Word
鷺 が 飛び立った。sagi ga tobitatta.
Meaning
The heron took off.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
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Questions & Answers about sagi ga tobitatta.
How do you read this sentence aloud?
It is read:
さぎ が とびたった。
In normal writing, it would usually appear without spaces:
鷺が飛び立った。
Why are there spaces between the words here?
The spaces are just a learning aid. Standard Japanese normally does not use spaces between words in ordinary sentences.
So a textbook or study app may show:
鷺 が 飛び立った。
but natural written Japanese is:
鷺が飛び立った。
What does が do in this sentence?
が marks 鷺 as the subject of the verb.
So the structure is:
- 鷺 = the heron
- が = subject marker
- 飛び立った = took off / flew away into the air
In this sentence, が tells you that the heron is the thing performing the action.
Why is が used instead of は?