Learn Hardcore Japanese: kono hon ha hondana no mannaka no dan ni arimasu. - This book is on the middle shelf of the bookcase.

If you used が (この本が本棚の真ん中の段にあります), it would mark this book more strongly as the grammatical subject and often implies it’s new or contrastive information, like:

(It is) this book (that) is on the middle shelf.

In everyday sentences about location, when you’ve already introduced the item or you’re generally talking about it, は is more natural:

この本は本棚の真ん中の段にあります。
This book is on the middle shelf (of the bookshelf).

So:

は: sets the topic/background.
が: emphasizes or newly introduces the subject.

Why are there two の particles in a row: 本棚の真ん中の段? How does that structure work?

In Japanese, you can chain の to build multi-layered noun phrases.
本棚の真ん中の段 literally breaks down as:

本棚の真ん中 – the middle of the bookshelf
真ん中の段 – the shelf that is (at) the middle

Stacked together, 本棚の真ん中の段 =
the shelf that is at the middle of the bookshelf → the middle shelf of the bookshelf.

Think of it as:

[本棚の真ん中] の段
[middle of the bookshelf]’s shelf

Chaining の like this is very common and natural.

Why is あります used instead of です? Could I say この本は本棚の真ん中の段です?

あります comes from ある, which means to exist / to be (located) for inanimate things.

この本は本棚の真ん中の段にあります。
Focus: The book exists / is located on that shelf.

If you say:

この本は本棚の真ん中の段です。

you’re saying This book is the middle shelf of the bookshelf, which is wrong logically (a book is not a shelf).

So here:

Use あります when talking about where something exists / is located.
Use です when saying X is Y (identity / description), like:
- これは本です。 – This is a book.
- これは新しい本です。 – This is a new book.

Why is the verb あります used, and not います?

Japanese has two main “existence” verbs:

ある / あります – for inanimate things (books, chairs, buildings, etc.)
いる / います – for animate beings (people, animals, etc.)

A book is inanimate, so you must use あります:

この本は本棚の真ん中の段にあります。 – correct
この本は本棚の真ん中の段にいます。 – wrong / unnatural

Why is the location marked with に (段にあります) and not で?

に and で both can mark locations, but:

に: location of existence / state (at / in / on (and just is there))
で: location of an action (at / in / on (where something happens))

Since あります is about existence/location, we use に:

本棚の真ん中の段にあります。 – is (located) on the middle shelf.

Examples for contrast:

本が机の上にあります。 – The book exists on the desk.
本を机の上で読みます。 – I read the book on the desk. (reading is an action → で)

What exactly does 真ん中 mean? How is it different from just 中?

中 (なか) – inside, middle, among, during. It’s more general.
真ん中 (まんなか) – the very middle / the exact center.

Nuance:

本棚の中 – inside the bookshelf, in it somewhere
本棚の真ん中 – right in the middle/center part of the bookshelf

So 本棚の真ん中の段 is specifically the central shelf, not just any shelf inside the bookshelf.

What does 段 mean here? Isn’t 棚 also “shelf”?

棚 (たな) – shelf as a piece of furniture or any shelf space.
段 (だん) – a level / tier / step, often used for:
- shelf levels
- stairs
- ranks/grades (like in martial arts)

In 本棚の真ん中の段, 段 refers to one level of the bookshelf:

本棚 – the whole bookcase
段 – one of its horizontal levels (top shelf, middle shelf, bottom shelf, etc.)

You could say just:

本棚の真ん中にあります。

and it would mean in the middle area of the bookshelf, but 真ん中の段 is more precise: the middle *shelf itself*.

How does the word order work? Why is it 本棚の真ん中の段にあります and not closer to English order?

Japanese builds from larger containers to smaller specifics, and modifiers come before the noun:

本棚の真ん中の段
→ literally: [bookshelf]’s [middle]’s [shelf]
→ natural English: the shelf in the middle of the bookshelf

Then the location phrase goes before the verb:

本棚の真ん中の段に – on the middle shelf of the bookshelf
あります – exists / is (there)

So entire structure:

[Topic] は [Location に] [Existence-verb]
この本は / 本棚の真ん中の段に / あります。

English allows modifiers after the noun (shelf in the middle of the bookshelf); Japanese stacks them before with の.

Why is the topic この本 at the beginning instead of putting it near the verb?

Japanese is generally:

Topic / subject → other information → verb (at the end)

So:

この本は – set the topic: we’re talking about this book
本棚の真ん中の段に – add new information: where it is
あります – give the conclusion: it exists there

Putting この本 right before the verb, like:

本棚の真ん中の段にこの本はあります。

is grammatically possible, but draws extra emphasis/contrast to この本 and sounds less neutral. The original word order is the most natural, default pattern.

Could I omit 本棚 and just say この本は真ん中の段にあります?

Yes, if it’s clear from context what you’re talking about (for example, you’re already standing in front of a bookshelf), you can drop 本棚:

この本は真ん中の段にあります。
This book is on the middle shelf.

Japanese often omits information that’s obvious from context.

However, if there could be confusion about what the middle shelf belongs to, 本棚の makes it explicit: the middle shelf of the bookshelf.

Is あります polite? What would the casual version of this sentence be?

Yes, あります is the polite (ます-form) of ある.

Polite:
- この本は本棚の真ん中の段にあります。
Casual:
- この本は本棚の真ん中の段にある。

Both mean the same; the difference is just politeness level. Use あります in most formal or neutral situations (to teachers, co‑workers, people you don’t know well).

How is は pronounced here? Is it “ha” or “wa”?

In this sentence, は is the topic particle, and as a particle it is pronounced “wa”, not “ha”.

So:

この本は本棚の真ん中の段にあります。
is read: このほんわほんだなのまんなかのだんにあります。

When は is part of a word (はな, はし etc.), it’s pronounced ha; when it’s the topic particle, it’s pronounced wa.