いる vs ある – What is the difference between these Verbs for being?
There are two Japanese verbs that mean to exist or be somewhere. They are いるand ある. They mean basically the same thing, but let’s take a look
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いる vs ある
いる and ある are verbs meaning to exist or be. However, ある comes after inanimate objects or things, and いる after animate or living things. There is however minor situations that いる maybe said for inanimate objects.
The same goes for saying ある sometimes when talking about animate things.
Let’s take an even closer look at how to use these verbs.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/What does ある and いる mean?
If you translate these verbs to English you have a variety of different words relating to existence to choose from. ある and いる can mean:
- there is
- to have
- to be somewhere
There is…
ある and いる can mean there is. For example, there is cake, there is a car or basically meaning something exists somewhere.
テーブルの上にリンゴがある
There is an apple on the table
テーブルの上に猫がいる
There is a cat on the tableYou can also say ある for abstract things that don’t take up space.
この車には問題がある
There is a problem with this car
For the last example, we could also say that the car has a problem which basically means the same thing. This takes us to our next translation.
To have…
ある and いる also sometimes translate to have.
ケビンは車がある
Kevin has a car
彼には子供が三人いる
He has three children
In Japanese, there can be situations where the context is needed to understand if you want to say there is, or to have.
リンゴがある
There is an apple
I have an appleThis could mean either one. I could be talking about an apple I have with me, or I could be pointing to an apple on the table. It depends on the context.
To be Somewhere…
You can talk about things or people being in certain places with ある and いる also.
富士山は日本にある
mt. Fuji is in Japan
お母さんはハワイにいる
my mom is in Hawaii
