sore wa jijitsu desu.

topic particle

Breakdown of sore wa jijitsu desu.

• です: to be
• それ: that
• 事実じじつ: a fact

Questions & Answers about sore wa jijitsu desu.

How do you read それ は 事実 です。?

It is read:

それはじじつです。
Romanized: sore wa jijitsu desu

A natural pronunciation is often closer to sore wa jijitsu des in casual speech, because the u in desu is often very light or almost silent.

What does それ mean here?

それ usually means that, but depending on context it can also be translated as it.

In Japanese, words like これ / それ / あれ depend on where the thing is in relation to the speaker and listener:

• これ = this
• それ = that (near you, or something just mentioned)
• あれ = that over there

In this sentence, それ often refers to something that was just said or something both people know about.

Why is は pronounced wa?

This is one of the first unusual things learners notice.

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

So in this sentence:

• written: それは
• pronounced: sore wa

This is a fixed grammar rule, not an exception just for this sentence.