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Questions & Answers about kyou ha atatakai desu.
How do you read each part of the sentence?
- 今日: きょう (kyō) — “today”
- は: wa — topic particle (written は, pronounced “wa”)
- 暖かい: あたたかい (atatakai) — “warm” (colloquial: あったかい)
- です: desu — polite sentence ending (often pronounced close to “des”)
Why is は pronounced “wa” here?
When は is the topic particle, it’s pronounced “wa” due to historical spelling conventions. As part of a word (e.g., はな), it’s “ha,” but as a topic marker, it’s “wa.”
What does the particle は do in this sentence?
は marks the topic: it sets “today” as what you’re talking about. So the structure is “As for today, [it] is warm.”
Where is the subject “it”?
Japanese often omits subjects when they’re obvious. Weather statements commonly have no explicit subject. The listener understands the implied subject from context (“it” = the weather).
Do I need です after 暖かい?
No. 暖かい (an i-adjective) can end the sentence by itself. です is added to make it polite:
- Casual: 今日は暖かい。
- Polite: 今日は暖かいです。
Why is 暖かいだ wrong?
In standard Japanese, i-adjectives (ending in -い) do not take だ. だ attaches to nouns and na-adjectives. With i-adjectives, use the adjective alone (casual) or add です for politeness.
Can I use が instead of は (e.g., 今日が暖かいです)?
Usually no. 今日が暖かいです sounds odd unless you’re contrasting or identifying “today” among alternatives (e.g., “Which day is warm?” — “It’s today that’s warm”). For a neutral statement, use 今日は.
Is 今日 ever read こんにち here?
Not in this meaning. For “today,” it’s きょう. こんにち means “nowadays” or appears in the greeting こんにちは (historically from 今日は, with は pronounced “wa”).
What’s the difference between 暖かい and 温かい?
- 暖かい: warmth of climate/air/season (use this in the sentence).
- 温かい: warmth of objects/people/feelings/food (e.g., 温かいスープ).
What’s the difference between 暖かい and 暑い?
- 暖かい: comfortably warm, mild.
- 暑い: hot (uncomfortably hot weather/temperature).
“Warm today” = 暖かい; “hot today” = 暑い.
How do I say it in the past or negative?
- Past: 今日は暖かかったです。 (It was warm today.)
- Negative: 今日は暖かくないです。 (It’s not warm today.)
- Past negative: 今日は暖かくなかったです。
More formal negatives: 暖かくありません (でした).
How can I make it sound conversational?
Add sentence-ending particles:
- Seeking agreement: 今日は暖かいですね。
- Stating new info/emphasis: 今日は暖かいですよ。
- Both: 今日は暖かいですよね。
Can I drop 今日は?
Yes, if context already established “today.” Examples:
- 暖かいですね。 (It’s warm, isn’t it?)
- If you mean “now,” use 今は暖かいです (“It’s warm now”).
Why are there spaces between words here?
They’re for learners. Standard Japanese normally has no spaces: 今日は暖かいです。
How do I add nuance like “very,” “a bit,” or “too”?
- Very: 今日はとても暖かいです。 / すごく暖かいです。
- A bit: 今日は少し暖かいです。
- Too warm: 今日は暖かすぎます。
How do I say “It’s a warm day today” instead?
Use a noun phrase: 今日は暖かい日です。 This emphasizes the day itself as a “warm day,” not just the current temperature.
Any pronunciation tips?
- きょう has a long vowel (kyō).
- です often devoices the final す, sounding like “des.”
- あたたかい can sound like the colloquial あったかい in speech; both are understood, but あたたかい is standard.