Breakdown of watasi ha asita no asa ni okimasu.
はha
topic particle
私watasi
I
のno
possessive case particle
朝asa
morning
にni
time particle
明日asita
tomorrow
起きるokiru
to wake up
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have hundreds of Japanese lessons and thousands of exercises.
Questions & Answers about watasi ha asita no asa ni okimasu.
Why is は used after 私 instead of が?
は is the topic marker and sets “私” as the theme of the sentence: “As for me…”. In contrast, が is the subject marker, which introduces new information or highlights the subject. Using は here makes the sentence more neutral and conversational.
Can we omit 私は since Japanese often drops pronouns?
Yes. If the context is clear (e.g. you’re talking about your own routine), you can simply say 明日の朝に起きます. Japanese frequently omits subjects/topics when they’re understood from context.
Why is の used in 明日の朝, and what does it indicate?
The particle の links 明日 (tomorrow) to 朝 (morning), functioning like a genitive/possessive (“the morning of tomorrow”). Without の, the phrase would lose the relationship and sound unnatural.
Do we need the particle に after 朝? When is it necessary or optional?
に marks a specific point in time. With precise time expressions (year, month, day, hour, or “tomorrow morning”), に is grammatically correct. In casual speech, you might hear it dropped—especially with 朝, 昼, 夕方—but in formal or written Japanese it’s best to include に.
Why is the verb 起きます in its –ます form, and what would 起きる mean?
起きます is the polite present/future tense. 起きる is the plain (dictionary) form, used in casual conversations or writing. Both mean “to wake up,” but –ます adds politeness.
Is the word order flexible? Could we say 明日の朝に私は起きます?
Yes, Japanese allows relatively free word order because particles indicate grammatical roles. 明日の朝に私は起きます is grammatically correct. However, the default, natural flow is Topic (私 は) → Time (明日の朝に) → Verb.
What nuance does 明日の朝に convey compared to just 朝に?
明日の朝に specifically means “tomorrow morning.” 朝に alone means “in the morning” (generally or habitually). Adding 明日 pinpoints exactly which morning you mean.
Could we say 私が明日の朝に起きます instead of 私は? How would that change the nuance?
Using が (私が) emphasizes or contrasts the subject. It might imply “I (and not someone else) will wake up tomorrow morning.” It’s more emphatic or exclusive, whereas は is more neutral and topic-oriented.