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が

が marks the subject: who or what does it

The heart of the core sentence — and why it's there even when you can't see it.
要点The idea
が marks the subject of the core sentence: the person or thing that does the verb or is the adjective.
Cure Dolly's key point: every Japanese sentence has a が-subject, even when nobody says it. If it's obvious from context, it stays invisible: the zero が.
雨(あめ)あめ が 降(ふ)ふって いる。ame ga futte iru.It's raining.Literally: rain is falling. The subject is the rain.
電車(でんしゃ)でんしゃ が 来(き)きた。densha ga kita.The train's here.Literally: the train came.
おなか が すいた。onaka ga suita.I'm hungry.Literally: (my) stomach has become empty. The subject is your stomach, not you.
頭(あたま)あたま が 痛(いた)いたい。atama ga itai.I have a headache.Literally: head is painful.

The zero が

A私(わたし)わたし が 食(た)たべる。watashi ga taberu.I'll eat (it).Me, not someone else.
B食(た)たべる。taberu.I'll eat (it).Zero が: the subject is understood.
Saying a subject that context already supplies, like 私(わたし)わたし, puts a spotlight on it. Most of the time Japanese leaves such a subject invisible and lets context fill it in.
  1. A
    どう した の？dou shita no?What's wrong?
  2. B
    頭(あたま)あたま が 痛(いた)いたい ん だ。atama ga itai n da.I've got a headache.
  3. A
    大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)だいじょうぶ？ 薬(くすり)くすり が ある よ。daijoubu? kusuri ga aru yo.Are you OK? I've got some medicine.
  4. B
    ありがとう。arigatou.Thanks.
が marks what hurts (頭(あたま)あたまが) and what there is (薬(くすり)くすりが). The speakers themselves are never named: zero が.

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