Topic-Comment Structure: How Japanese Builds “は〜、〜ですね” (象は鼻が長い) [JLPT N4]

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

“象は鼻が長い,” “東京は物価が高い” — a complete analysis of は's topic-marking and the comment that follows

「象は鼻が長い」 — why two “subjects”? Japanese's “topic ＋ comment” structure

「象は鼻が長い」 (as for elephants, the nose is long) — in one sentence both 「象」 and 「鼻」 look like subjects, so which is it? Actually Japanese's typical sentence is “topic ＋ comment”: first 「は」 throws out a topic (象は = speaking of elephants), then comments on it (鼻が長い = the nose is long). 「は」 marks the “topic,” not necessarily the grammatical subject. This guide covers Japanese's “は…、…” topic-building and separates it from 「が」 (finer は vs が split has its own guide).

Core: は presents a topic → the following clause comments

Japanese's typical sentence = “topic (は) ＋ comment”:

• は = presenting a topic (speaking of…, as for…): 東京は (as for Tokyo).
• the clause = a comment on the topic: 物価が高い (prices are high).

Together: 東京は物価が高い (as for Tokyo, prices are high).

Key: 「は」 marks the “topic,” which isn't the same as the “subject” (象は鼻が長い = topic is elephant, subject is nose).

How to Connect

例句（看情境）

• 東京は、物価が高い。(As for Tokyo, prices are high.) — topic ＋ comment
• 象は、鼻が長い。(As for elephants, the nose is long.) — topic ≠ subject
• この映画は、ストーリーがいい。(As for this movie, the story is good.) — topic ＋ comment
• 私は、コーヒーがいい。(As for me, coffee is fine.) — topic (choice)
• 日本語は、漢字が難しい。(As for Japanese, the kanji are hard.) — topic ＋ comment

⚠️ Easy traps to avoid

① “Topic” isn't “subject.” 「象は鼻が長い」 — 「象は」 is the topic (speaking of elephants), 「鼻が」 is the subject of 「長い」. Japanese allows “topic ＋ (another subject ＋ predicate),” and one sentence having two が/は is perfectly normal — not an error.

② 「は」 presents a topic, 「が」 focuses on the subject. 東京は物価が高い (as for Tokyo [topic]…) vs 東京が物価が高い (it's Tokyo [emphasis] whose prices are high). は throws a topic, が specifies/emphasizes (finer split: 〈は vs が〉).

③ Omitting the topic is common. The topic (especially “I, you”) is often dropped when context is clear (〔私は〕コーヒーがいい = I'll have coffee). After 「は」 sets a topic, later sentences often continue and omit it (see the 〈subject drop〉 guide).

🔄 Compare: は (topic) vs が (subject)

💡 Learning tip

The skeleton of a Japanese sentence is “topic ＋ comment” — first 「は」 throws out a “speaking of…” topic, then you comment. What most upends the Chinese/English mind is that “topic ≠ subject”: 「象は鼻が長い」 isn't the odd “the elephant's nose is long,” but “(speaking of) elephants [topic], the nose [subject] is long” — a two-layer sentence is normal. Grasp this and you'll see many Japanese sentences are “Aは…Bが…” (私は頭が痛い = I [topic] have a headache, 日本語は発音が簡単 = as for Japanese, pronunciation is easy). 「は」 throws a topic, 「が」 focuses — the soul of Japanese. For the finer は/が split, see the 〈は vs が〉 guide.

❓ Common questions

Q: Why does 「象は鼻が長い」 have both 「は」 and 「が」? Which is the subject?

This is Japanese's classic “topic ＋ comment” structure. 「象は」 is the topic (throwing out “speaking of elephants”), 「鼻が長い」 is the comment on that topic (within which 「鼻が」 is the subject of 「長い」). So: topic = elephant, subject = nose. English/Chinese say “the elephant's nose is long,” but Japanese is “(speaking of) elephants, the nose is long” — set a topic, then explain. One sentence with 「は」 (topic) plus 「が」 (subject) is entirely normal, not two subjects clashing. Same type: 「私は頭が痛い (I have a headache)」, 「この店はコーヒーがおいしい (this shop's coffee is good)」.

Q: How exactly do I tell 「は」 from 「が」?

The basic split: 「は」 presents a “topic” (speaking of…, as for…); 「が」 focuses a “subject” (it's…, emphasis/new info). 「東京は物価が高い」 = as for Tokyo (topic), prices are high; 「（誰が来た？）田中が来た」 = (who came?) it's Tanaka who came (が specifies, answering “who”). Simply: throw a topic, state a contrast → は; specify, emphasize, introduce new info → が. It's Japanese's most core and subtle distinction; for the full judging method (old/new info, contrast, describing a scene, etc.), see the 〈は vs が〉 guide.

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. What is the sentence structure of 「東京は物価が高い」?

(A) 主語（東京が）+ 述語

(B) 主題（東京は）+ 評述（物価が高い）

(C) 目的語 + 動詞

(D) 形容詞 + 名詞

Q2. 「象は鼻が長い」の「鼻」の役割は？

(A) 主題（Topic）

(B) 主語（Subject）

(C) 目的語

(D) 述語

Q3. 「日本語は難しい」と「日本語が難しい」の違いは？

(A) 完全に同じ

(B) は: the topic Japanese is hard; が: emphasizes that it's Japanese that's hard (not another language)

(C) は：過去；が：現在

(D) は：書面語；が：口語

Q4. 「この映画___ストーリーが面白い。」(As for this movie, the story is interesting — topic marking)

(A) が　(B) は　(C) を　(D) に

Q5. 主題提示の「は」は何語相当？

(A) 英語の主格 S

(B) 「As for ~」(speaking of ~)

(C) 英語の目的格 O

(D) 英語の前置詞 in

Answer Explanations

1. (B) ── 「東京は」(topic: as for Tokyo)「物価が高い」(comment: prices are high) = a topic-comment sentence pattern. 東京は presents the topic, and what follows is the comment about Tokyo.

2. (B) 主語（Subject） ── In 「象は鼻が長い」: 象は = topic; 鼻が = subject (the doer of the action / the entity in the state); 長い = predicate. Topic and subject are different grammatical concepts.

3. (B) ── 「日本語は難しい」(as for Japanese, it's hard) = neutral topic marking; 「日本語が難しい」(it's Japanese that's hard!) = emphatic identification, implying 'not English or another language — Japanese in particular is hard.'

4. (B) は ── 「この映画は」(topic: this movie)「ストーリーが面白い」(comment: the story is interesting) = は presents the topic (this movie is what we're talking about).

5. (B) ── は corresponds to the English 'As for ~.' For example, 「東京は物価が高い」= 'As for Tokyo, prices are high.' The topic は is not the English subject S (the subject uses が), but rather topic marking.