Learn Hardcore Japanese: ima watasi ha nihongo wo benkyoutyuu desu. - Right now I am in the middle of studying Japanese.

私は = “As for me / speaking about me…”
が usually marks the grammatical subject, especially when you’re introducing new information or emphasizing who/what does something.

In 今私は日本語を勉強中です, the speaker is just setting up “me” as the topic: As for me, (I am) in the middle of studying Japanese now.

You could say 私が日本語を勉強中です, but that puts stronger emphasis on I (as opposed to someone else), like “I (as opposed to others) am the one who is studying Japanese.” For a neutral “I’m studying Japanese now,” 私は is more natural.

Why is は pronounced “wa” here instead of “ha”?

The character は usually represents the sound “ha” inside words (はな = hana, nose/flower), but when it is used as the topic particle, it is pronounced “wa.”

So:

As a normal syllable in a word: は = ha
As the topic particle: は = wa

This is just an irregularity of Japanese spelling vs. pronunciation that learners have to memorize. Same idea for:

へ (he) pronounced “e” when it’s the direction particle
を (wo) pronounced “o” as the object particle

Why is there を after 日本語?

を (o) is the object marker. It tells you what the action is being done to.

日本語 = Japanese (language)
日本語を = (doing something) to Japanese → here, “to study Japanese”

In this sentence:

日本語を勉強中です = “(I am) in the middle of studying Japanese.”

Without を, the sentence would be ungrammatical; 勉強する (to study) usually takes a direct object marked by を:

英語を勉強する – to study English
日本語を勉強する – to study Japanese

What exactly does 勉強中 mean? Is it a verb?

勉強中 (べんきょうちゅう) is not a verb; it’s a noun-like expression that literally means:

勉強 – study, studying (noun/verb noun)
中 (ちゅう) – in the middle of; in the midst of; during

So 勉強中 means “(in the middle of) studying” / “currently engaged in study.”

Grammatically, 勉強中です works like saying:

“(I am) in the middle of study”
“I am currently studying.”

Because it behaves like a noun phrase, you need です after it for politeness:
勉強中です = “[I] am in the middle of studying.”

What is the difference between 勉強中です and 勉強しています?

Both can be translated as “I’m studying,” but the nuance is a bit different:

勉強中です

Literally “(I am) in the middle of study.”
Emphasizes the state of being in some period of study.
Common in written notices, status messages, bios, etc.:
- 使用中 – in use
- 会議中 – in a meeting
- 通話中 – on a call
Sounds a little more static and sometimes more formal/label-like.

勉強しています

Progressive form of the verb 勉強する (“to study”).
Emphasizes the ongoing action or habit: “I am studying / I study (these days).”
Very common in everyday speech.

In many contexts both work:

今、日本語を勉強中です。
今、日本語を勉強しています。

Nuance:

勉強中です: “Right now / these days, I’m in a studying phase (of Japanese).”
勉強しています: “I’m (actively) studying Japanese now / these days.”

Why is there です at the end? Is it like “am / is / are”?

です is a polite sentence-ending copula. It is similar to “am / is / are,” but not a perfect one-to-one match.

In 勉強中です, you can think of it roughly as:

勉強中 – (someone) is in the middle of studying
です – makes it polite and completes the sentence

So the whole thing is like:

“(I) am in the middle of studying [Japanese], politely.”

More casual equivalents:

勉強中だ。 – plain form, often used in writing or among close friends.
In very casual speech, you might even drop it entirely in some contexts:
今、日本語勉強中。 (short, casual, like a social media bio)

Why is the verb (or verb-like part) at the end of the sentence?

Japanese is generally SOV (Subject–Object–Verb), unlike English (SVO).

Word order here:

今 – now
私は – as for me
日本語を – Japanese (object)
勉強中です – am in the middle of studying

So the “verb-ish” part 勉強中です comes at the end. That’s normal in Japanese:

私はりんごを食べます。
I (topic) apple (object) eat.

You can move other parts around a bit for emphasis, but the predicate (the verb or verb-like phrase) almost always stays at the end.

Why are there spaces between the words? I thought Japanese didn’t use spaces.

You’re right: standard written Japanese does not normally use spaces between words.

A more natural native-style writing for this sentence would be:

今、私は日本語を勉強中です。

The version with spaces:

いま　私　は　日本語　を　勉強中　です。 is a teaching aid. Textbooks and materials for beginners often insert spaces to help you see word boundaries.

So:

For real Japanese writing: no spaces, use punctuation like 、 (comma) and 。 (period).
For learners: spaces can help you recognize each word and particle at first.

Can I drop 私 and just say 「今、日本語を勉強中です」?

Yes, and that’s actually very natural.

Japanese often omits the subject when it’s clear from context. If it’s obvious that you’re talking about yourself, you don’t need to say 私:

今、日本語を勉強中です。
= “I’m studying Japanese now.”

You only really need 私 when:

You want to contrast yourself with others (私は〜).
It isn’t clear whose situation you’re talking about.
The context specifically requires clarity about the subject.

In everyday conversation, dropping 私 here is perfectly normal.

What level of politeness is this sentence? Is it formal or casual?

いま私は日本語を勉強中です。 (or 今、私は日本語を勉強中です。) is in polite form because of です.

Politeness level:

Appropriate for:
- Talking to teachers
- Co-workers
- People you don’t know well
- Most general situations
More casual versions:
- 今、日本語を勉強中だよ。 (plain form + friendly sentence ending)
- 今、日本語勉強してる。 (verb form, casual)
- 今、日本語勉強中。 (very casual, like a status)

So this sentence is polite but not extremely formal. It’s the “safe” level for most situations.

How would I make this sentence negative (“I’m not studying Japanese now”)?

You have two main patterns, depending on which expression you use:

Negative of 勉強中です
- 今、日本語を勉強中ではありません。 – polite
- 今、日本語を勉強中じゃありません。 – spoken, slightly softer/casual
Negative of 勉強しています
- 今、日本語を勉強していません。 – polite
- 今、日本語を勉強してない。 – casual

All of these mean “I’m not studying Japanese now.”
The していません / してない versions are more common in everyday speech.

Can I replace 私 with 僕 or 俺? Does that change the sentence?

Yes, you can, and it mainly changes the gender/personality nuance, not the grammar.

私 (わたし) – gender-neutral, polite; default for formal situations and for many women in most contexts.
僕 (ぼく) – commonly used by males, especially younger men or in more casual/polite speech.
俺 (おれ) – very casual, masculine, can sound rough or very informal.

Examples:

今、僕は日本語を勉強中です。
今、俺は日本語を勉強中だ。 (note the more casual だ instead of です)

The meaning “I’m studying Japanese now” is the same, but:

私…です feels polite/neutral.
僕…です feels male and friendly/polite.
俺…だ feels male and casual/rough, depending on context and tone.