How to Say There Is in Japanese with Aru and Iru

ある (aru) and いる (iru) are the two little verbs that quietly run the whole “there is / there are” system in Japanese. Tiny words. Big job. Naturally, they also love to confuse learners just enough to be annoying.

The good news is that the rule is actually simple once it clicks: use ある for things and いる for living things. That’s the basic shape. Japanese does not enjoy making you guess forever. It only feels that way for the first ten minutes.

If you want a solid foundation for everyday Japanese, this is one of the first patterns worth mastering. It shows up in shopping, directions, home life, describing rooms, and basic conversation. For a bigger study path, the main learning hub is here: Japanese Learning Hub.

The Core Idea: ある And いる

In English, we say “There is a book” and “There are two cats.” In Japanese, the sentence usually ends with the verb that means “exist” or “be there.”

Here is the simple rule:

• ある (aru) = there is / there are for things, objects, plants, and many non-living things
• いる (iru) = there is / there are for people and animals

That’s the headline. The rest is just learning where Japanese likes to be specific and where it likes to be casually efficient, like a language with somewhere to be.

Useful Phrases And Real-Life Sentences

Here are the most useful ways to say “there is” and “there are” in real Japanese. Each example includes the Japanese, rōmaji, and English translation.

ある (aru) — there is / there are, for things

いる (iru) — there is / there are, for living things

本がある。
Hon ga aru.
There is a book.

猫がいる。
Neko ga iru.
There is a cat.

机の上に本がある。
Tetsudai no ue ni hon ga aru.
There is a book on the desk.

部屋にテレビがある。
Heya ni terebi ga aru.
There is a television in the room.

公園に子どもがいる。
Kōen ni kodomo ga iru.
There is a child in the park.

庭に犬がいる。
Niwa ni inu ga iru.
There is a dog in the yard.

時間がある。
Jikan ga aru.
I have time. / There is time.

お金がある。
Okane ga aru.
I have money. / There is money.

友達がいる。
Tomodachi ga iru.
I have a friend. / There is a friend.

質問がある。
Shitsumon ga aru.
I have a question. / There is a question.

誰かいる？
Dare ka iru?
Is anyone there?

ここにあります。
Koko ni arimasu.
It is here. / There is one here.

そこにいます。
Soko ni imasu.
He is there. / She is there. / They are there.

猫が二匹いる。
Neko ga nihiki iru.
There are two cats.

水がある。
Mizu ga aru.
There is water.

先生がいる。
Sensei ga iru.
The teacher is there.

鍵がある。
Kagi ga aru.
There is a key.

駅に人がいる。
Eki ni hito ga iru.
There are people at the station.

近くにコンビニがある。
Chikaku ni konbini ga aru.
There is a convenience store nearby.

あそこに山がある。
Asoko ni yama ga aru.
There is a mountain over there.

子犬がいる。
Koinu ga iru.
There is a puppy.

会議がある。
Kaigi ga aru.
There is a meeting.

How The Sentence Pattern Works

The basic pattern is very consistent:

• Noun + が + ある / いる
• Use ある for non-living things
• Use いる for people and animals

Examples:

本がある。
Hon ga aru.
There is a book.

犬がいる。
Inu ga iru.
There is a dog.

Japanese often drops the subject when it is obvious. So instead of forcing a full English-style sentence, the language keeps things compact. Nice. Efficient. Slightly smug.

When To Use あります And います

In polite speech, ある becomes あります and いる becomes います.

• あります (arimasu) = there is / there are for things, polite form
• います (imasu) = there is / there are for living things, polite form

Examples:

本があります。
Hon ga arimasu.
There is a book.

犬がいます。
Inu ga imasu.
There is a dog.

Polite form is useful in shops, public places, and any time you want to sound normal and respectful instead of like a dramatic movie villain.

Living Things Vs Non-Living Things

This is the part that learners usually meet first. Here is the simple split:

• People → いる / います
• Animals → いる / います
• Things → ある / あります

Examples:

学生がいる。
Gakusei ga iru.
There is a student.

車がある。
Kuruma ga aru.
There is a car.

鳥がいる。
Tori ga iru.
There is a bird.

時計がある。
Tokei ga aru.
There is a clock.

