zyousetuten ha muryou desu.

It is read:

じょうせつてん は むりょう です
Jōsetsuten wa muryō desu

A natural translation is The permanent exhibition is free.

• 常設展 = permanent exhibition
• は = topic marker
• 無料 = free, no charge
• です = polite sentence ending, roughly is/am/are

常設展 means permanent exhibition or permanent exhibit.

It is made of:

• 常設 = permanent installation / standing setup
• 展 = exhibition (shortened form related to 展示 or exhibitions)

In places like museums, this usually refers to the part of the museum that is always on display, as opposed to a special or temporary exhibition.

は marks the topic of the sentence.

So 常設展 は means something like:

• As for the permanent exhibition, ...
• Regarding the permanent exhibition, ...

Then the rest of the sentence tells you something about that topic:

• 無料です = is free

So the whole sentence is literally close to:

As for the permanent exhibition, it is free.

This is very common in Japanese. The topic is introduced first, and then the speaker gives information about it.

This is one of the first things learners notice.

The particle は is normally pronounced wa when it marks the topic. This is a historical spelling convention.

So in this sentence:

• written: は
• pronounced: wa

That is why 常設展 は 無料 です is read jōsetsuten wa muryō desu, not jōsetsuten ha muryō desu.

無料 means free, without charge, or no fee.

In grammar terms, it behaves like a noun and can also function like a na-adjective-type word in some contexts.

That is why it can come directly before です:

• 無料です = is free

You may also see:

• 入場は無料です = Admission is free
• このサービスは無料です = This service is free

Japanese does not usually use articles like a, an, or the.

So 常設展 can mean:

• a permanent exhibition
• the permanent exhibition
• permanent exhibitions in some contexts

The exact meaning depends on context.

In a museum sign, 常設展は無料です naturally means:

The permanent exhibition is free.

Even though Japanese does not include a separate word for the.

Not exactly.

です is a polite copula, and in simple sentences it often corresponds to English is, am, or are.

So:

• 無料です = is free

But it is better to think of です as a polite sentence ending that makes the statement sound formal or neutral-polite, rather than a perfect one-to-one equivalent of English is.

Yes, but it would sound less polite.

Compare:

• 常設展は無料です。 = polite, standard, good for signs and public information
• 常設展は無料。 = more casual, blunt, headline-like

On signs, both are possible, but です makes it sound more complete and polite.

Good question. Both particles can sometimes translate similarly in English, but they do different jobs.

• は marks the topic
• が often marks the subject and can sound more specific or contrastive depending on context

In a museum notice, 常設展は無料です is natural because the sentence is simply giving information about the permanent exhibition.

If you said 常設展が無料です, it could sound more like:

• It is the permanent exhibition that is free
• or it may emphasize that this one, specifically, is free

For a general statement on a sign, は is the more natural choice.

Yes, a little.

English:

• The permanent exhibition is free.

Japanese:

• 常設展 は 無料 です
• literally: As for the permanent exhibition, free is

Japanese often places the topic first and the main statement after it. Also, the copula です comes at the end.

So the sentence structure is very Japanese, even though the English translation looks straightforward.

無料 specifically means free of charge or no fee. It is about cost.

So in this sentence, it means the permanent exhibition costs nothing to enter or view.

It does not mean:

• free as in available
• free as in not busy
• free as in freedom

For those ideas, Japanese uses other words.

Yes, very natural.

It sounds like standard public information you might see at a museum, gallery, or event space.

A sign might say:

• 常設展は無料です。 = The permanent exhibition is free.
• 企画展は有料です。 = The special exhibition requires a fee.

So this is a very practical and realistic sentence.