Log inSign up

akai hon ha medatu node wasurenikui desu.

赤あかい　本ほん　は　目立めだつ　ので　忘わすれにくい　です。akai hon ha medatu node wasurenikui desu.
A red book stands out, so it is hard to forget.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have hundreds of Japanese lessons and thousands of exercises.
Start learning Japanese

Start learning Japanese now

Questions & Answers about akai hon ha medatu node wasurenikui desu.

Why is は used here? Is it the subject?

は marks the topic, not necessarily the grammatical subject.
赤い本は… sets the red book(s) as what you’re talking about, and then you comment on it: (it) stands out, so (it’s) hard to forget.
If you used が, it would sound more like identifying which thing stands out (more focus/contrast), e.g. 赤い本が目立つ = It’s the red book that stands out.

Why is は pronounced wa?

When the hiragana は is used as the topic particle, it’s pronounced わ (wa).
So 本は is read ほんは → ほんわ (spoken as ほんわ).

What is the grammar of 赤い本? Why isn’t there a particle between 赤い and 本?

In Japanese, adjectives directly modify nouns with no particle in between.

  • 赤い + 本 = 赤い本 (a red book)
    赤い is an い-adjective, and the plain (dictionary) form can modify a noun like this.
Is 目立つ an adjective or a verb? What does it literally mean?

目立つ（めだつ） is a verb meaning to stand out / to be noticeable.
Literally it’s like to “stand” in the eyes → to be conspicuous.
In this sentence, it describes a state of the book: (it) stands out.

What does ので do, and how is it different from から?

ので means because / since, connecting a reason to a result:

  • 目立つので忘れにくい = Because it stands out, it’s hard to forget.

Compared to から:

  • ので sounds a bit softer / more explanatory / more polite (often used in polite speech, formal writing, giving reasons without sounding blunt).
  • から can sound more direct or more like a personal justification.
Why is it 目立つので (dictionary form + ので)? Shouldn’t it be 目立つですので or something?

With ので, you typically attach it to the plain form of the clause:

  • Verb plain: 目立つ + ので
  • い-adjective plain: 高い + ので
  • Noun/な-adjective: 静か + なので, 学生 + なので

You generally don’t insert です before ので in a normal clause. (There is ですので, but it’s a separate, more formal connective meaning therefore / for that reason, and it’s used differently.)

How is 忘れにくい formed? What does 〜にくい mean?

〜にくい attaches to the masu-stem of a verb to mean hard/difficult to do:

  • 忘れる (to forget) → stem 忘れ → 忘れにくい = hard to forget

It describes difficulty due to circumstances (not ability/skill). Here: it’s hard to forget because it stands out.

What’s the difference between 忘れにくい and 忘れられない?

They’re not the same:

  • 忘れにくい = hard to forget (difficult for it to slip your mind; likely you won’t forget)
  • 忘れられない = can’t forget (often emotionally strong: I can’t forget it, unforgettable)

This sentence is talking about memorability/noticeability, so 忘れにくい fits well.

Why is です at the end if 忘れにくい is already an adjective?

です here is the polite sentence ending.
You can say:

  • Casual: 赤い本は目立つので忘れにくい。
  • Polite: 赤い本は目立つので忘れにくいです。

With い-adjectives, you can add です to make the tone polite without changing the core meaning.

Is the sentence talking about one book or books in general?

It’s ambiguous (as Japanese often is). 本 can mean a book or books, depending on context.
As a general statement, it often reads like: Red books stand out, so they’re hard to forget.
If you wanted to clearly indicate “this one book,” you might add something like この赤い本は… (This red book…).