Learn Hardcore Japanese: hayaoki ha taisetu desu. - Getting up early is important.

When は is the topic particle, it’s pronounced “wa” (not “ha”) due to historical spelling. In other uses (inside words like はな or as the consonant “h”), it’s pronounced “ha.”

Is 早起き a noun or a verb? Can I say 早起きする?

早起き is a verbal noun (a “suru-noun”). You can say 早起きする or 早起きをする to mean “to get up early.” You can also express the idea with a regular verb phrase: 早く起きる (“to wake up early”).

How is this different from saying 早く起きるのは大切です or 早起きすることは大切です?

All three mean roughly the same thing. 早起きは大切です treats “early rising” as a habit/thing. 早く起きるのは大切です focuses on the action of “waking up early” (colloquial feel). 早起きすることは大切です uses the more formal/abstract nominalizer こと (“the act of getting up early is important”).

Can I say 早起きが大切です? What’s the nuance vs は?

You can. が marks the subject/focus, so 早起きが大切です answers “What is important?” (e.g., 何が大切ですか？—早起きが大切です). は sets a topic and sounds more like a general statement or contrast (“As for early rising, it’s important”).

Why use です instead of ます, あります, or います?

です is the copula used to link a noun/na-adjective to the subject/topic (“X is Y”). ます attaches to verbs, not adjectives or nouns. あります/います express existence (“there is/are”) rather than “is (important).”

Is 大切 an i-adjective or a na-adjective? How do I use it before a noun?

大切 is a na-adjective. Before a noun, add な: 大切な習慣 (“an important habit”). In predicate position you use the copula: 大切です／大切だ.

What’s the casual/plain version of this sentence?

早起きは大切だ。 You’ll also hear colloquial variations like 早起きって大切だよ or 早起きは大切だね. In formal writing you might see 早起きは大切である。

How do I make it stronger or negative?

To intensify: とても大切です／本当に大切です／すごく大切です. Negative (polite): 大切ではありません or 大切じゃないです; plain: 大切じゃない. “Not very” is あまり大切ではありません (with a negative).

What’s the difference between 大切, 大事, and 重要 here?

大切: “important/precious,” often with a sense of personal value or care.
大事: close to 大切, common in everyday speech; “important/significant.”
重要: “important” in a more formal, objective sense (documents, official statements). In this sentence, 大切 and 大事 both sound natural; 重要 is more formal.

Can I add こと? For example, 早起きは大切なことです or 早起きすることは大切です?

Yes. 早起きは大切なことです literally says “Early rising is an important thing.” 早起きすることは大切です nominalizes the verb phrase and is perfectly natural; it can feel a bit more explicit/formal than the original.

How do you pronounce the whole sentence?

It’s read: はやおきはたいせつです (romaji: Hayaoki wa taisetsu desu). Remember the topic は is pronounced “wa.”

Why are there spaces between the words? Is that normal?

Spaces are often added in teaching materials to help learners see word boundaries. In normal Japanese writing you would write it without spaces: 早起きは大切です。

How can I use 早起き to describe a person or my ability?

“A person who gets up early” can be 早起きの人 or 早起きする人. “I’m bad at getting up early” is 早起きは苦手です; “I’m good at it” is 早起きは得意です. To talk about habit: よく早起きします (“I often get up early”).

Who is the subject here? It isn’t stated.

Japanese often omits the subject when it’s generic or clear from context. Here, it’s a general statement about early rising (think “In general, waking up early is important”). If you want to specify perspective, add phrases like 私にとって (“for me”) or 健康にとって (“for health”).

How do I connect this to a second clause?

Use the connective で (the te-form of だ) before adding the result or reason: 早起きは大切で、仕事の効率が上がります。 (“Waking up early is important, and it improves work efficiency.”)