Breakdown of watasi ni ha koukou kara no sinyuu ga imasu.
Questions & Answers about watasi ni ha koukou kara no sinyuu ga imasu.
私には is actually 私に + は.
- に here means something like “for” or “to” in a looser, abstract sense.
- は is the topic marker, making 「私に」 the topic: “as for (to/for) me…”.
So 私には高校からの親友がいます。 is literally:
As for me, there exists a best friend from high school.
Using に + は is very common in “existence / possession” sentences of the pattern:
- X には Y が いる／ある。
= “As for X, Y exists” → “X has Y.”
For example:
- 私には兄がいます。 – I have an older brother.
- この町には有名な寺があります。 – This town has a famous temple.
You can say:
- 私は高校からの親友がいます。
It’s grammatically fine. The nuance is slightly different:
私は高校からの親友がいます。
Focuses a bit more on “I” as the topic in general: “As for me, there is a best friend from high school.”私には高校からの親友がいます。
Uses には to highlight “in my case / for me” and fits the “XにはYがいる/ある” pattern that is strongly associated with having/possessing something.
So 私には〜がいます sounds a bit more like “I have ~” (possession), while 私は〜がいます can feel a touch less natural or less typical for stating possession, though it’s not wrong. In everyday Japanese, 私には〜がいます is more idiomatic here.
高校からの親友 most naturally means:
- “a best friend since high school”
(i.e., we became best friends in high school and are still close now).
Breakdown:
- 高校 – high school
- から – from / since (starting point)
- 〜からの N – “N (that is) from/since ~”
- 親友 – close/best friend
So 高校からの親友 = a best friend whose relationship with me started in high school and continues.
In English we’d usually say “my best friend from high school”, but the Japanese から strongly implies the idea of “starting then and continuing up to now.”
からの is a common pattern:
- [word] + から + の + [noun]
Here, から indicates origin or starting point (“from/since”), and の connects that phrase to a noun, turning the whole thing into an adjective-like modifier.
So:
- 高校からの親友
= “best friend from/since high school”
Other examples:
- 日本からの手紙 – a letter from Japan
- 大学からの友達 – a friend from university / a friend since university
- 会社からの連絡 – a message/contact from the company
Think of からの as: “from/since ~ (as a modifier of a noun).”
They are close, but the nuance differs:
高校からの親友
- Emphasizes the starting point and often implies continuation until now.
- “A best friend since high school (and still my best friend now).”
高校の親友
- Literally “a best friend of high school.”
- More like “a best friend from my high school days.”
- It does not strongly imply that you’re still close now (though context can supply that).
So if you specifically want to convey “still best friends now”, 高校からの親友 is clearer.
In this sentence pattern, が marks the thing that exists:
- X には Y が いる／ある。
– “As for X, Y exists / there is Y for X” → “X has Y.”
Here:
- 私には – as for me / for me
- 高校からの親友 – the best friend (from/since high school)
- が – subject marker (the thing that “exists”)
- います – exists (for animate beings)
If you used は after 親友 instead:
- 私には高校からの親友はいます。
This becomes contrastive: “As for me, (well,) I do have a best friend from high school (at least).” It suggests you’re contrasting it with something else (e.g., maybe you don’t have many other friends).
So が is the neutral choice for stating plain existence/possession.
Japanese has two common “existence” verbs:
- いる / います – used for animate things (people, animals, sometimes robots, etc.)
- ある / あります – used for inanimate things (objects, places, ideas, events)
親友 (a best friend) is a person → animate → you must use いる / います:
- 親友がいます。 – I have a best friend / There is a best friend.
Compare:
- 犬がいます。 – There is a dog.
- 机があります。 – There is a desk.
- 時間があります。 – There is (I have) time.
Yes, the literal structure is roughly:
- 私には – as for me / for me
- 高校からの親友が – a best friend from/since high school
- います – exists
Japanese often expresses “have” using existence sentences:
- X には Y が いる／ある。
Rather than a dedicated verb like English “have,” Japanese says “for X, Y exists,” and that is understood as possession in context.
So:
- 私には高校からの親友がいます。
→ Literally: “For me, a best friend from high school exists.”
→ Natural English: “I have a best friend from high school (whom I’m still close to).”
