が

See also: か and か゚

が U+304C, が HIRAGANA LETTER GA Composition: か [U+304B] + ◌゙ [U+3099] ← か [U+304B] Hiragana き → [U+304D]

Japanese

Stroke order

Etymology 1

The hiragana character か (ka) with a dakuten (゛).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɡa̠]

• IPA^(key): [ŋa̠] (morpheme-medial alternative pronunciation)

Syllable

が • (ga) 

1. The hiragana syllable が (ga). Its equivalent in katakana is ガ (ga).

See also

• (Hiragana) 平仮名; あぁ, いぃ, うぅゔ, えぇ, おぉ, かゕが, きぎ, くぐ, けゖげ, こ𛄲 (𛄲)ご, さざ, しじ, すず, せぜ, そぞ, ただ, ちぢ, つっづ, てで, とど, な, に, ぬ, ね, の, はばぱ, ひびぴ, ふぶぷ, へべぺ, ほぼぽ, ま, み, む, め, も, やゃ, 𛀆, ゆゅ, 𛀁, よょ, らら゚, りり゚, るる゚, れれ゚, ろろ゚, わゎわ゙, ゐ𛅐 (𛅐)ゐ゙, 𛄟 (𛄟), ゑ𛅑 (𛅑)ゑ゙, を𛅒 (𛅒)を゙, ん, ー, ゝ, ゞ, ゟ

Etymology 2

From Proto-Japonic *-nka. Compare Korean 가 (-ga) (possibly borrowed from Japanese into Korean).

Particle

が • (ga) 

1. Indicates the subject of a sentence.

   猫(ねこ)が餌(えさ)を食(た)べた。

   Neko ga esa o tabeta.

   The cat [is the thing that] ate the cat food.

   犬(いぬ)がいる。

   Inu ga iru.

   There is a dog.

   木(き)がある。

   Ki ga aru.

   There is a tree.

   • 2012, “空想少女への恋手紙 [Love Letters to an Imaginary Girl]”, まらしぃ (Marasy) (lyrics)‎^[1]:

     宛先(あてさき)が君(きみ)のラブレターは　どこに出(だ)せば届(とど)くのかな

     atesaki ga kimi no rabu retā wa doko ni daseba todoku no ka na

     The love letter whose destination is you, where should I post it that it may reach you?

2. (formal) conjunction; "but"

   Synonym: けれども (keredomo)

   犬(いぬ)は好(す)きだが、猫(ねこ)は嫌(きら)いだ。

   Inu wa suki da ga, neko wa kirai da.

   I like dogs but I hate cats.

3. (formal) Used to introduce a new topic into the discussion.

   Synonym: けれども (keredomo)

   先日(せんじつ)の件(けん)ですが、 […]

   senjitsu no ken desu ga, […]

   About that thing from yesterday; […]

4. (literary or Kagoshima) Possessive used to connect nouns, most often seen in place names as ヶ.

   我(われ)々(われ)が心(こころ)

   wareware ga kokoro

   our [collective] heart

   富(ふ)士(じ)見(み)ヶ丘(おか)

   Fujimigaoka

   Fuji View Hill

   関(せき)ヶ原(はら)

   Sekigahara

   Gateway Plains (site of the Battle of Sekigahara)

   おやっが

   oyagga

   father's (Kagoshima dialect)

   あにょが

   anyoga

   brother's (Kagoshima dialect)

5. Used after interjected nouns to express contempt.

   このくそが！

   Kono kuso ga!

   You piece of shit!

Usage notes

• Words that continue to be used with the literary possessive today include まま (mama) and ため (tame).

  言(い)われるがまま ― iwareru ga mama ― (doing) as one is told

  君(きみ)がために ― kimi ga tame ni ― for you

Alternative forms

• (literary possessive): ヶ (ga)

See also

• ぎゃ (gya)
• は (wa)

Etymology 3

For pronunciation and definitions of が – see the following entries.

【画】2 [noun] picture, drawing, painting [noun] movie, film, video [suffix] genre or style of painting

【芽】4 [affix] bud; sprout; shoot

【我】6 [noun] the ego, self [noun] self-righteousness [noun] (Buddhism) obstinacy [noun] (Hinduism) atman [affix] self, oneself, myself [affix] egotism, selfishness [affix] (Buddhism) atman

【牙】S [affix] an animal's fang or tusk [affix] an elephant's tusk: ivory [affix] a tooth

【瓦】S [affix] roof tile [affix] Used phonetically.

【雅】S [adjective] elegant [noun] elegance

【餓】S [affix] hungry; hunger

【臥】J [affix] to bend down; to lie down; to prostrate

【俄】J [affix] sudden, abrupt, unexpected

【駕】J [noun] vehicle; horse-drawn carriage

【蛾】H [noun] a moth (insect similar to a butterfly) Alternative spelling ガ

(This term, が (ga), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.) For a list of all kanji read as が, see Category:Japanese kanji read as が.)

(The following entries are uncreated: 賀, 峨, 衙.)

Okinawan

Etymology 1

From Proto-Ryukyuan *ga, from Proto-Japonic *-nka (“nominative and genitive case marker”). Cognate with Japanese が (ga).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡa/

Particle

が (ga) 

1. genitive case marker
   1. Indicates possession: of, -'s

      彼(あり)が書物(しむち)

      ari-ga shimuchi

      His book

2. nominative case marker
   1. Indicates the subject of a sentence.

      彼(あり)が来(ち)ゃん。

      Ari-ga chan.

      He came.

      学生(がくそー)が毎日(めーなち)学校(がっこー)んかい行(い)ちゃびーん。

      Gakusō-ga mēnachi gakkō-nkai ichabīn.

      The students go to school every day.

3. particle indicating purpose/intent; for; to

   魚(いゆ)取(とぅ)いが行(い)ちゅん。

   Iyu tui-ga ichun.

   I will go (to) catch a fish.

Usage notes

• が (ga) is used for personal names or pronouns, ぬ (nu) is used otherwise. See *ga for details.
• Historically, after an original Proto-Ryukyuan */i/, ga palatalizes to gya, as seen in the Omoro Sōshi.

Etymology 2

Cognate with Japanese か (ka).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡa/

Particle

が (ga) 

1. final interrogative particle, similar to a question mark ("?"). Appear only in wh-questions,but followed by やー can be used in other interrogations.

   今日(ちゅー)や何(ぬー)さびたが？

   Chū-ya nū sabitaga?

   What did you do today?

References

• “が” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
• “が” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
• “ガ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary (archived; reopens 2024).