[Person] は [Body part] が [Adjective] です。
[Person] has [adjective] [body part].
Body Description with 〜は〜が〜です
JLPT N5Structure
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Basic Structure
Grammar Details
Explanation
When you want to describe someone’s physical features (like their hair, eyes, height, etc.) in Japanese, there’s a natural sentence structure you should know:
[Person] は [Body part] が [Adjective] です。
This “double-particle” structure (は and が) is more natural than using the possessive の.
For example:
- 山田さんは目が大きいです。(Yamada-san has big eyes.)
This is more natural than saying:
- 山田さんの目は大きいです。(Yamada-san’s eyes are big.)
Common Body Part Adjective Structure:
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 目が大きい | has big eyes |
| 耳が小さい | has small ears |
| 手がかわいい | has cute hands |
| 足が長い | has long legs |
The format:[Body Part] + が + [Adjective] is super common when talking about how someone looks.
💡 Useful Idiomatic Collocations:
These expressions are almost set phrases in Japanese:
- 背が高い — is tall (not just “back is high” 🥸)
- 背が低い— is short
- 頭がいい — is smart / bright (not just “head is good” 🥸)
So if you want to say: “He’s tall,” You’d say: 彼は背が高いです。Not: ❌ 背は高いです。
Real Life Usage
💬 When describing yourself or others, Japanese tends to focus on the body part being a certain way, rather than saying someone has something directly.
It might feel unusual at first if you’re used to saying “I have long hair” — but once you get the hang of “[body part] が [adjective]”, it becomes second nature in Japanese.
🗣 Try practicing with: 目 (eyes), 髪 (hair), 背 (height), 顔 (face)
Examples
田中|たなか]さんは目が大きいです。
Tanaka-san has big eyes.
私の友達は背が高いです。
My friend is tall.
妹は髪が長いです。
My younger sister has long hair.
兄は頭がいいです。
My older brother is smart.
先生は声が大きいです。
The teacher has a loud voice.