Questions & Answers about sore wa ruuru ihan desu.
Why is は pronounced wa here?
This is one of the first things learners notice in Japanese.
The particle is written with the hiragana は, but when it is used as the topic particle, it is pronounced wa.
So:
- それは = sore wa
- not sore ha
This is a special reading used only for the particle. The same character は is normally pronounced ha in regular words.
What does それ mean exactly? Is it just that?
Yes, それ usually means that, but more specifically it refers to something near the listener or something that was just mentioned.
Japanese has a three-way system:
- これ = this
- それ = that (near you / the thing you mentioned)
- あれ = that over there
So それはルール違反です means something like:
- That is a rule violation
- That is against the rules
Depending on context, それ could point to an action, a statement, an object, or a situation.
What is the job of は in this sentence?
