i have been learning japanese for 2-3 years (with bigger/smaller breaks), and the mistery of when to use WA and when GA, and what’s the difference between them kept eluding me. i’ve read a lot of examples, and i had a vague feeling about what it should mean and how it should work, but never had a clear understanding of it.
until today, when i have read part 2 of darkmirage’s japanese lessons.
generally darkmirage’s japanese lessons are very unique, because he approaches the japanese language from an anime-centric point of view. his example sentences and explanations all use terms that are known to an anime fan. so it’s always interesting to read his lessons, even if you already know the topic the lesson is about.
now back to WA/GA.
these 2 dialogues from the mentioned blog post made it clear for me:
> Person A: “tama-nee wa kami ga akakute nagai desu” (Tama-nee has red long hair) > Person B: “ashi ga nagai desu” (Her legs are long) > Me: “mune ga ookii desu!” (Her……nevermind)
> Person A: “doraemon wa ashi ga hikui desu” (Doraemon’s legs are short) > Person B: “konomi-chan mo hikui desu” (Konomi-chan’s legs are short too) > Me: “tama-nee wa nagai desu” (Tama-nee’s legs are long)
make sure to read the whole article, and also the other lessons
EDIT: it seems this topic is a lot more complicated