watasi ha nihongo ga daisuki desu.

I love Japanese.

Breakdown of watasi ha nihongo ga daisuki desu.

• は: topic particle
• です: to be
• 私わたし: I
• 日に本ほん語ご: Japanese (language)
• が: subject particle
• 大だい好すき: to love; be crazy about

Questions & Answers about watasi ha nihongo ga daisuki desu.

How do you pronounce this whole sentence?

It’s pronounced:

わたしは にほんごが だいすきです。

In romaji:

watashi wa nihongo ga daisuki desu

• 私 → わたし → watashi
• は (topic particle) → wa
• 日本語 → にほんご → nihongo
• が → ga
• 大好き → だいすき → daisuki
• です → usually said des (the u is very weak or silent in normal speech)

Why is the particle は pronounced wa, not ha?

The character は is normally read ha, but when it is used as the topic particle, it is pronounced wa.

So:

• As part of a word:
  花 → はな → hana (flower)
• As the topic marker:
  私は → watashi wa

This is just a special rule of Japanese spelling vs pronunciation.

What exactly does は do in this sentence? Is it the subject marker?

In 私は日本語が大好きです, は is the topic marker, not the grammatical subject marker.

• 私 = I
• は = as for / speaking of
  → 私は = As for me, / Speaking of me, …

The subject of 大好き (the thing that is “very liked”) is actually the part with が:

• 日本語が大好き = Japanese (language) is very liked

So structurally it’s:

• [Topic] 私は
  [Subject] 日本語が
  [Predicate] 大好きです

In natural English we just say I love Japanese, but Japanese separates topic (what we’re talking about) from subject (what the predicate is about).

Why does 日本語 use が instead of を?

With words like 好き and 大好き, Japanese normally uses が to mark the thing you like.

The common pattern is:

• X は Y が 好きです
• X は Y が 大好きです

Meaning:

• X likes Y
• X really likes Y

So:

• 私は 日本語が 大好きです。
  → As for me, Japanese is very liked.
  → I love Japanese.

Using を (日本語を大好きです) is ungrammatical in standard Japanese with 好き / 大好き.

Is 大好き a verb meaning to love?

No. 大好き is a な‑adjective, not a verb.

• Dictionary form: 大好きだ (na‑adjective + copula だ)
• Polite form: 大好きです

So grammatically, 日本語が大好きです is like saying:

• Japanese (language) is very liked.

In English we express it with a verb (I love Japanese), but in Japanese it’s an adjective phrase.

What’s the difference between 好きです and 大好きです?

Both use the same structure (X は Y が …):

• 好きです = like
• 大好きです = really like / love (in many contexts)

Nuance:

• 日本語が好きです。
  → I like Japanese. (simple liking)
• 日本語が大好きです。
  → I really like Japanese / I love Japanese. (stronger, more enthusiastic)

So 大 adds the meaning big / very → 大好き = like very much.

When should I use 大好き / 好き instead of 愛している?

In everyday Japanese:

• Use 好き / 大好き for:

  • things you like (languages, food, music, hobbies)
  • people you like or are fond of
  • even romantic partners in most casual contexts

• 愛している (or 愛してます) is:

  • strong, serious, and dramatic
  • usually for deep romantic love, or very poetic/solemn contexts
  • not used for hobbies or casual preferences

So:

• 日本語が大好きです。 = natural
• 日本語を愛しています。 = grammatically OK but sounds overly dramatic / unusual in normal conversation

Why is です at the end? Can I just say 大好き?

です is the polite copula, similar to am / is / are, and it makes the sentence polite and complete.

• 日本語が大好きです。
  → polite, neutral

In casual speech:

• You can say 日本語が大好き。
  (dropping です)
  → very common among friends / informal situations
• Or 日本語が大好きだ。
  → plain form, can sound a bit stronger / more assertive, and is common in writing, manga, or certain speech styles.

So:

• Formal / polite: 大好きです
• Casual: 大好き or 大好きだ

In a textbook or talking to someone you don’t know well, 大好きです is the safest choice.

Can I leave out 私 and just say 日本語が大好きです?

Yes, very often you would.

Japanese normally omits pronouns like I / you / he / she when they are obvious from context.

So if it’s clear you are talking about your own preferences, 日本語が大好きです by itself naturally means:

• I love Japanese.

Adding 私は can:

• emphasize contrast (as for me, as opposed to someone else)
• clarify who is being talked about when it’s not obvious

But in many real conversations, 私 is dropped.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say 日本語が私は大好きです?

The natural, standard orders here are:

• 私は日本語が大好きです。 (topic shown explicitly)
• 日本語が大好きです。 (topic omitted but understood as I)

日本語が私は大好きです is technically possible but sounds odd and unnatural in most contexts. Japanese word order is somewhat flexible, but:

• The topic with は usually comes near the beginning.
• Scrambling pieces around can sound marked, poetic, or just wrong.

So stick to:

• [Topic] 私は [Subject] 日本語が [Predicate] 大好きです。
• or, more natural in everyday speech: 日本語が大好きです。

Could I say 私は日本語が大好きだ instead? What’s the difference between だ and です?

Yes, you can say:

• 私は日本語が大好きだ。

Difference:

• です = polite form
• だ = plain (informal) form

Nuance:

• 大好きです → polite, good for speaking to teachers, strangers, in public, etc.
• 大好きだ → plain; used in casual conversation, in writing, in fiction; can sound stronger or more direct depending on context.

In everyday polite conversation, choose です. With close friends or in casual writing, だ or just 大好き is fine.

Are the spaces between the words normally written in Japanese?

No. Standard Japanese writing does not put spaces between words.

In real text, this sentence would be:

• 私は日本語が大好きです。

The version with spaces (私　は　日本語　が　大好き　です。) is a teaching aid to show word and particle boundaries. Books for learners and for very young children sometimes use spaces for clarity, but normal Japanese text does not.

Is 私 always the best way to say I, or are there other options?

私 (わたし) is:

• gender‑neutral
• polite
• safe in almost any situation (especially for learners)

Other common first‑person pronouns:

• 僕 (ぼく)
  
  • mainly used by men/boys
  • sounds softer / more casual than 私
• 俺 (おれ)
  
  • used by many men in casual settings
  • can sound rough / very informal

Women in casual conversation sometimes avoid pronouns altogether and just omit I.

For now, using 私 in 私は日本語が大好きです is perfectly natural and appropriate.