Breakdown of kodomo no anzen ha zyuuyou desu.
はha
topic particle
ですdesu
to be
子供kodomo
child
のno
possessive case particle
安全anzen
safety
重要zyuuyou
important
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Questions & Answers about kodomo no anzen ha zyuuyou desu.
What does the particle の do in this sentence?
の links two nouns in an attributive/possessive way. 子供の安全 means “the safety of children / children’s safety.” Think N1 の N2 = “N2 of N1.”
Why is は placed after 安全 instead of after 子供?
Because the topic is the entire noun phrase 子供の安全. The topic marker は attaches to the end of the topic phrase: “As for children’s safety, …”
How do you pronounce the particle は here?
As “wa,” not “ha.” When は is the topic particle, it’s pronounced “wa.”
Can I use が instead of は?
Yes: 子どもの安全が重要です is grammatical.
- は: sets “children’s safety” as the topic; a general, thematic statement.
- が: identifies it as the thing that is important, often answering “What is important?”
What part of speech is 重要, and how is it used?
重要 is a na-adjective (adjectival noun).
- Predicate: 重要だ / 重要です.
- Before a noun: 重要な (e.g., 重要な問題 “an important issue”).
Why isn’t it 重要なです?
Na-adjectives take だ/です directly when used as predicates. な appears only when they modify a noun (e.g., 重要なこと). So 重要です is correct; 重要なです is ungrammatical.
Is 安全 a noun or an adjective?
Both. Here it’s a noun (“safety”). As a na-adjective it means “safe”: 安全な場所 “a safe place.” Don’t confuse 子どもの安全 (“children’s safety”) with 子どもは安全です (“the children are safe”).
Does 子供 mean “child” or “children”?
Japanese nouns are number-neutral. 子供 can mean “child” or “children” from context. To emphasize plural, use 子供たち. In general statements, the plain form is natural.
Why do I sometimes see 子ども instead of 子供?
Both are common. Many educational and public texts prefer 子ども (hiragana for ども) for readability or stylistic reasons. 子供 is also widely used; neither is wrong.
How do you read the whole sentence?
こども の あんぜん は じゅうよう です (romaji: kodomo no anzen wa juuyou desu).
What does です do here?
It’s the polite copula, making the statement polite. With na-adjectives and nouns you use だ/です to say “is/are.”
How do I say it in casual, negative, or past forms?
- Casual: 子どもの安全は重要だ.
- Negative (polite/casual): 重要ではありません / 重要じゃない.
- Past (polite/casual): 重要でした / 重要だった.
- Negative past (polite/casual): 重要ではありませんでした / 重要じゃなかった.
Are spaces like in the original sentence normal in Japanese?
No. Standard Japanese doesn’t use spaces between words. You’d normally write 子どもの安全は重要です.
What’s the nuance difference between 重要, 大切, and 大事?
- 重要: objectively important; formal/abstract (policies, data, rules).
- 大切: precious/valued; stresses care/concern.
- 大事: important/serious; about matters of concern or well-being. For this idea, 子どもの安全は大切です sounds warm/natural; 重要です sounds more formal.
Are there natural alternative wordings?
Yes:
- 子どもの安全が最も重要です (safety is the most important).
- 子どもにとって安全は重要です (“for children, safety is important”).
- More formal register: 児童の安全は重要です (児童 = school-age children).