Chapter 6 — Existence: いる and ある

Up to this point, every sentence you have built follows a single pattern: Xは Yです. That pattern identifies things — it tells you what something is. But there is an entire category of statement it cannot handle: saying that something exists, or that something is located somewhere. For that, Japanese uses two verbs: いる and ある.

These are the first verbs you will learn. They are also the first place where Japanese forces you to make a distinction English does not: whether the thing that exists is animate or inanimate. A cat and a book both "exist," but Japanese treats them with different verbs. This distinction is absolute and non-negotiable.

This chapter also introduces が, a particle you have not yet encountered. Its relationship with は is one of the deepest topics in Japanese grammar. We will give you a working first approximation here and return to it in detail in Stage 3.

6.1 Animate いる vs Inanimate ある

Japanese has two existence verbs:

• いる — used for animate beings: people, animals, insects — anything that moves under its own will.
• ある — used for inanimate things: objects, buildings, abstract concepts, plants — anything that does not move by its own volition.

Both translate as "there is," "there are," or "to exist" in English. The choice between them depends entirely on what exists, never on the location or the speaker's attitude.

猫ねこが います。 There is a cat.

本ほんが あります。 There is a book.

人ひとが います。 There is a person.

机つくえが あります。 There is a desk.

This is a strict rule in standard Japanese. Using ある for a person or いる for a book will sound wrong to any native speaker. When in doubt, ask yourself: does this thing move on its own? If yes, いる. If no, ある.

Edge cases you may encounter later: Robots, taxis (with drivers implied), and certain figurative uses can blur the line. For now, apply the simple rule — living things that move get いる; everything else gets ある.

6.2 Location with に — [place]に [thing]が いる/ある

The basic existence sentence has this structure:

[place]に　[thing]が　いる/ある

The particle に here indicates a static location — the place where something is. Think of it as "at" or "in."

机つくえの 上うえに　本ほんが　あります。 On top of the desk, there is a book.

部屋へやに　猫ねこが　います。 In the room, there is a cat.

学校がっこうに　先生せんせいが　います。 At the school, there is a teacher.

かばんの 中なかに　鍵かぎが　あります。 Inside the bag, there are keys.

The polite forms are います (from いる) and あります (from ある). In this textbook, we use polite forms unless stated otherwise.

Word order: Japanese word order is flexible as long as the verb comes last. Both of these are grammatical:

机の 上に　本が　あります。 本が　机の 上に　あります。

The first version is more natural when you are describing a scene — you set the location first, then reveal what is there. The second is possible but less common in existence statements.

6.3 Location Words (位置詞)

To say "on the desk" or "under the chair," you need location words. These are nouns in Japanese, and they attach to other nouns with の:

[noun]の [location word]

These location words are nouns, not prepositions. English says "on the desk" — the location word "on" comes before the noun. Japanese says 机の 上 — the noun comes first, then の, then the location word. The order is reversed.

To make a full existence sentence, add に after the location word:

机の 上に　電話でんわが　あります。 On the desk, there is a phone.

いすの 下に　猫が　います。 Under the chair, there is a cat.

ベッドの 隣に　テーブルが　あります。 Next to the bed, there is a table.

あいだ requires two nouns connected with と:

机と いすの 間に　かばんが　あります。 Between the desk and the chair, there is a bag.

The particle と here means "and," connecting the two reference points. You will encounter と in more detail in a later chapter; for now, know that あいだ uses it.

6.4 が for New Information — First Encounter with は/が

You have been using は since Chapter 5. Now が appears. These two particles are often presented as interchangeable or as a simple topic-vs-subject distinction. Neither description is adequate. The は/が distinction is one of the most written-about topics in Japanese linguistics, and full mastery takes years of immersion. What follows is a first working model — useful, accurate for common cases, but deliberately incomplete.

The working model

が marks new information. When you present something the listener does not yet know about — when you are introducing it into the conversation for the first time — you use が.

は marks the topic. When you are talking about something already established, known, or assumed — when you are saying something about it — you use は.

Existence sentences are the clearest demonstration:

猫ねこが　います。 There is a cat. (Presenting new information: a cat exists here.)

The listener did not know about the cat. You are announcing its existence. This is new information, so が.

猫は　外そとに　います。 The cat is outside. (Talking about a known cat: where is it?)

