Breakdown of sono sara ha marui desu ga, kono bentoubako ha sikakui desu.
Questions & Answers about sono sara ha marui desu ga, kono bentoubako ha sikakui desu.
Why are there spaces between the words? I thought Japanese usually doesn’t use spaces.
You’re right: normal Japanese is usually written without spaces.
So this sentence would normally appear as:
その皿は丸いですが、この弁当箱は四角いです。
The spaces in your example are just a learning aid to help beginners see the parts of the sentence more clearly.
What is the difference between その and この here?
Both are demonstratives that come before a noun.
- この = this ...
- その = that ...
So:
- この弁当箱 = this lunch box
- その皿 = that plate
A useful pattern is:
- この + noun = this ...
- その + noun = that ...
- あの + noun = that ... over there
Also compare:
- これ / それ / あれ = this / that / that over there by themselves
- この / その / あの must be followed by a noun
What does は do in this sentence?
は marks the topic.
In this sentence, it sets up each item as the thing being talked about:
- その皿は = as for that plate ...
- この弁当箱は = as for this lunch box ...
Here, は also gives a contrastive feeling, especially because it appears in both parts of the sentence. It’s like:
- as for that plate, it’s round, but
- as for this lunch box, it’s square
So this is not just identifying subjects; it’s also comparing the two objects.
Why is there a です after 丸い and 四角い? Aren’t those already complete adjectives?
Yes. 丸い and 四角い are い-adjectives, and they can already end a sentence in plain style:
- その皿は丸い。
- この弁当箱は四角い。
Adding です makes the sentence polite:
- 丸いです
- 四角いです
This is completely normal in modern Japanese.
A very important point:
- with an い-adjective, you do not say 丸いだ or 四角いだ
- the polite form is 丸いです, not 丸いだです or anything like that
Why is が used here, and why does it come after です?
Here, が means but.
So:
- 丸いですが = is round, but ...
It comes after です because the whole first clause is in polite style:
- 丸い = plain
- 丸いです = polite
- 丸いですが = polite + but
Compare:
- その皿は丸いが、... = plain style
- その皿は丸いですが、... = polite style
This が is not the subject marker が.
You can tell because it comes after the predicate and connects two clauses.
Why use が for contrast instead of something like けど?
You could use けど too.
- が and けど can both mean but
- が sounds a bit more formal or written
- けど is very common in conversation
So these are both natural:
- その皿は丸いですが、この弁当箱は四角いです。
- その皿は丸いけど、この弁当箱は四角いです。
For a textbook sentence, が is very common.
Why are 丸い and 四角い used instead of 丸 or 四角?
Because here Japanese normally uses the adjective forms:
- 丸い = round
- 四角い = square / boxy / angular
Those are the natural words for describing the shape of an object like a plate or lunch box.
While 丸 and 四角 exist as nouns, saying shape descriptions with 丸い and 四角い is much more straightforward here.
So for everyday object description:
- 皿は丸い = natural
- 弁当箱は四角い = natural
Does 四角い mean a perfect square? A lunch box might be rectangular.
Not necessarily.
In everyday Japanese, 四角い often means something like:
- square
- rectangular
- boxy
- having corners
So it does not always mean a mathematically perfect square.
That’s why 四角い弁当箱 sounds natural even if the lunch box is more rectangular than square. The word is often about the general shape: not round, but cornered.
Is this sentence natural Japanese?
Yes, it’s basically natural.
The most natural written version is simply:
その皿は丸いですが、この弁当箱は四角いです。
A few notes:
- remove the teaching spaces
- the comma is fine, but not absolutely required
- the level of politeness is consistent
So this is a good, normal beginner-level contrast sentence.
How do you pronounce 皿 and 弁当箱?
They are pronounced:
- 皿 = さら
- 弁当箱 = べんとうばこ
So the whole sentence is read:
その さら は まるい ですが、この べんとうばこ は しかくい です。
A learner might expect some sound change in 箱, but here it stays ばこ, so 弁当箱 is べんとうばこ.
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