Breakdown of watasi ha sono akaunto no aikon ga suki desu.
Questions & Answers about watasi ha sono akaunto no aikon ga suki desu.
In this sentence, why do we have both は and が? What’s the difference between 私は and アイコンが?
は marks the topic of the sentence: what we’re talking about.
が marks the subject in the sense of "the thing that has the property."
- 私 は = "As for me" / "Speaking about me"
- アイコン が = "the icon (is the thing that)…"
So the structure is:
- 私 は (topic: me)
- そのアカウントのアイコン が (subject: that account’s icon)
- 好き です (is liked)
Natural translation: "As for me, that account’s icon is liked (by me)." → "I like that account’s icon."
Why is it アイコンが好きです and not アイコンを好きです?
With 好き, Japanese uses が, not を.
Pattern:
[Thing you like] + が + 好きです
So:
- 犬が好きです。 = I like dogs.
- 音楽が好きです。 = I like music.
- そのアカウントのアイコンが好きです。 = I like that account’s icon.
Using を with 好き (e.g., アイコンを好きです) is ungrammatical in standard Japanese. Think of 好き as "to be liked" or "is likable", so the thing that "is liked" naturally takes が.
What exactly does の do in そのアカウントのアイコン?
の is a possessive / linking particle. In this phrase:
- そのアカウント = that account
- アイコン = icon
- そのアカウントのアイコン = that account’s icon / the icon of that account
So it works very similarly to English ’s or of:
- 田中さんの本 = Tanaka’s book / the book of Tanaka
- 学校の先生 = the school’s teacher / a teacher at the school
- そのアカウントのアイコン = that account’s icon
Grammatically, [Noun A] の [Noun B] means "Noun B that belongs to / is related to Noun A."
What does その mean here, and how is it different from この and あの?
その is a demonstrative meaning roughly "that," and it’s used for something near the listener or already known in the conversation.
- この = "this" (near me, the speaker)
- その = "that" (near you, the listener, or something we both know about)
- あの = "that (over there)" (far from both of us)
In そのアカウントのアイコン:
- そのアカウント = "that account (you know / you’re looking at / we’re talking about)"
So you might use その if, for example, the other person is currently looking at that account, or you both know which account is being referred to.
Is 好き a verb like "to like" in English?
No. Grammatically, 好き is a な-adjective, not a verb.
The pattern is:
- [Noun] が 好きだ / 好きです
= "[Noun] is liked / is pleasing (to me)" → "I like [Noun]."
So structurally it’s closer to "X is likable" or "X is my favorite" than "I like X."
Examples:
- 猫が好きです。 = Cats are liked (by me) → I like cats.
- 映画が好きです。 = Movies are liked (by me) → I like movies.
There is no single verb that directly matches English "to like" in the same way; 好き + だ/です is the usual way to express "like."
What’s the difference between 好きです and 好きだ?
Both mean essentially the same thing: "like" / "to be liked."
The difference is politeness level.
好きです
- Polite form (です/ます style)
- Used with strangers, in most conversations outside very casual contexts, etc.
好きだ
- Plain (informal) form
- Used with close friends, family, or in casual writing (diaries, internal monologue, etc.)
So:
そのアカウントのアイコンが好きです。
→ Polite: "I like that account’s icon."そのアカウントのアイコンが好きだ。
→ Casual: "I like that account’s icon."
Can I drop 私 or その in this sentence? When is that natural?
Yes, you can drop both 私 and その when the meaning is clear from context.
- Dropping 私:
- 私はそのアカウントのアイコンが好きです。
- そのアカウントのアイコンが好きです。
In conversation, if it’s obvious you’re talking about your own feelings, you often omit 私. The second sentence still naturally means "I like that account’s icon."
- Dropping その:
- If it’s already clear which account you mean (for example, you’re both looking at the same screen), you might say:
あのアカウントのアイコンが好きです。 (that account over there)
or even just このアイコンが好きです。 (I like this icon)
But その carries a specific nuance: "that account we’re both aware of / that you’re looking at," so you only drop or change it if context makes the reference obvious or you want a different nuance (this/that/that over there).
Can I change the word order, like put 好きです earlier or move 私は to the end?
Japanese word order is much more flexible than English, but there are limits.
- The predicate (好きです) almost always comes at the end.
- Elements like 私は, そのアカウントの, アイコンが can move around somewhat, but you must keep the particles attached to the words they belong to.
Typical natural orders:
- 私はそのアカウントのアイコンが好きです。
- そのアカウントのアイコンが私は好きです。 (emphasizes I as the one who likes it)
But you cannot do things like:
- ✗ 好きです私はそのアカウントのアイコンが。
- ✗ 私はそのアカウントがアイコン好きです。
So, keep:
- 好きです at the end.
- Each particle (は, の, が) attached to the right noun phrase.
Why are アカウント and アイコン written in katakana?
アカウント (account) and アイコン (icon) are loanwords from English, so they’re normally written in katakana, which is used for:
- Borrowed words (from English and other languages)
- コンピューター (computer)
- バス (bus)
- Some onomatopoeia and brand names, etc.
So:
- アカウント = account
- アイコン = icon
Writing them in katakana signals they’re foreign-origin words commonly used in modern Japanese.
How would I say "I really like that account’s icon" or "I love that account’s icon"?
You can intensify 好き in a few common ways:
- Use とても (very):
- 私はそのアカウントのアイコンがとても好きです。
→ I really like that account’s icon.
- Use すごく (really / extremely, casual):
- そのアカウントのアイコンがすごく好きです。
→ I really like that account’s icon.
- Use 大好き ("love" / "like very much"):
- そのアカウントのアイコンが大好きです。
→ I love that account’s icon / I like that account’s icon a lot.
All three are natural; 大好き is the strongest-sounding.
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