The cat is already established in the conversation. You are now giving information about it — specifically, its location. This is a statement about a known topic, so は.

Compare these two exchanges:

A: 部屋へやに　なにが　ありますか。 A: What is in the room?

B: 机つくえが　あります。 B: There is a desk. (New information — answering "what?")

A: 机は　どこですか。 A: Where is the desk?

B: 机は　部屋に　あります。 B: The desk is in the room. (Known topic — answering "where?")

In the first exchange, the desk is new information being introduced, so が. In the second, the desk is the established topic being discussed, so は.

Question words always take が

This is a concrete rule you can apply immediately: question words like なに, だれ, and どこ (when asking about the subject) take が, not は.

なにが　ありますか。 What is there?

だれが　いますか。 Who is there?

The reason connects to the new-information model: a question word is by definition asking for unknown information. The answer to that question — the new information — also takes が.

なにが ありますか。→ 本ほんが あります。 だれが いますか。→ 先生せんせいが います。

An honest note

This working model — が for new information, は for known topics — will serve you well in existence sentences and basic descriptions. It will not cover every case you encounter. は can mark contrast. が can mark exhaustive listing. There are sentences where the choice between は and が changes the meaning in ways this model cannot predict. We will return to は/が in Stage 3 with a more comprehensive treatment. For now, use the model above and pay attention to how native speakers use these particles in the material you read and hear.

6.5 Negation — いません, ありません

The negative forms are straightforward:

猫ねこは　いません。 The cat is not here. / There is no cat.

鍵かぎは　ありません。 The keys are not here. / There are no keys.

机つくえの 上うえに　電話でんわは　ありません。 There is no phone on the desk.

Notice that negative existence sentences typically use は rather than が. This is consistent with the working model from 6.4: when you negate the existence of something, you are making a statement about it (it is not here), which is a topic-comment structure. "As for the cat — it is not here." Compare:

猫が　います。(Presenting: a cat exists.) 猫は　いません。(Commenting: the cat — not here.)

This は-in-negation pattern is a reliable tendency, not an absolute rule. But at this stage, default to は in negative existence sentences.

6.6 Questions — どこですか, ありますか/いますか

Asking where something is

Use は to mark the thing you are asking about, and どこ for the location:

猫ねこは　どこですか。 Where is the cat?

鍵かぎは　どこですか。 Where are the keys?

先生せんせいは　どこですか。 Where is the teacher?

The answer uses に to mark the location:

猫は　外そとに　います。 The cat is outside.

鍵は　かばんの 中なかに　あります。 The keys are inside the bag.

Asking whether something exists at a location

Put the location first with に, the thing with が, and add か to make it a question:

部屋へやに　猫が　いますか。 Is there a cat in the room?

机の 上に　本ほんが　ありますか。 Is there a book on the desk?

Answer with はい or いいえ:

はい、います。 Yes, there is.

いいえ、いません。 No, there is not.

Asking what exists at a location

部屋に　なにが　ありますか。 What is in the room?

学校がっこうに　だれが　いますか。 Who is at the school?

Remember: なに and だれ take が (Section 6.4).

6.7 Reading Passage — わたしの 部屋へや

Read the following passage. Every grammar point and vocabulary item in it has been introduced either in this chapter or in previous chapters. Read it once without looking at the translation, then check your understanding.

わたしの 部屋へやは 大おおきくないです。でも、好すきです。

窓まどの 隣となりに 机つくえが あります。机の 上うえに 本ほんが 三みっつ あります。本の 隣に 電話でんわが あります。

机の 前まえに いすが あります。いすの 下したに かばんが あります。かばんの 中なかに 鍵かぎが あります。

ベッドは 部屋の 左ひだりに あります。ベッドの 上に 猫ねこが います。猫の 名前なまえは たまです。たまは いつも ベッドの 上に います。

ドアの 近ちかくに 犬いぬも います。犬の 名前は しろです。しろは ベッドの 上には いません。いつも ドアの 前に います。

Translation

My room is not big. But I like it.

Next to the window, there is a desk. On top of the desk, there are three books. Next to the books, there is a phone.

In front of the desk, there is a chair. Under the chair, there is a bag. Inside the bag, there are keys.

The bed is on the left side of the room. On the bed, there is a cat. The cat's name is Tama. Tama is always on the bed.

Near the door, there is also a dog. The dog's name is Shiro. Shiro is not on the bed. He is always in front of the door.

