“aru vs iru”: Distinguishing Existence Verbs [JLPT N5]

Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026

「本があります」「猫がいます」 — objects and living things use different existence verbs; this distinction is core to Japanese.

Why is 「犬がある」 wrong? — ある vs いる, sorted

Beginners often say 「✗ 犬がある」 when it should be 「犬がいる」. Japanese splits “there is / exists” into two verbs, and the rule is one line: living things take 「いる」, non-living things take 「ある」. A book on the desk → 本がある; a dog in the park → 犬がいる. Grab the “alive or not?” line and the rest follows.

The one-line rule: living → いる, non-living → ある

• いる = living things that move on their own: people and animals (人・子供・犬・猫・魚) → 公園に犬がいる, 教室に学生がいる.
• ある = non-living: objects, plants, and abstract things (本・机・お金・木・予定・試験) → 机に本がある, 明日試験がある.

Note plants take 「ある」 — trees and flowers are alive, but they don't move on their own, so Japanese files them under 「ある」.

Core pattern & examples

The existence sentence is fixed: (place) に (thing) が あります／います — the thing takes が, the place takes に.

• 公園に犬がいます。(There's a dog in the park.) — いる (animal)
• テーブルの上に本があります。(There's a book on the table.) — ある (object)
• 明日、試験があります。(There's an exam tomorrow.) — ある (abstract)
• 公園に大きい木があります。(There's a big tree in the park.) — ある (plant)
• 教室に学生が三人います。(There are three students in the classroom.) — いる (people)

⚠️ Common mistakes to avoid

① Don't swap ある/いる. People and animals always take いる (✗ 犬がある → ○ 犬がいる). English “there is” covers both, which is why it's easy to miss.

② Plants and abstract things take ある. Trees and flowers (plants) and 予定・試験・約束 (abstract) all take ある — don't reach for いる just because a flower is “alive.”

③ Don't confuse it with 「てある」. 「予約してある」 is the deliberately prepared state (it's been booked), not plain existence 「ある」.

🔄 Compare with similar forms: ある / いる / てある / ている

💡 The one thing to remember

The only hard part here is that English “there is” doesn't care about life — there's a book on the desk, there's a dog in the park, same phrase — while Japanese splits it into ある/いる. So when you see the subject, ask one thing: “Can it move on its own?” Yes (people, animals) → いる; no (objects, plants, abstract) → ある. Ask it enough times and it turns into instinct.

❓ Questions you might have

Q: Plants are alive — why 「ある」?

Japanese doesn't split on “living vs non-living,” but on “moves on its own or not.” Plants don't move around, so they go with ある; people and animals move, so いる.

Q: I've heard both 「子供がいる」 and 「子供がある」 — what's the difference?

「子供がいる」 = there's a child present (existence); 「子供がある」 is an older, written way to say “to have children” as a fact. As a beginner, just lock in “people take いる.”

🖊️ Practice Quiz

Q1. 「公園に犬___います。」Which is correct?

(A) が　(B) を　(C) の　(D) で

Q2. 「テーブルの上に本___あります。」Fill the blank.

(A) は　(B) に　(C) が　(D) を

Q3. 「明日、試験___あります。」Which is correct?

(A) は　(B) が　(C) を　(D) に

Q4. 「木___ありますか？」(a tree in the park) Which has the correct meaning?

(A) 木がいますか　(B) 木がありますか　(C) 木を見ますか　(D) 木にいますか

Q5. 「予約し___あります。」(already reserved) Which is the correct form?

(A) していて　(B) してて　(C) してある　(D) してあって

Answer Key

1. (A) が ── 「犬がいます」 is the standard existence pattern: the existing thing (犬) takes が, the place takes に. 公園に犬がいます = there's a dog in the park.

2. (C) が ── same existence pattern: テーブルの上に本があります (an inanimate object uses ある).

3. (B) が ── an abstract thing (試験) uses ある: 明日試験があります = there's a test tomorrow.

4. (B) 木がありますか ── plants use ある (they don't move on their own), with が.

5. (C) してある ── 「(transitive te-form) ＋ ある」 = a state someone deliberately set up: 予約してある = already reserved.