がある・がいる

There Is

Level 1Sounds Like gaaru・gairu

Japanese uses two different verbs to say 'there is' or 'to have' depending on whether the subject is alive and capable of movement (animate) or not (inanimate).

How It Works

The verbs ある and いる are the foundation for expressing existence ('There is...') and possession ('I have...'). The most important rule is the animacy distinction.

1. ある / あります:
Used for things that are not considered sentient living beings. This includes:

  • Inanimate objects (books, cars, buildings)
  • Abstract concepts (time, ideas)
  • Events (parties, concerts, festivals)
  • Plants (grammatically inanimate)

2. いる / います:
Used for sentient living beings. This includes:

  • Humans
  • Animals and insects
  • Ghosts or supernatural beings

Sentence Structures:
There are two primary ways to describe existence, depending on what you want to emphasize:

A. Focus on Existence (There is a...)
[Location] に [Noun] が [ある/いる].
Example: 公園（こうえん）に犬（いぬ）がいます。 (There is a dog in the park.)

B. Focus on Location (The ... is in ...)
[Noun] は [Location] に [ある/いる].
Example: 犬（いぬ）は公園（こうえん）にいます。 (The dog is in the park.)

Possession:
Japanese expresses possession by saying an object or person 'exists' for a person. The verb choice depends on what you 'have':

  • Use ある for inanimate objects: 私には車（くるま）があります。 (I have a car.)
  • Use いる for people or pets: 私には弟（おとうと）がいます。 (I have a younger brother.)

Nuances and Exceptions:
While vehicles are inanimate, you may sometimes hear いる used for taxis or buses when the speaker is thinking of them as a moving service with a driver (e.g., タクシーがいます). However, ある is always safe for objects.

Negation:
The negative form of ある is irregular in casual speech: it becomes ない. The polite negative is ありません. The negative of いる is いない (casual) or いません (polite).

Examples (6)

  1. 机の上に本があります。

    There is a book on the desk.

    Word by Word: Desk of top at book (subject) exists.

    Since a book is an inanimate object, we use あります.

  2. 庭に猫がいます。

    There is a cat in the garden.

    Word by Word: Garden in cat (subject) exists.

    Since a cat is an animal, we use います.

  3. 私には弟がいます。

    I have a younger brother.

    Word by Word: As for me, younger brother (subject) exists.

    When expressing possession of people, such as family members, we use います.

  4. あそこにタクシーがいます。

    There is a taxi over there.

    Word by Word: Over there at taxi (subject) exists.

    While vehicles are usually inanimate, いる is often used for taxis or buses when they are in service and have a driver inside.

  5. 公園に花があります。

    There are flowers in the park.

    Word by Word: Park in flowers (subject) exist.

    Even though flowers are living things, they cannot move on their own, so they take あります.

  6. 今日は時間がありますか。

    Do you have time today?

    Word by Word: Today as-for time (subject) exists?

    Time is an abstract concept, so it takes あります to express possession.

Common Mistakes

  • Using ある for people.

    友達がある。
    友達がいる。

    Using ある for a person makes them sound like an inanimate object or a corpse. Always use いる for people.

  • Using いる for plants.

    木がいます。
    木があります。

    In Japanese grammar, plants are treated as inanimate because they lack volition and independent movement.

  • Using the wrong particle for location.

    部屋で猫がいます。
    部屋に猫がいます。

    The particle で is for the location of an action. For existence (being somewhere), you must use the particle に.

How It Connects

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がある・がいるLevel 1There Is

Learn This First

To use the existence pattern 'がある・がいる', you need to understand how to mark the subject with the particle 'が' and the location with the particle 'に'. Additionally, knowledge of location words is essential for specifying the place of existence.

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Words in This Pattern

有る居る