です
desupolite
The word "is" in hiragana is です (desu) in polite speech and だ (da) in plain speech. To say something exists, use あります (arimasu) for things and います (imasu) for people and animals.
Meaning: to be (verb)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| です | desu | polite |
| だ | da | plain |
| あります | arimasu | things exist |
| います | imasu | living beings exist |
Which one should you use?
あります and います say that something is somewhere. Things like books and tables take あります, while living things like cats and people take います.
How does it change in a sentence?
です links a topic to a noun or adjective, as in これはほんです (kore wa hon desu), "this is a book". Japanese has no single word for "is" that covers every use.
How do you pronounce it?
The final す of です is often devoiced, so it sounds like "des".
Did you know?
- The plain form だ is rarely used in polite speech, so a sentence ending in だ sounds blunt to a stranger.
Examples in context
- これはほんです。Kore wa hon desu.This is a book.
- つくえのうえにほんがあります。Tsukue no ue ni hon ga arimasu.There is a book on the desk.
- ここにねこがいます。Koko ni neko ga imasu.There is a cat here.
Example conversation
A Teacher shows a picture to a student named Yuto.
- Teacherこれはなんですか。Kore wa nan desu ka.What is this.
- Yutoそれはねこです。Sore wa neko desu.That is a cat.
- Teacherそうです、ねこがいますね。Sō desu, neko ga imasu ne.Right, there is a cat.
