です
desupolite
Japanese has no separate word for "am". The closest forms are です (desu) in polite speech and だ (da) in plain speech, and both are written in hiragana.
Meaning: to be, as in "I am" (verb)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| です | desu | polite |
| だ | da | plain, casual |
The same word is used for "am", "is" and "are". The speaker is understood from context, so わたしは学生です (watashi wa gakusei desu) means "I am a student".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
です (desu) is the safe choice with strangers, teachers and coworkers. だ (da) is for close friends, family or when speaking to yourself.
How does it change in a sentence?
The negative of です (desu) is ではありません (dewa arimasen), and in casual speech じゃない (janai) is used.
Did you know?
- The word です (desu) is often pronounced almost without its final vowel, so it sounds like "dess".
Examples in context
- わたしは学生です。watashi wa gakusei desu.I am a student.
- ぼくは日本人だ。boku wa nihonjin da.I am Japanese.
Example conversation
Emma meets her new classmate Kenji on the first day of a Japanese class.
- Kenjiはじめまして。けんじです。hajimemashite. Kenji desu.Nice to meet you. I am Kenji.
- Emmaエマです。学生です。Emma desu. gakusei desu.I am Emma. I am a student.
- Kenjiぼくも学生だよ。boku mo gakusei da yo.I am a student too.
