(postposition,
Japanese)
The Japanese postposition (
like a preposition except after a word) "wa" is the topic marker, which identifies the topic (
duh) of the sentence. The literal meaning is "As for (noun)." Usually the topic and the subject are the same thing, but only if the topic has already been introduced; otherwise, you use the subject marker "
ga." Additionally, "wa" can be used to indicate contrast or emphasis of the subject. The way "wa" is being used depends on context and intonation.
Topic: Watashi wa koukousei desu. ("I am a high school student.")
Contrast: Biiru wa nomimasu ga, wain wa nomimasen. ("I drink
beer, but I don't drink wine.")
As an aside: Wa is not a verb; verbs are always at the end of a sentence in
Japanese. Wa is not the
Japanese copula, "desu" is; all wa does is tell you what the hell is being talked about. Don't be stupid and think of it any other way.