The Japanese particle が is used with several important expressions for understanding, ability, skills, and things a person can or cannot do. These patterns are different from the English structures learners may expect, so learning the Japanese sentence patterns is important.
Two of the most common expressions are:
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| わかります | wakarimasu | understand |
| できます | dekimasu | can do, be able to |
The basic pattern is often:
Person + は + thing or activity + が + ability expression
For example:
私は日本語がわかります。
Watashi wa nihongo ga wakarimasu.
I understand Japanese.
私は料理ができます。
Watashi wa ryouri ga dekimasu.
I can cook.
Here, the Japanese particle が marks the thing that is understood or the activity that the person can do.
The Complete Japanese Particles Mastery Guide
How to Use the Japanese Particle が With わかります
わかります (wakarimasu) means “understand” or “know what something means.”
Japanese commonly uses が with the thing that is understood.
日本語がわかります。
Nihongo ga wakarimasu.
I understand Japanese.
英語がわかります。
Eigo ga wakarimasu.
I understand English.
この問題がわかります。
Kono mondai ga wakarimasu.
I understand this problem.
先生の説明がわかります。
Sensei no setsumei ga wakarimasu.
I understand the teacher’s explanation.
The pattern is:
Thing understood + が + わかります
This is an important pattern because English uses the verb “understand” with a direct object, while Japanese uses が in this construction.
The Complete Japanese Particles Mastery Guide
How to Use the Japanese Particle が With できます
できます (dekimasu) expresses ability or the possibility of doing something.
It can be used with nouns that represent activities or skills.
料理ができます。
Ryouri ga dekimasu.
I can cook.
英語ができます。
Eigo ga dekimasu.
I can use English.
テニスができます。
Tenisu ga dekimasu.
I can play tennis.
漢字ができます。
Kanji ga dekimasu.
I can do kanji.
When referring to a person’s ability, the person can be marked as the topic with は:
私は料理ができます。
Watashi wa ryouri ga dekimasu.
I can cook.
彼は英語ができます。
Kare wa eigo ga dekimasu.
He can use English.
The pattern is:
Person + は + Activity/Skill + が + できます
The Complete Japanese Particles Mastery Guide
Why Does Japanese Use が Instead of を With These Expressions?
English and Japanese organize these expressions differently.
An English speaker may naturally think:
“I understand Japanese.”
“I can cook.”
Because “Japanese” and “cook” appear to function as objects in English, a learner may try to use を (o).
For example, a learner might incorrectly produce:
日本語をわかります。
Nihongo o wakarimasu.
The standard pattern is:
日本語がわかります。
Nihongo ga wakarimasu.
I understand Japanese.
Similarly:
料理ができます。
Ryouri ga dekimasu.
I can cook.
The choice of が is part of the Japanese grammatical pattern. It should be learned together with the expression rather than by translating the English sentence word for word.
The Complete Japanese Particles Mastery Guide
How to Make Japanese Ability Expressions Negative
The polite negative forms are:
| Positive | Negative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| わかります | わかりません | understand / do not understand |
| できます | できません | can / cannot |
Examples:
日本語がわかりません。
Nihongo ga wakarimasen.
I do not understand Japanese.
この問題がわかりません。
Kono mondai ga wakarimasen.
I do not understand this problem.
料理ができません。
Ryouri ga dekimasen.
I cannot cook.
英語ができません。
Eigo ga dekimasen.
I cannot use English.
The Japanese particle が remains unchanged when the ability expression becomes negative.
The Complete Japanese Particles Mastery Guide
How to Ask About Ability With the Japanese Particle が
The same structures can be used in questions.
日本語がわかりますか。
Nihongo ga wakarimasu ka?
Do you understand Japanese?
料理ができますか。
Ryouri ga dekimasu ka?
Can you cook?
英語ができますか。
Eigo ga dekimasu ka?
Can you use English?
The answer can repeat the same grammatical pattern:
はい、日本語がわかります。
Hai, nihongo ga wakarimasu.
Yes, I understand Japanese.
いいえ、日本語がわかりません。
Iie, nihongo ga wakarimasen.
No, I do not understand Japanese.
はい、料理ができます。
Hai, ryouri ga dekimasu.
Yes, I can cook.
いいえ、料理ができません。
Iie, ryouri ga dekimasen.
No, I cannot cook.
The Complete Japanese Particles Mastery Guide
How to Use the Japanese Particle が With Potential Verb Forms
Japanese can also express ability through potential forms of verbs. These forms are different from the basic できます pattern.
For example:
日本語を話せます。
Nihongo o hanasemasu.
I can speak Japanese.
英語を読めます。
Eigo o yomemasu.
I can read English.
ここでは日本語を話せません。
Koko de wa nihongo o hanasemasen.
