When Not to Use は
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- There is a hidden, secret sentence structure in Japanese that no textbook mentions. Native speakers use this structure all the time, yet they are not supposed to teach it to Japanese learners (I might get arrested again). In this video, I will bestow upon you the secret grammar, so you can move one step closer to native level.
P.S. Btw, forgot to mention that when using this structure, people also very often state the impression first. Instead of saying, このラーメン、おいしい！, they say おいしい！このラーメン！
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kanames-japane...
this is such a good explanation, i hear lots of people use は so much and in every sentence, life with knowing when to use は is beautiful... we love you Kaname
this is good - i never was told to think of it this way.
i hope he makes one for が
I've noticed this a _lot,_ but hadn't had a solid explanation to break down the specific differences before, so thanks much for this!
It seems like using は is more like it's establishing an externally objective fact about something in a way that's more like a claim about that thing that _should_ align to everyone else's experience of it, whereas not using は is expressing the subjective experience that you individually have from that thing whether or not it is objectively true for anyone else.
It seems like that's a way for expressing individual experience that doesn't carry an underlying expectation of social conformance to that information. Since collective social conformance is a big part of culture in Japan, it's interesting that this emerged unofficially rather than being a specific a rule for how to differentiate those things.
Very similar to the way in English actually, if you think of おいしい! As “Mmm!” It would be weird in English to say “this ramen is Mmm!!” We would instead say something like “This Ramen! Mmm!” This helps so much! Thank you!
I always thought this was just because particles are often dropped in casual speech. I never knew it actually conveyed a different feeling.
Kaname Sensei spilling the beans about close-kept Japanese secrets! ありがとう～
With such a topic it's sometimes better to show what a thing does NOT instead of what it does😂
This is very interesting to hear about all these nuances. Thank you for explaining!
I really wish I could have had your videos when I started learning Japanese as a teenager 15 years ago.
From the perspective of a German who had eurocentric grammatical concepts drilled into them since elementary school, getting a good grasp on natural Japanese was so hard. Nobody was explaining it like this, and I was left to deduce the nature and social functions of the language on my own, and even then, there were so many things I did not understand or take seriously from a social perspective.
Wow! I’ve just started learning very basic Japanese , and this video gets me excited to delve deeper into such a nuanced emotive language!.
This channel is a treasure trove!
Thank you, Kaname sensei! It's so nice that you help gaijins sound more natural in Japanese. :) I always look forward to your new videos.
I wish I'd been taught this before coming to Japan. One time, trying to compliment something I used the [〇はきれいです] form by accident, then got into a bit of hot water cause the person thought I was implying the rest was not きれい...
i though foreigners get a bit of a slack speaking the language
@WildWestSushi
Giving slack still involves active filtering, interpreting, and figuring out when someone meant well but didn’t have the right words. It’s its own skill that can hit its limits since it requires constant awareness of the foreign speaker’s skills and your own subconscious map of what people should say in your language.
@Window4503 I can't imagine a scenario where a foreigner would get into hot waters for saying what above user said unless it was in a casual setup with friends or with a teacher present...
@WildWestSushi
But they said they did, no need to imagine. The listener found it passive-aggressive and felt offended. That’s just a human reaction sometimes. It happens because giving linguistic slack is still a skill.
@@Window4503 that's why i'm wondering what the setting was, it's a given foreigners make mistakes no matter the language, so to put a person into an uncomfortable situation seems a bit extra. don't stress too much
This video, channel, content, is a real treasure!
この先生 素晴らしい!
まぁ、この状態で「先生は素晴らしい」も通ると思います、客観的な事実だから😛
When kids are schooled in English speaking countries, they're taught very strictly to always speak and write in "complete sentences", the same way Japanese children are taught to use 敬語, it's considered a matter of politeness, it's impolite not to use complete sentences. Listening to this video is making me realise that for someone who complains about having to learn 敬語, I always speak in complete sentences in English. Maybe I do know how to be polite!
I would call it more formality than politeness, I think. You can be very rude in complete sentences as well, if you want - or very polite with the common fragments of spoken language.
Both in English and Spanish, it is on my personal point of view that casual speaking, even using "bad words" doesn't imply discourtesy but warmth. I only use casual speaking with someone I thrust and see as close, even with elder people no matter who that is. "I thrust you enough not to be formal"
Surely some people don't see it this way, but it has worked me wonders. It's still waaay too soon for me to develop a criteria like that in Japanese tho.
@@GRGC25Pretty sure you wanted to say trust, not thrust.
Somehow I internalized this concept from lots of immersion, but this explanation confirms my gut feeling about it.
