は
- 1Marks the topic of the sentence, meaning 'as for X' or 'speaking of X'.Ex. 1
- 2Marks an item as contrasted with other possible items.
Replacement: が and を are replaced by は rather than combined with it（本を → 本は）
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は is used in all registers, especially in statements of fact, definitions, self-introductions and descriptions (AはBです). It presents known or given information as the topic, while が tends to mark new information or the specific subject. In negative sentences, は often adds a contrastive nuance.
Learners often write the topic particle as わ because of its pronunciation; it is always written は.
Do not use は after question words like 誰 or 何 in ordinary questions; use が (誰が来ましたか), since 誰は is limited to contrastive questions.
Note that は replaces が and を; forms such as がは or をは do not exist.
- がN5As a case particle, が focuses on the subject itself, used for new information or describing what one sees; when the subject is a question word, only が can be used, never は. が can also attach to the end of a clause to mean "but" (contrast), which は cannot do.
- もN5も means "also" (the same applies), while は marks the topic or highlights a contrast with something else; the two cannot be swapped or combined (「はも」 is not said). も can also pair with question words for total negation, or follow a counter/number to emphasize a large amount.
- ってN4って is close to は only when marking a topic: it is colloquial and carries a "so-called / speaking of" nuance of explanation, evaluation, or surprise, so は should be used in formal situations. って also has quotative and "called..." uses that は lacks.
- こそN3こそ strongly emphasizes the preceding item as "precisely this," stronger in tone than は, and is mostly used for resolutions, greetings, and assertions rather than plain statements; it can also attach to the て-form to mean "only... does...". You can say 「今年こそは」 but not 「今年はこそ」.
- ならN4なら carries a conditional "if..." nuance and often takes up the other person's topic to give a judgment or suggestion, attaching to verbs and adjectives; は attaches to nouns or noun + case particle to present a topic and comment on it, so the two generally cannot be swapped.
Unlike が, which marks the subject and often new information, は marks the topic or a contrast, and も replaces は to mean 'also'. って is a casual spoken topic marker, こそ emphasizes 'precisely this one', and なら raises a topic conditionally ('if it's X…').
