ある vs いる: How to Say 'There Is / There Are' in Japanese
Two verbs for one English idea
English gets by with a single "there is / there are," but Japanese splits the job in two. Both ある and いる say that something exists somewhere; the choice hinges entirely on what exists. If it can move under its own power — a person, an animal — you reach for いる. If it can't — a book, a tree, a scheduled test — you reach for ある. That divide feels arbitrary to English speakers at first, but in Japanese it's a firm rule you apply every time.
教室に先生がいます。
きょうしつに せんせいが います。
The teacher is in the classroom.
A person → いる (polite: います).
机の上に本があります。
つくえの うえに ほんが あります。
There's a book on the desk.
An object → ある (polite: あります).
公園にヤッタンがいる。
こうえんに ヤッタンが いる。
Yattan is in the park.
Yattan is a dog, so he's animate → いる.
The frame: place に, thing が
Whichever verb you pick, the sentence hangs on the same frame — the place is marked with に and the thing itself with が:
place に + thing が + ある／いる
Only the verb swaps depending on what exists, and it flexes across the usual tenses and politeness levels:
| Meaning | Living thing (いる) | Non-living thing (ある) |
|---|---|---|
| Plain present | いる | ある |
| Plain negative | いない | ない (irregular) |
| Polite present | います | あります |
| Polite negative | いません | ありません |
| Past (polite) | いました | ありました |
Watch the one irregular cell: ある's plain negative is not "あらない" — it's simply ない, a single word that carries all the "there isn't." With the frame in place, the particles do their quiet work of pinning down where and what:
公園に犬がいます。
こうえんに いぬが います。
There's a dog in the park.
箱の中にお菓子がある。
はこの なかに おかしが ある。
There are sweets in the box.
モチの家に大きい木がある。
モチの いえに おおきい きが ある。
There's a big tree at Mochi's house.
A plant doesn't move on its own → ある.
To ask where something is, the place slot becomes どこ: ヤッタンはどこにいますか ("Where is Yattan?").
When ある stretches to "have" and "happens"
ある isn't limited to physical existence. It also does the work of "to have" for things you possess — money, time, plans — and of "an event takes place." In both extensions the thing you have or the event still takes が:
ヤッタンはお金があります。
ヤッタンは おかねが あります。
Yattan has money.
ある = to have (a possession).
明日テストがある。
あしたテストが ある。
There's a test tomorrow.
An event happening → ある.
今晩、先生の家でパーティーがあります。
こんばん、せんせいの いえで パーティーが あります。
There's a party at the teacher's house tonight.
For an event's location, で can appear instead of に.
Saying it isn't there
To say something isn't present, move to the negative. Living things use いない／いません, and non-living things use the irregular ない／ありません — never あらない:
教室に誰もいない。
きょうしつに だれも いない。
There's no one in the classroom.
誰も + negative = nobody.
ヤッタンの弟は今、家にいません。
ヤッタンの おとうとは いま、いえに いません。
Yattan's little brother isn't home right now.
今日は宿題がない。
きょうは しゅくだいが ない。
There's no homework today.
ある → ない, not あらない.
Where learners slip
- Using ある for living things. A dog, a teacher, a baby — anything alive and able to move takes いる. 公園に犬がいる (✓), not 公園に犬がある (✗).
- Using いる for objects, plants, or events. A book, a tree, a test all take ある. 机の上に本がある (✓), not 本がいる (✗).
- Saying あらない for the negative. ある's plain negative is the irregular ない: 時間がない ("there's no time"), never 時間があらない.
- Marking the place with が or the thing with に. It's the reverse: place takes に, thing takes が — 公園に犬がいる.
The short version
- いる = there is, for living, moving things (people, animals).
- ある = there is, for objects, plants, and events.
- The thing that exists takes が; the place takes に.
- Negatives: いない／いません and the irregular ない／ありません.
- ある also means "to have" (お金がある) and "an event takes place" (パーティーがある).
Practice it
Choose ある or いる (and the right particle) for each sentence.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
Choose the grammar pattern that best completes the sentence.
机の上に本が三冊＿＿＿。
Frequently asked questions
When do I use ある and when do I use いる?
Use いる for living things that can move on their own — people and animals. Use ある for everything else: objects, plants, and events. Both mean 'there is / there are.'
Why is the negative of ある 'ない' and not 'あらない'?
ある has an irregular negative. The plain negative is simply ない (時間がない = 'there's no time'), and the polite form is ありません. いる is regular: いない / いません.
Which particles go with ある and いる?
The thing that exists takes が, and the place takes に: 公園に犬がいる ('there's a dog in the park'), 机の上に本がある ('there's a book on the desk').
Can ある mean 'to have'?
Yes. ある is used for possessions like money, time, and plans — お金がある means 'to have money' — and for events taking place, like パーティーがある ('there's a party').
Where ある vs いる fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- が · N5 — が marks the grammatical subject and introduces new information. Learn how to use が with question words, existence (ある/いる), ability, and likes such as 好き — plus how が differs from は.
Don't confuse it with
- が · N5 — が marks the grammatical subject and introduces new information. Learn how to use が with question words, existence (ある/いる), ability, and likes such as 好き — plus how が differs from は.
- に vs へ · N5 — に and へ both mark where you're going: 学校に行く / 学校へ行く. Learn the small nuance, why へ is read 'e', and how に also marks points in time like 7時に.
Once this clicks, go on to
- 〜たことがある · N5 — 〜たことがある means you have done something before — 日本に行ったことがある. Learn the past-form formation, the negative 〜たことがない (have never), and how it differs from the plain past.
More N5 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- ごろ vs くらい — ごろ marks an approximate POINT in time (3時ごろ = around 3 o'clock), while くらい/ぐらい marks an approximate amount or duration (3時間くらい = about 3 hours).
- 〜ほうがいい — 〜ほうがいい gives advice: use the past (た) form for 'you should do X' (休んだほうがいい) and the ない-form for 'you'd better not' (行かないほうがいい). Learn the forms and nuance.
- じゃない — じゃない is the casual negative of nouns and な-adjectives: 学生じゃない ('not a student'). Learn じゃないです, ではない, the past じゃなかった, and the tag-question 〜じゃない？
- か Particle — The particle か turns a statement into a question (〜ですか), means 'or' between nouns (AかB), and makes question words indefinite: だれか someone, なにか something, どこか somewhere.
- まで — まで marks an end point in time or space — 5時まで ('until 5'), 駅まで ('to the station'). Learn how it pairs with から for 'from…to,' and how まで differs from までに.
- 〜ます — 〜ます is the polite verb ending. Learn ます (non-past), ません (negative), ました (past), and ませんでした (past negative), how to build the stem, and when to be polite.