Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have hundreds of Japanese lessons and thousands of exercises.
Questions & Answers about kore ha inu desu.
Are the spaces between words necessary in Japanese?
No. Native Japanese writing usually doesn’t include spaces between words. The example これ は 犬 です。 uses spaces only to help learners see word boundaries. In actual text, characters are written consecutively.
What is これ?
これ is a demonstrative pronoun meaning this (thing) and refers to something close to the speaker. In our sentence, it functions as the topic.
How do I pronounce the particle は in これは?
When は serves as the topic marker, it is pronounced wa, not ha.
What role does the particle は play here?
は marks これ as the topic of the sentence (what we’re talking about). It doesn’t mark the grammatical subject the way English does; it highlights what is given or assumed in the discourse.
Why is は used instead of が?
• が introduces new or specific subjects (the focus of new information).
• は sets up a known topic or provides contrast.
In これは犬です, we’re presenting information about the familiar topic これ, so は is the appropriate choice.
Why is there no particle after 犬 before です?
In copular sentences (noun + です), the predicate noun (here 犬) directly links to です without an intervening particle.
What is です doing in this sentence?
です is the polite copula (equivalent to is in English). It attaches to a noun or adjective to form a polite statement.
Why use です instead of だ?
• だ is the plain (casual) copula used in informal speech.
• です is the polite form used in formal or everyday polite conversation.
Why is there no article like a or the before 犬?
Japanese doesn’t have articles. 犬 can be interpreted as a dog, the dog, or simply dog, depending on context. To specify definiteness, you can add context or modifiers such as あの犬 (that dog) or 私の犬 (my dog).
Why isn’t 犬 pluralized when I mean more than one dog?
Japanese nouns don’t change form for number. To indicate quantity, you use counters. For example, 二匹の犬 means two dogs, but 犬 by itself can refer to one or several.
Why is the copula です placed at the end, whereas in English is comes in the middle?
Japanese uses SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) and topic-comment word order:
- First comes the topic (これ), marked by は.
- Then the comment (predicate noun 犬) and finally the copula (です).
Verbs and copulas always appear at the end of the clause.