I cannot speak Japanese here.
The particle used with a potential verb can differ from the pattern used with できます.
This is important because learners should not assume that every Japanese expression of ability requires が.
The grammatical structure depends on the particular expression being used.
The Complete Japanese Particles Mastery Guide
Japanese Particle が With 好き and Ability-Related Expressions
The Japanese particle が also appears in expressions describing skills and preferences, although these expressions are grammatically different from できます.
For example:
私は英語が上手です。
Watashi wa eigo ga jouzu desu.
I am good at English.
彼は料理が上手です。
Kare wa ryouri ga jouzu desu.
He is good at cooking.
私はスポーツが苦手です。
Watashi wa supootsu ga nigate desu.
I am not good at sports.
The nouns associated with 上手 (jouzu), 苦手 (nigate), and similar expressions can be marked with the Japanese particle が.
The Complete Japanese Particles Mastery Guide
Japanese Ability Vocabulary
These words are useful for recognizing common ability structures.
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| わかる | wakaru | understand |
| わかります | wakarimasu | understand |
| できる | dekiru | can, be able to |
| できます | dekimasu | can, be able to |
| 話す | hanasu | speak |
| 話せる | hanaseru | can speak |
| 読む | yomu | read |
| 読める | yomeru | can read |
| 書く | kaku | write |
| 書ける | kakeru | can write |
| 料理 | ryouri | cooking |
| 英語 | eigo | English |
| 日本語 | nihongo | Japanese |
| 上手 | jouzu | good at, skilled |
| 苦手 | nigate | not good at |
The Complete Japanese Particles Mastery Guide
Japanese Particle が and を With Ability Expressions
The difference between が and を becomes particularly important when comparing できます with potential verb forms.
Compare:
料理ができます。
Ryouri ga dekimasu.
I can cook.
料理を作れます。
Ryouri o tsukuremasu.
I can make food.
In the first sentence, 料理 (ryouri) is associated with the ability expression できます and is marked with が.
In the second sentence, 料理 (ryouri) is the object of the potential verb 作れます (tsukuremasu), so it is marked with を.
This distinction shows why learners should identify the actual Japanese grammar structure rather than apply one particle to every English expression of ability.
The Complete Japanese Particles Mastery Guide
Common Mistakes With the Japanese Particle が and Ability Expressions
Using を With わかります
Incorrect:
日本語をわかります。
Nihongo o wakarimasu.
Standard:
日本語がわかります。
Nihongo ga wakarimasu.
I understand Japanese.
Assuming が Is Required With Every Ability Expression
Japanese uses different structures to express ability.
For example:
料理ができます。
Ryouri ga dekimasu.
I can cook.
料理を作れます。
Ryouri o tsukuremasu.
I can make food.
The first uses が with できます. The second uses を with a potential verb.
Confusing できます With わかります
できます expresses ability or possibility.
わかります expresses understanding.
Compare:
日本語ができます。
Nihongo ga dekimasu.
I can use Japanese.
日本語がわかります。
Nihongo ga wakarimasu.
I understand Japanese.
The meaning is different even though both expressions use the Japanese particle が.
The Complete Japanese Particles Mastery Guide
Key Patterns for the Japanese Particle が With Ability Expressions
| Grammar pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Noun + が + わかります | 日本語がわかります。 Nihongo ga wakarimasu. | I understand Japanese. |
| Noun + が + わかりません | 日本語がわかりません。 Nihongo ga wakarimasen. | I do not understand Japanese. |
| Noun + が + できます | 料理ができます。 Ryouri ga dekimasu. | I can cook. |
| Noun + が + できません | 料理ができません。 Ryouri ga dekimasen. | I cannot cook. |
| Person + は + Noun + が + できます | 私は英語ができます。 Watashi wa eigo ga dekimasu. | I can use English. |
| Person + は + Noun + が + 上手です | 彼は英語が上手です。 Kare wa eigo ga jouzu desu. | He is good at English. |
The Complete Japanese Particles Mastery Guide
Conclusion
The Japanese particle が is an important part of several expressions related to understanding and ability. It is particularly common with わかります (wakarimasu) and できます (dekimasu), as well as expressions such as 上手 (jouzu) and 苦手 (nigate).
The key patterns to remember are:
日本語がわかります。
Nihongo ga wakarimasu.
I understand Japanese.
料理ができます。
Ryouri ga dekimasu.
I can cook.
At the same time, not every Japanese ability expression uses が. Potential verb forms can use different particles, so the particle should always be understood as part of the specific grammatical structure.
Vikas Kumar is the founder of My Language Classes, a language learning platform dedicated to helping learners develop practical communication skills in Spanish, Japanese, and English through comprehensive grammar guides, structured learning resources, books, and evidence-informed educational content.
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