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kono heya ha semai desu ga, sizuka desu.

この　部屋へや　は　せまい　です　が、　静しずか　です。kono heya ha semai desu ga, sizuka desu.
This room is small, but it is quiet.
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Questions & Answers about kono heya ha semai desu ga, sizuka desu.

What does は do in this sentence, and why is it pronounced wa?

は here is the topic particle. It marks この部屋 (this room) as the topic: what the sentence is talking about.

  • この部屋は ≈ As for this room, ...
    Then you get the comment: せまいです が、静かです (it’s small, but quiet).

Although the character is は, when it is used as a particle like this, it is pronounced wa, not ha.
So:

  • As a word (the consonant h): は = ha
  • As the topic particle: は = wa
What is the difference between この and これ?

Both relate to something near the speaker, but they are used differently:

  • この = this … (thing)

    • noun

    • この部屋 = this room
    • It must be followed by a noun.

  • これ = this (thing) by itself

    • これは部屋です。 = This is a room.
    • It is a standalone pronoun; it cannot directly modify a noun.

In the sentence この部屋はせまいです, you need この because it is directly modifying 部屋 (room).

What is the nuance of せまい compared with 小さい?

Both can be translated as small, but they focus on different aspects:

  • せまい

    • Literally narrow / cramped.
    • Used for spaces, width, area, things that feel tight or not spacious.
    • この部屋はせまいです。 = This room is cramped / not spacious.

  • 小さい (ちいさい)

    • Small in general size, not necessarily cramped.
    • Can be used for objects, people, animals, abstract things.
    • 小さい部屋 = a small room (just small overall; may or may not feel cramped).

So せまい conveys more of the feeling there isn’t much room / it’s tight rather than just small.

Why is せまい followed by です? Do adjectives need です?

せまい is an い-adjective. In Japanese:

  • An い-adjective can end the sentence by itself in plain speech:

    • この部屋はせまい。 (casual)

  • To make it polite, you usually add です:

    • この部屋はせまいです。 (polite)

So です here adds politeness, not meaning.
Grammatically, せまい already means is small / cramped; です just makes it more formal and polite.

What kind of adjective is 静か, and why is there no な before です?

静か is a な-adjective (also called an adjectival noun).

  • When it comes before a noun, you use な:

    • 静かな部屋 = a quiet room

  • When it is used as a predicate (at the end of the sentence, like is quiet), you do not add な:

    • この部屋は静かです。 = This room is quiet.

So in the sentence … 静かです, it is correct that there is no な.
Pattern:

  • Attributive (before noun): 静かな部屋
  • Predicate (end of sentence): 部屋は静かです
What does が mean here? Isn’t が also a subject marker?

Yes, が can be:

  1. A subject marker (after a noun):

    • 犬がいる。 = There is a dog.

  2. A conjunction meaning but / although (between clauses):

    • せまいです が、静かです。 = It’s small, but it’s quiet.

In your sentence, が is the conjunction. It connects two statements that contrast with each other:

  • せまいです (it’s small/cramped)
  • 静かです (it’s quiet)

So が here = but, not the subject marker.

Could this sentence also be said with けど or でも instead of が?

Yes, both are possible, but the nuance and structure change slightly.

  1. けど (more casual, often spoken):

    • この部屋はせまいですけど、静かです。
    • Similar meaning: This room is small, but it’s quiet.
    • Polite overall because of です, but けど feels a bit more conversational than が.

  2. でも (usually starts the second sentence):

    • この部屋はせまいです。でも、静かです。
    • More like two separate sentences:
      • This room is small. But it’s quiet.

Original が is slightly more formal / written-style and ties the two clauses more tightly in one sentence.

Why is the subject this room not repeated in the second part?

Japanese often drops repeated topics when they are clear from context.

  • The topic この部屋は is stated once at the beginning.
  • That topic is understood to apply to both descriptions:
    • (この部屋は) せまいですが、(この部屋は) 静かです。

Repeating この部屋は would sound unnatural and redundant in Japanese, even though in English you might say This room is small, but it’s quiet with an explicit it.

Can I change the word order to put 静かです first?

Yes, you can swap the two descriptions:

  • この部屋は静かですが、せまいです。
    = This room is quiet, but it’s small.

Grammatically, both are fine. The first clause tends to feel like the starting point, and the second can feel a bit more like the main point or the part you want to highlight.

  • せまいです が、静かです。
    → Emphasis a little more on despite being small, at least it’s quiet.

  • 静かです が、せまいです。
    → Emphasis a little more on although it’s quiet, the problem is it’s small.

The nuance is subtle, but native speakers do feel this ordering effect.

How do you read this sentence in romaji?

この　部屋　は　せまい　です　が、　静か　です。

→ Kono heya wa semai desu ga, shizuka desu.

Word by word:

  • この = kono
  • 部屋 = heya
  • は (particle) = wa
  • せまい = semai
  • です = desu
  • が (conjunction) = ga
  • 静か = shizuka
  • です = desu
Why are there spaces between the words? I thought Japanese usually has no spaces.

You are right: normal Japanese writing does not use spaces between words.
Native texts (books, newspapers, websites) usually look like:

  • この部屋はせまいですが、静かです。

The spaces in この　部屋　は　せまい　です　が、　静か　です。 are used only for teaching, to help learners see where the word boundaries are.

Once you get more comfortable, you should get used to reading sentences without spaces, as native material will not have them.

What is the politeness level of this sentence, and how would it look in casual speech?

Using です makes the sentence polite (the standard polite form used with strangers, in class, at work, etc.):

  • この部屋はせまいですが、静かです。 (polite)

Casual versions (for friends, family, etc.) could be:

  • この部屋はせまいけど、静かだ。
  • Even more casual: この部屋、せまいけど静か。
    (Dropping は and だ is common in relaxed speech.)

Meaning stays the same; the difference is mainly the social tone / level of formality.