One extra note: Japanese can be a bit philosophical here, but for beginners, this rule is enough most of the time. If it breathes, use いる. If it doesn’t, use ある. Clean. Simple. Life continues.

Common Words That Go With ある And いる

These combinations show up all the time, so it helps to learn them as ready-made chunks.

How To Say “I Have…” In Japanese

This is where ある and いる get extra useful. Japanese often uses them to express possession indirectly.

For things you have:

お金がある。
Okane ga aru.
I have money.

時間がある。
Jikan ga aru.
I have time.

For people or animals you have:

子どもがいる。
Kodomo ga iru.
I have a child.

猫がいる。
Neko ga iru.
I have a cat.

So when English says “have,” Japanese often says “there is.” Sneaky, but practical.

Negative Forms: There Is Not

To say “there is not” or “there are not,” use the negative forms:

• ない (nai) = not exist, informal
• ありません (arimasen) = there is not, polite, for things
• いない (inai) = not exist, informal, for living things
• いません (imasen) = there is not, polite, for living things

Examples:

本がない。
Hon ga nai.
There is no book.

本がありません。
Hon ga arimasen.
There is no book.

猫がいない。
Neko ga inai.
There is no cat.

先生がいません。
Sensei ga imasen.
The teacher is not here.

Question Forms: Is There…?

To ask if something exists, just turn the sentence into a question.

本がありますか？
Hon ga arimasu ka?
Is there a book?

猫がいますか？
Neko ga imasu ka?
Is there a cat?

お金はありますか？
Okane wa arimasu ka?
Do you have money? / Is there money?

友達はいますか？
Tomodachi wa imasu ka?
Do you have a friend? / Is there a friend?

The question particle か (ka) is doing the polite heavy lifting here.

Important Nuances You Should Know

Japanese has a few small twists that are worth knowing early.

1. Location often comes before the verb.

部屋に本がある。
Heya ni hon ga aru.
There is a book in the room.

2. The particle が is very common with existence sentences.

犬がいる。
Inu ga iru.
There is a dog.

3. “Here/there” often uses ここ, そこ, or あそこ.

ここにあります。
Koko ni arimasu.
It is here.

そこにいます。
Soko ni imasu.
He is there. / She is there.

4. Some abstract nouns can use ある too.

理由がある。
Riyū ga aru.
There is a reason.

問題がある。
Mondai ga aru.
There is a problem.

That last one is especially useful. Japanese really does enjoy turning “there is” into “we have a situation.”

Quick Comparison: Aru Vs Iru

Practice: Choose Aru Or Iru

Try these before peeking at the answers. Tiny challenge, no drama.

• 1. ___ がある。 for a book
• 2. ___ がいる。 for a dog
• 3. ___ がある。 for a desk
• 4. ___ がいる。 for a child
• 5. ___ がある。 for money

Answers:

• 1. 本がある。
• 2. 犬がいる。
• 3. 机がある。
• 4. 子どもがいる。
• 5. お金がある。

Common Mistakes And Fixes

Here are the usual mix-ups, because of course Japanese refuses to let learners relax too soon.

Mistake 1: Using ある for a person

✗ 先生がある。
✓ 先生がいる。
Sensei ga iru.
The teacher is there.

Mistake 2: Using いる for a book

✗ 本がいる。
✓ 本がある。
Hon ga aru.
There is a book.

Mistake 3: Forgetting the polite forms in formal situations

✓ 本があります。
✓ 猫がいます。
Use these when you want to sound polite.

Mistake 4: Thinking “there is” always needs a direct English-style subject

Japanese often uses location + noun + ある/いる, and the subject may be implied. Let the sentence breathe. It knows what it is doing.

Quick Reference Summary

• ある = there is / there are for things
• いる = there is / there are for people and animals
• あります = polite form of ある
• います = polite form of いる
• Use が with existence sentences very often
• Negative: ない / ありません for things, いない / いません for living things
• Question: add か

For more practice, try a Japanese placement test or a Japanese vocabulary test. If you want related grammar next, these pages connect well: can in Japanese, want in Japanese, and reasons in Japanese.

Yak takeaway: If it’s a thing, start with ある. If it’s alive, start with いる. That one rule unlocks a huge amount of everyday Japanese—and saves you from sounding like you asked a chair to go for a walk.