Yes, you can:
- 高校からの親友がいます。
In Japanese, the subject/topic is often omitted when it’s clear from context. Without 私には, this sentence simply means:
- “(Someone) has a best friend from high school / There is a best friend from high school.”
In a conversation about yourself, it will naturally be understood as “I have a best friend from high school.”
You would keep 私には if:
- You need to make it explicit it’s you, or
- You’re contrasting yourself with others (e.g., others don’t, but you do).
No, that would be ungrammatical/natural-sounding.
- ある / あります is for inanimate things.
- いる / います is for animate things.
Since 親友 is a person, you must use いる / います:
- 私には高校からの親友がいます。 ✅
- 私には高校からの親友がある。 ❌
The XにはYがいる / ある pattern still applies, but you choose いる or ある depending on whether Y is animate or inanimate.
Japanese nouns usually don’t mark singular vs plural by themselves. 親友 can mean:
- “a best friend”
- “(some) close friends”
- “my best friends”
Which one it is depends on context.
In everyday, neutral reading, 親友がいます often feels like “I have (a) best friend(s)” without emphasizing how many. If you really want to stress plural, you can say:
- 親友たちがいます。 – I have (multiple) best friends.
The particle changes the meaning:
- 高校から – from/since high school (starting point in time or place)
- 高校で – at high school / in high school (location of an action)
- 高校に – to high school / at high school (destination or location, depending on verb)
For relationships that start at a certain time and continue, Japanese commonly uses 〜から:
- 高校からの親友 – best friend since high school
- 子供のころからの友達 – a friend since childhood
If you said 高校での親友, it would sound like:
- “a best friend (that I had) in high school” (describing that period), without clearly implying that you’re still best friends now.
Yes, you can say:
- 高校以来の親友
Both 高校からの親友 and 高校以来の親友 mean roughly “a best friend since high school,” but:
- 〜から is a more neutral, everyday word for “from / since”.
- 〜以来 has a slightly more formal / literary or emphatic feel and strongly emphasizes “ever since that time”.
So:
- 高校からの親友 – natural, common in speech and writing.
- 高校以来の親友 – a bit more formal or expressive, “a friend I’ve had ever since high school.”
In casual conversation, 高校からの親友 is very typical.
Yes, it’s the same particle に, but used in a slightly more abstract way.
In sentences like 母が私に本をくれた。 – “My mother gave me a book,”
私に clearly marks the indirect object (“to me”).In 私には高校からの親友がいます。, the に also points to a kind of “to/for” relationship, but the verb is いる (“to exist”), not a “give” verb.
Here, X には Y が いる／ある expresses:
- “For X, Y exists.”
- “X has Y.”
So 私に still carries the idea that Y is in relation to me, but it’s more about possession / “belonging to” than a direct “to/for” action.
Yes, that is also grammatically correct:
- 高校からの親友が私にはいます。
Japanese word order is relatively flexible as long as the particles are intact. The basic meaning remains the same.
Nuance:
私には高校からの親友がいます。
→ More neutral, focusing first on “as for me”.高校からの親友が私にはいます。
→ Puts 高校からの親友 first, so it can feel like you’re emphasizing “a best friend from high school – I (for my part) do have one.” This can carry a slight contrast, e.g., in a discussion about who has such a friend.
But both are acceptable. The original is the more standard, neutral order.
Both mean “friend,” but:
- 友達 (ともだち) – friend (general term; can be close or not-so-close)
- 親友 (しんゆう) – close/best friend, someone you are especially close to and trust deeply
So:
高校からの友達がいます。
– I have a friend / friends from (since) high school.高校からの親友がいます。
– I have a best friend (a very close friend) from/since high school.
Using 親友 makes the relationship sound more special and emotionally close.
います is the polite form; いる is the plain (dictionary) form.
私には高校からの親友がいます。
– Polite, used in formal settings, talking to strangers, teachers, in writing, etc.俺には高校からの親友がいる。
– Plain, more casual, often between friends or in informal writing.
Choose based on:
- Relationship (friend vs teacher vs boss)
- Context (casual chat vs formal presentation vs essay)
The grammar and meaning are the same; only politeness level changes.