kouishitsu wa koko desu.

topic particle

Breakdown of kouishitsu wa koko desu.

• です: to be
• ここ: here
• 更衣室こういしつ: a changing room

Questions & Answers about kouishitsu wa koko desu.

How do you read 更衣室?

It is usually read こういしつ (kouishitsu).

• 更衣 = changing clothes
• 室 = room

So 更衣室 means changing room or locker room, depending on context.

Why is は pronounced wa here?

In this sentence, は is the topic particle, and when は is used as a particle, it is pronounced wa, not ha.

So:

• written: 更衣室 は ここ です
• read aloud: こういしつ わ ここ です

This is one of the first unusual spelling/pronunciation patterns learners meet in Japanese.

What does the particle は do in this sentence?

は marks the topic of the sentence.

Here, the topic is 更衣室. The sentence is saying something about the changing room:

• As for the changing room, it is here.

Japanese often organizes sentences as topic + comment.

So:

• 更衣室は = as for the changing room
• ここです = it is here