がTarget marker with feelings and abilities
With certain common expressions of preference, feeling, skill, and understanding, this particle marks what the feeling or ability is about. The person experiencing it is often introduced separately as the topic.
Two different jobs
In the common beginner pattern, は introduces the person whose feeling or ability is being described, while が marks its target. English often expresses the same idea with verbs such as “like” or “understand,” but Japanese uses these established particle patterns.
Common pairings
Learn the particle together with these frequent expressions. This is not a general rule that can be used with every adjective or verb.
The same particle, a useful distinction
The particle が also marks ordinary subjects and newly identified people or things. Here, however, the useful beginner pattern is narrower: it marks the target used with a controlled set of feeling, preference, skill, and understanding expressions.
More examples
父は魚が好きです。
My father likes fish.
Analyze野菜が嫌いですか。
Do you dislike vegetables?
Analyze姉はテニスが上手です。
My older sister is good at tennis.
Analyze私は地図がよくわかりません。
I do not understand maps very well.
Analyzeマリアさんは日本語がよくわかります。
Maria understands Japanese well.
Analyze小さい子は大きな音が怖いです。
Small children are afraid of loud noises.
Analyze