maeba wa shiroi desu.

topic particle

Breakdown of maeba wa shiroi desu.

• です: to be
• 白しろい: white
• 前歯まえば: a front tooth

Questions & Answers about maeba wa shiroi desu.

Why is は used here, and why is it pronounced wa instead of ha?

In this sentence, は is the topic marker. It shows that 前歯 is the thing being talked about: as for the front teeth ...

When は is used as a particle, it is pronounced wa, not ha. This is one of the first irregular pronunciation rules learners meet in Japanese.

So:

• 前歯は = As for the front teeth...
• written with は
• pronounced まえば は -> actually まえば wa

This is different from は when it is part of a word, where it is normally pronounced ha.

Why is it 白い and not 白?

白い is an い-adjective, meaning white.

In Japanese, many adjectives have their own full form, and white is not just 白 in this kind of sentence. The basic adjective is:

• 白い = white

The form 白 by itself is usually a noun-like stem or appears in compounds, not the normal predicate adjective form here.

So:

• 前歯は白い = The front teeth are white.

If you said just 白, it would not work as a normal adjective sentence here.

Why is added after ? I thought could end a sentence by themselves.