This is the kind of knowledge and insight I am looking for. ありがとうございます
本当に助かる！
It really helps put things in perspective. The meaning isn't crazy different, but it really changes the vibe/impression (hard to put in words)
the more ive learned the more ive realized that japanese tends to be either hyper direct or just entirely about the feel.
Definitely do not say 今日はかわいいよ to your girlfriend and suggest that on other days she is not cute
I was always wondering about this! Thank you so much for the explanation!
That moment when you think you know everything about は Kaname-sensei uploads a new video 😂
Thank you!
この動画すごく役に立つよね！ありがとう！
I love the idea that my laziness can be grammatically correct
this is great for getting a feeling for the language 👍👍👍 thank you!
9:54 woah what a crazy coincidence! I’m on a train headed to Tobetsu right now! I’m staying there for the Sapporo snow festival.
Have fun! うらやましいよ！😂
Wow! thanks for the tip, Kaname-sensei. Very nice!
I never thought about it like this, but it makes so much sense! Thank you for this wonderful explanation
確かに、はを入れると違和感があるがそれをどう説明すればいいか分からなかった。大変参考になりました。
この動画は私が日本語を教えるときとても役に立ちます。
この動画めっちゃ役に立つ!
この動画すごいよ :D
omg thank you so much for this!!! your videos are so helpful!
動画ありがとうございます、ないとう先生
Great explanation!
So, in summary: when the feeling is so overwhelming you can’t care enough about grammar
Great video. I often wonder about the feelings of this kind of speaking. I hear people use it so often, but since it's never explained, I'm not always sure when I should be using it or not even if it feels natural to me after having listened to lots of Japanese speakers.
Very informative as always
Thanks
要先生素敵です！
Very interesting explanation.
Amazing explanation. Hearing the part about 美味しい, I said, “Whooooaa” out loud.
要先生かっこいい！
Kaname is great at teaching concepts
Have you thought about how much broken Japanese could be understood by a normal native speaker? I'm curious how it compares to English. How much can you take out of a sentence and still have your point come across?
6:23 Kaname san who mentions Johnny's junior kakkoii sugi!!
Culture context:
Johnny's junior or Junior (STARTO Jr now) refers to trainees affiliated under Biggest male idol icon of japan, "Johnny & Associated" Male Idol industry is said to be originated from them and the word Johnny's carries huge weight on it.
To sound more natural still, o ahead and drop the 主語 too. In fact don't speak at all and just mind meld with the inhabitants of glorious Nippon.
Amazing video!
要先生素敵ですね～
the subjective feeling is the objective writeup in Japanese language
この動画、すごく勉強になったよー
Is it good too if we say "Oishii, kono ramen" ? I heard that multiple times and I think it's easier to understand the difference
In regular IRL spoken language, yes. Sometimes the thing you're talking about is added to the end as an afterthought -- when you suddenly realize maybe your language wasn't clear enough. 大丈夫? ... トリスタンさん? That sort of thing happens all the time.
Beginner's Japanese: Learning when to use は
Advanced Japanese: Learning not to use は
ね？？？ 😆
So would adding wa be more formal? For example, if I was a tourist visiting Japan and wanted to let the local ramen shop know the meal was tasty, would it be more polite to use wa? Or better to not use wa and be more expressive?
I wonder if you can use the polite structure (です) after a omission of は like this one
Can you say このラーメンおいしいです！if you're speaking to an older colleague or teacher? Would it be seen as normal or a weird mix-up of the formal and informal cases? Thank you very much.
You can!
この説明絶対便利だと思うよね
thank you
0:39 The Kuudere who just tasted ramen for the first time in 15 years after she made it out of the prison that kept her from destroying the entire planet be like :
Wow. First time YT gave me notification not after 2-3 days. Great!)
Yes
I miss the piano and the picture in the background. Very helpful video as always, tho
I like exploring grammar to 100%, so I want to ask a stupid question. It feels like there may be a "full" version of that structure.
For example, I feel like "ラーメン美味しい" may be subsituted for "もしこのラーメン食べたらおいしい感じだ" or something like that. Is there any chance of that?
I think you can assume that but since nothing is there you don't know for sure
Bro is so efficient in teaching japanese that he cut his "Hi I'm Kaname" from the video
does this apply even in formal situations?
Can this structure also be used in the polite form? All the examples given were in the casual form with no sentence ending in です, I only heard sample sentences ending in だった. So would something like ”この動画役に立つですよ！" be valid? Basically I'm curious if I can use this structure in an an office setting with workmates.
