てある describes a situation that someone set up on purpose, and that is still in place: ドアが開けてあります (The door has been opened, and it’s still open). You use it with transitive verbs, the kind that take an object, and the person who did it usually isn’t mentioned.
てある = somebody did this deliberately, and you can see the result right now.
What does てある mean?
When you walk into a room and see that the window is open, the table is set, and a note is stuck on the fridge, てある is how you describe what you see:
- 窓が開けてあります。 — The window has been opened (someone opened it).
- 紙に名前が書いてあります。 — A name is written on the paper.
English translates てある with “has been done,” “is (done),” or simply “there is”: 壁に地図が貼ってあります, “There’s a map (put up) on the wall.”
Two ideas are always packed in: an action happened earlier, and its result is still there now. Very often a third idea comes along: the action was done for a reason, usually as preparation.
How to form てある
- 書く → 書いて → 書いてある
- 開ける → 開けて → 開けてある
- 置く → 置いて → 置いてある
- 予約する → 予約して → 予約してある
Polite: 〜てあります. Negative: 〜てありません (名前が書いてありません, “No name is written”).
The particle changes. With a normal transitive verb the object takes を: 窓を開けました. With てある, the thing you are describing usually takes が (or は): 窓が開けてあります. The sentence is now about the window’s state, not about the person who acted.
Only transitive verbs. Intransitive verbs like 開く (to open by itself), 閉まる, or つく (to come on) cannot take てある. They describe states with ている instead.
When is てある used?
- Describing what’s written or displayed. Signs, notes, labels: ここに何と書いてありますか (What does it say here?). This is the use you’ll meet most.
- Describing how a place is arranged. 机の上に花が飾ってあります (Flowers have been put out on the table).
- Reporting preparations. ホテルはもう予約してあります (The hotel’s already booked). Here you can also hear を: ホテルを予約してあります.
- Explaining why something is the way it is. 窓が開けてあります. The speaker implies it’s intentional, maybe to air out the room.
Register: neutral. It’s common in speech, in instructions, and in descriptions in reading passages.
てある example sentences
In every sentence, nobody is named. What matters is the state you can see and the fact that someone made it that way.
Nuance of てある
てある points to a hidden person with a purpose. 電気がつけてあります means “Someone has turned the lights on,” and it often suggests they did it for a reason: they’re coming back, or they’re preparing for guests. Compare that with 電気がついています, “The lights are on,” which just reports the state.
This is why てある pairs naturally with もう (already): the preparation is done. ビールはもう冷やしてあります says “I’ve taken care of it.”
てある vs ている
Both can describe a state that exists now, which is why they get mixed up. The difference is the verb type and whether someone is implied.
A third option is transitive + ている with を: 窓を開けています, “Someone is opening the window (right now).” That is an action in progress, not a result. See ている for its full range.
Common mistakes with てある
開く is intransitive, so it can't take てある. Use the transitive 開ける with てある, or keep 開く and switch to ている.
てある describes a finished result. For an action happening right now, use を + ている.
てある hides the person who acted. If you want to say who did it, use a normal past-tense sentence.
Is てある on the JLPT?
This site lists てある as JLPT N5. Many textbooks teach it at the N5/N4 boundary, so you'll see it in N5 reading as 〜と書いてあります and more actively at N4.
- Read 書いてあります as "it says / it's written"
- Pick the transitive verb (開ける, not 開く) before てある
- Choose が + てある vs を + ている correctly
Reading questions about notices often ask what the sign says: the answer is in the 〜と書いてあります sentence.
Practice questions for てある
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かばんに名前が書いてあります。 — My name is written on the bag.
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部屋はもう掃除してあります。 — The room has already been cleaned.
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電気がつけてあります。 — The lights have been turned on. (Or: 電気がついています。 — The lights are on.)
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看板に何と書いてありますか。 — What does the sign say?
Learning path for てある
Related grammar to review next
- ている — the state form for intransitive verbs; the main contrast with てある.
- 他動詞・自動詞 — the verb pairs that decide whether you can use てある.
- ておく — the “prepare in advance” action whose result you describe with てある.
- もう — often added to てある to say the preparation is already done.
Learn てある with Hane
Hane trains てある with the verb pairs that trip learners up, like 開ける/開く, so you pick the right one with the right particle. Practice with Hane.
FAQ about てある
What does てある (te aru) mean in Japanese?
てある (te aru) means “has been done; resulting state”. It is JLPT N5 grammar. When you walk into a room and see that the window is open, the table is set, and a note is stuck on the fridge, てある is how you describe what you see:
How do you form てある (te aru)?
transitive verb て-form + ある - 書く → 書いて → 書いてある - 開ける → 開けて → 開けてある - 置く → 置いて → 置いてある - 予約する → 予約して → 予約してある Polite: 〜てあります. Negative: 〜てありません (名前が書いてありません, "No name is written"). The particle changes. With a normal transitive verb the object takes を: 窓を開けました.
What is the difference between てある and ている?
transitive + てある: someone did it on purpose. intransitive + ている: it just is that way.
What is an example sentence with てある (te aru)?
ドアが開けてあります。 — The door has been left open.