ある (existence of inanimate things)

Japanese Grammar Basic Japanese ★★★★★ 5/5 neutral あるaru
読み ある
ローマ字 aru
形 Place + に + Thing + が + ある/あります

意味

Indicates that an inanimate object exists or is located somewhere. It is the counterpart of いる, which is used for animate beings. ある is one of the most fundamental verbs in Japanese and is essential for describing the presence or location of things.

ある is used exclusively for inanimate objects such as books, buildings, events, and abstract concepts. The typical sentence pattern places the location first with に, followed by the thing that exists with が: 机の上に本がある (There is a book on the desk). Learners often confuse ある with いる; the key distinction is animacy — plants, objects, and abstract ideas use ある, while people and animals use いる. Note that ある is an irregular verb: its negative form is ない rather than the expected あらない. In polite speech, あります is standard.

例文

  1. 公園の近くにコンビニがある。
  2. 冷蔵庫の中に牛乳があります。
  3. 来週の月曜日に会議がある。

使い方ガイド

場面: spoken, written, everyday

トーン: descriptive

正しい言い方

  • 駅の前にバス停があります。
  • 明日テストがある。
  • 引き出しの中にはさみがある。
  • 今日は午後から用事がある。

避ける言い方

  • 庭に猫がある。(Using ある for an animate being — cats require いる) → 庭に猫がいる。
  • 部屋に机がいる。(Using いる for an inanimate object — desks require ある) → 部屋に机がある。
  • 冷蔵庫に卵がないある。(Doubling the negative and positive forms — use either ない or ある) → 冷蔵庫に卵がない。

起源と歴史

ある traces back to Old Japanese as the fundamental existential verb for non-animate entities. It has remained largely unchanged in meaning since the Nara period.

文化的背景

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

関連フレーズ

いる (existence of animate things) Indicates that an animate being — a person, animal, or other living creature — exists or is located somewhere. It is the animate counterpart of ある and is one of the first verbs learners must master for describing who or what is present. いる (progressive / ongoing state) Used after the て-form of a verb to indicate that an action is currently in progress or that a state resulting from a past action continues. This is the most common way to express the English present progressive ('is doing') in Japanese. する (causing a state or action) The verb する is used to indicate that someone or something causes a state or action to take place. It is the most basic and widely used verb in Japanese, functioning as 'to do' and forming the basis of hundreds of compound verbs with nouns. 分かる・わかる (understand) Expresses that something becomes clear, understandable, or known to someone spontaneously. The thing understood is marked with が, and the person who understands is marked with に or は. It describes a natural, involuntary process of comprehension. 好きだ・すきだ (like) A na-adjective that expresses liking or fondness for something or someone. The liked object is marked with が, and the person who likes is marked with は. It functions as an adjective describing a state of preference, not a verb. 知る・しる (come to know) Describes acquiring information or knowledge from an external source. The basic form 知る indicates the moment of learning something new, while the te-form 知っている expresses the resulting state of knowing. ある (resultant state) Used after the て-form of a transitive verb to indicate that something has been done and the resulting state remains. This pattern emphasises the current condition that resulted from a completed action, rather than the action itself. する (cost or duration) する is used to express how much something costs or how long something takes. The amount or duration is typically marked with が, and する indicates the price or time required. This is an idiomatic use distinct from the action-performing する.
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