Notes on the passage

大おおきくないです — This is the negative form of the adjective 大きい. Adjective conjugation is formally introduced in Chapters 13-14. For now, recognize the pattern: 大きい → 大きくない (not big). The です at the end adds politeness.

好すきです — "I like (it)." This word will be covered in detail in a later chapter. Here it is used in its simplest form.

三みっつ — "Three (things)." This is the native Japanese counter for general objects. Counters are covered in Chapter 7. For now, notice that the number appears after the noun it counts.

いつも — "always." An adverb of frequency.

名前なまえ — "name." A noun.

上うえには — The particle combination にはcombines the location に with the topic/contrast は. ベッドの 上には いません means "on the bed (at least), is not" — implying contrast with the other animal that IS on the bed. This combination will be treated fully later; for now, simply notice it.

Reading Passage 2 — 小ちいさな 神社じんじゃ

Read the following passage. It describes a small neighborhood shrine — the kind you encounter on side streets all over Japan. All grammar has been introduced in this chapter or earlier.

わたしの 家いえの 近ちかくに 小ちいさな 神社じんじゃが あります。

鳥居とりいの 前まえに 狛犬こまいぬが 二ふたつ あります。右みぎに 一ひとつ、左ひだりに 一つ います。狛犬は 犬いぬじゃありません。獅子ししです。

鳥居の 中なかに 参道さんどうが あります。参道の 両側りょうがわに 木きが あります。木の 上うえに 烏からすが います。烏の 声こえは とても 大おおきいです。

参道の 奥おくに 本殿ほんでんが あります。本殿の 前に 賽銭箱さいせんばこが あります。賽銭箱の 上に 鈴すずが あります。

本殿の 横よこに 小さな 稲荷いなりの 社やしろも あります。稲荷の 社の 前に 狐きつねが 二つ あります。あれは 本物ほんものの 狐じゃありません。石いしの 狐です。

神社に 人ひとは いません。猫ねこが 一ぴき います。いつも 同おなじ 場所ばしょに います。

Translation

Near my house, there is a small shrine.

In front of the torii gate, there are two komainu. One is on the right, one is on the left. Komainu are not dogs. They are lions.

Inside the torii, there is a path to the shrine. On both sides of the path, there are trees. On top of the trees, there are crows. The crows' voices are very loud.

At the far end of the path, there is the main hall. In front of the main hall, there is an offering box. On top of the offering box, there is a bell.

Next to the main hall, there is also a small Inari sub-shrine. In front of the Inari shrine, there are two foxes. Those are not real foxes. They are stone foxes.

There are no people at the shrine. There is one cat. It is always in the same spot.

Notes on the passage

小ちいさな — "small." This is the pre-noun form of 小さい. Some adjectives have a special な form before nouns. This is covered later; for now, recognize it as "small."

狛犬こまいぬ — "guardian statues." These stone figures appear at the entrance to virtually every Shinto shrine. Despite the name (literally "Korean dogs"), they are actually lions (獅子しし). The passage makes this cultural point explicitly.

二ふたつ / 一ひとつ / 一ぴき — Counters from Chapter 7 are previewed here. 二つ = two things, 一つ = one thing, 一ぴき = one (small animal).

両側りょうがわ — "both sides." A location word: 参道さんどうの 両側に = "on both sides of the path."

奥おく — "the back / the far end." A location word like 上 or 下.

稲荷いなりの 社やしろ — "Inari sub-shrine." Inari shrines honor the deity of rice and commerce, marked by red torii gates and fox statues. Many larger shrines contain a smaller Inari shrine within the grounds.

本物ほんもの — "the real thing / genuine." 本物の 狐きつねじゃありません = "they are not real foxes."

6.8 Vocabulary List

New vocabulary introduced in this chapter. The ピッチ column indicates pitch accent: ⓪ = flat (heiban), ① = drops after mora 1, ② = drops after mora 2, and so on.

Verbs

These are the first verbs in this textbook. Japanese verbs are grouped into classes that determine how they conjugate. The class is noted for reference; conjugation is covered in Chapter 8.

Note: ある is classified as 五段 but has an irregular negative: ない (plain form) / ありません (polite form). This is the only irregularity; all other forms are regular.

Location Words (位置詞)

Room and Furniture

Objects

Animals

Other Words