What is the difference between the particles “wa” and “ga”?
The difference between “wa” and “ga” is a subtle one. “Wa”, by definition, is the “topic marker” while “ga” is the “subject marker”. Here is an example, “I heard that you bought a new book.” – “Watashi wa anata ga atarashii hon wo katta to kiita.” The “watashi wa” portion can be left off, however, as it is implied. When you are starting out with Japanese, don’t worry too much about when to use “wa” instead of “ga”, and visa versa, as most Japanese themselves really don’t know the rules for when to use which. It is something that is learned by feel over many years of speaking.
