い = is high

This is a very normal pattern in Japanese: noun + が + adjective.

If you changed it to は, you would be making 値 the topic instead. That can sound more contrastive or like you are specifically commenting on the price/value as opposed to something else.