Breakdown of watasi ha saihu wo kaban ni iremasu.
はha
topic particle
私watasi
I
にni
destination particle
をwo
direct object particle
かばんkaban
bag
財布saihu
wallet
入れるirereru
to put in
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Questions & Answers about watasi ha saihu wo kaban ni iremasu.
What function does the particle は have after 私?
It marks the topic of the sentence (“as for…”). Here 私 (I) is the topic, so we’re saying “As for me, I put my wallet into my bag.”
Why is は pronounced wa and not ha?
When used as a particle, the kana は is always pronounced wa, even though the same character is pronounced ha in native words.
Could I use が instead of は here (e.g. 私が財布を…)?
You could, but が marks the subject or emphasizes it, while は marks the topic and can imply contrast or known information. In a simple statement about what you do, は is more neutral.
Can I omit 私は since the subject is obvious?
Yes. Japanese often drops pronouns when context makes them clear. You can just say 財布をかばんに入れます。
What does the particle を do after 財布?
を marks 財布 (the wallet) as the direct object—the thing being acted upon by the verb 入れます (“put in”).
What does the particle に do after かばん?
に marks かばん (the bag) as the destination or goal of the action. In this case it means “into the bag.”
Could I use へ instead of に (かばんへ)?
No. へ marks direction toward a location (like “toward the bag”), while に is used with verbs like 入れる that indicate entering or placing something into a location.
Why is かばん written in hiragana, not the kanji 鞄?
The kanji 鞄 exists but is uncommon. Most learners and native speakers write かばん in hiragana or use the katakana form カバン.
What is 入れます, and how does it compare to 入れる?
入れます is the polite non-past form (“I put in” / “I will put in”). The dictionary (casual) form is 入れる. To conjugate: drop る from 入れる to get 入れ, then add ます → 入れます.
Does 入れます mean “I am putting” or “I will put”?
In Japanese the non-past form can mean both present and future. Without extra context, 入れます can mean “I put in,” “I am putting in,” or “I will put in.” To show ongoing action, you’d use 入れている (“I am putting/keeping [something] in”).
What’s the difference between 入れる and 入る?
入れる is a transitive verb (“to put something into”), so it needs a direct object (marked with を). 入る is intransitive (“to go/come in” or “to fit into”), so it doesn’t take を, and it describes something entering on its own.
Could I say かばんの中に財布を入れます? Do I have to add の中?
You can and often do use の中に (“inside”) to be explicit: かばんの中に財布を入れます means “I put the wallet inside the bag.” Without 中, かばんに is still understood as “into the bag.”
Does word order matter? Could I say かばんに財布を入れます?
Japanese has fairly flexible word order. かばんに財布を入れます is perfectly fine and means the same thing; you’re just putting the destination first.