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kono kawa ha hukai desu.

この　川かわ　は　深ふかい　です。kono kawa ha hukai desu.
This river is deep.
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Questions & Answers about kono kawa ha hukai desu.

How do you pronounce this sentence and what is its romanization?

To pronounce この川は深いです:

  • Break it into moras: ko-no ka-wa wa fu-ka-i de-su
  • Romanization: kono kawa wa fukai desu
What does この mean and when should I use it?

この is a demonstrative adjective meaning “this …” and always precedes a noun.

  • この川 = “this river”
  • Use この for something close to you (the speaker).
  • Use その for something close to the listener.
  • Use あの for something distant from both.
Why is the particle は used after 川? Could I use が instead?
  • は marks the topic, indicating “as for the river ….”
  • が marks the subject or new information, often used to emphasize what comes before it.
  • この川は深いです → “As for this river, it is deep.”
  • この川が深いです → “It’s this river (and not another) that is deep.”
Why is there no word like “the” or “a” in this sentence?
Japanese has no articles. Instead, you rely on context or use demonstratives like この, その, あの to specify which item you mean. Saying 川は深いです without この can mean “Rivers are deep” in general.
Why does 深い end with い and what type of adjective is it?
  • 深い is an i-adjective (its dictionary form ends with い).
  • I-adjectives can directly function as predicates: 川は深い。
  • They conjugate by replacing the final い (e.g., 深い → 深かった for past).
What is the role of です in 深いです, and can I omit it?
  • です is the polite copula used to end sentences politely.
  • With i-adjectives you keep the い and simply add です: 深いです.
  • In casual speech you can drop です: この川は深い.
How do I make this sentence past tense or negative?
  • Past affirmative: replace the final い with かったです
    → この川は深かったです。 (“This river was deep.”)
  • Present negative: replace い with くないです
    → この川は深くないです。 (“This river is not deep.”)
    (Casual negative: 深くない)
How do I turn it into a question, like “Is this river deep?”

Add the question particle か at the end:
→ この川は深いですか？
You can also rely on rising intonation in casual speech: この川は深い？