I’m pretty new to learning Japanese and am a bit confused about the pronunciation of the word ひと/人. Even through it’s romanisation is “hito”, I often hear native speakers say is kinda like “ishto”. Does anyone have an explanation for this?
Im still having trouble how は implies contrast or emphasis... help me..
Duolingo early topic teach you those word too. But in the weird sentence one
What’s the difference when using が?
1. このラーメンおいしい。
2. このラーメンはおいしいです。
3. このラーメンがおいしいです。
Sensei, given your explanation, would it be natural to use the ‘は’ particle in order to express the idea that I am saying the polite thing (e.g. This food was good) but actually expressing the feeling that I didn’t actually felt that way?
Or is this done, if at all, through other means?
Doing it like that, would it be considered too blunt?
Thanks!
not sure but i think you could such stuff; 「このラメンは美味しい立っても好きなかった。」
@ Thanks!
Is this okay to do in writing?
What about が? I kept waiting for you to mention が but it never happened
うまー！
We like to here you laugh, more of that!
Kaname is wonderful all fax no printer.
I get your point but...
鍵が見つかった objective reality
I found [my] keys. subjective experience
is the exact opposite. Many adjectives and verbal forms also take the object of the action as the grammatical subject. So your statement on the Japanese language seems, at the very least, rushed, maybe there's a better way to express it
I'm not saying Japanese people never make any objective statement. That would be ridiculous. Btw, when Japanese people are looking for something they use words like ある・いる。
カギある？
いや、ない。どこにもないよ。
「どこにもない」literally means "it's not anywhere" but what the speaker mean is not the key doesn't exist anywhere in the world, but the key is not anywhere in the speaker's subjective sphere. There is this implicit assumption that "we state things from our subjective viewpoint," so stating that "the key is nowhere" sounds natural in Japanese.
This subjectivity also explains why assertively stating what someone else thinks can sound unnatural in Japanese.
He thinks you are right.
彼はあなたが正しいと思います。(weird)
But it's fine if you use "私" instead.
I think you are right.
私はあなたが正しいと思います。(fine)
But again, it doesn't mean Japanese people don't make any objective statement at all. They do make objective statements. It's just that Japanese has this implicit assumption and the tendency to state things subjectively.
Kaname 最高！
Does this apply to other particles?
ZUTOMAYOのコンサート行きたかったのに…
vs
ZUTOMAYOのコンサートに行きたかったのに…
Can you say この寿司がおいしい？
Kanameeeeee give it to me!
"라면 맛있어." 하고
"라면은 맛있어." 또는 "라면이 맛있어"
처럼 조사를 붙여버리면 다른 의미를 가지긴하네..
그런 느낌인가부다
But what about sushi then ?
このすしおいしい！！
How many times this man/teacher got arrested 💀
great, easy to understand video btw!
W kaname
俺の脳が変更するべき。。。（笑）
すいません、こんな文には[べき]を使うのは変そうです.
In the English language, should has three/four uses (Telling that one shall do an action objectively, expectation, advise, and "i should do this cus it'll be no good if i don't" functions) but in Japanese the three are expressed differently, hazu for expectation (like oh he should come in one hour), hou ga ii for advise (You should go to the doctor) and beki for the "Objective thing to do" fuction. (You should not commit any crime!), tbh it's the fault of English really, but for your sentence it' should be the nakereba + ikenai/naranai etc (although the two are interchangeable, naranai is more objective and ikenai is more subjective) or just use the shortened nakya.
This is basically just what's called an ellipsis in linguistics. It's an incomplete sentence, which happens often in spoken languages. It's the same as this sentence in English:
"This soup.... sooo tasty!" - It's not an actual sentence and we don't have to pretend that it's transporting some sort of higher complex meaning. It's nothing special about Japanese.
The impression I got was that the reason for this video isn’t saying “here’s a cool unique feature that English lacks! Be mindblown!!” It’s more like “here’s a rule you thought you had to adhere to to speak properly and you actually don’t need to in these cases.” Same goes for English learners who are often taught that they have to speak in complete sentences no matter what.
It's actually not that simple. Japanese linguists have long argued that treating particle omission as nothing but ellipsis neither does the phenomenon justice nor explains why speakers use or do not use "wa" for example. They have been able to ascertain and describe actual functions that this zero particle, as they call it, fulfills, and one of them is indeed expressing feelings in a stronger manner, just as Kaname-sensei explains. If you're interested in the topic, there are some good papers out there.
Hello, just a question, i've learned to say sentences like that in a different way. 美味しいですよねこのラーメン.
And about the dog 可愛いですよねこの犬て is it wrong, is it too informal or something like that ?