「は」 and 「です」: the most basic sentence
To say “A is B”, Japanese uses 「AはBです」. A is what you are talking about, the topic; B is what you say about it; 「です」 closes the sentence and makes it polite.
topic は noun です
Here 「は」 is read wa, not ha. The final u of 「です」 is barely voiced, so it sounds like des.
わたしは学生です。
I am a student.
田中さんは先生です。
Tanaka is a teacher.
キムさんは韓国人です。
Kim is Korean.
明日は休みです。
Tomorrow is a day off.
The topic need not be a person. Word for word: “tomorrow is a day off”.
When the context is clear, 「わたしは」 is usually left out. Asked what you do, 「学生です」 is enough; starting every sentence with 「わたしは」 sounds stiff.
Compare
English puts “is” between the two nouns; Japanese puts 「です」 at the end. 「わたしは学生です」 is, word for word, “as for me, student is”.
Compare
「です」 does not change with the person: I, you and he all take 「です」.
さん: for others, never yourself
「さん」 follows another person’s family or given name to show respect, for anyone of any age, much like Mr. or Ms. Because it is an honorific, it never goes after your own name.
鈴木さんは会社員です。
Suzuki is an office worker.
佐藤です。
I’m Sato.
For yourself, give just the name, without 「さん」.
Culture
Japanese names put the family name first, and people usually address each other by it: 「田中さん」, not 「太郎さん」. Foreign names are written in katakana and keep their own order. Teachers and doctors are addressed as 「先生」, with no 「さん」.
Negative: ではありません
To say “A is not B”, replace 「です」 with 「ではありません」. In speech 「では」 often shrinks to 「じゃ」: 「じゃありません」; with people you know, 「じゃないです」 is common too. All three mean the same; each is more casual than the one before.
| Form | Where it is used |
|---|---|
| 学生ではありません。 | Writing and formal settings; use it in essays and exams |
| 学生じゃありません。 | Everyday polite speech |
| 学生じゃないです。 | Everyday polite speech, more casual |
わたしは先生ではありません。学生です。
I’m not a teacher; I’m a student.
マイクさんはアメリカ人じゃありません。イギリス人です。
Mike isn’t American; he’s British.
明日は休みじゃないです。
Tomorrow isn’t a day off.
Tip
The 「は」 in 「ではありません」 is also read wa. Only the end of the sentence changes; everything before 「は」 stays.
Questions: add 「か」
To make a statement a question, add 「か」 at the end; the word order stays. In writing 「か」 is usually followed by 「。」, and in speech the voice rises at the end.
topic は noun ですか
Answer with 「はい」 (yes) or 「いいえ」 (no). A question about a noun sentence can be answered briefly, 「はい、そうです」 or 「いいえ、ちがいます」, or with the whole sentence again.
- A
すみません、田中さんですか。
Excuse me, are you Mr. Tanaka?
- B
いいえ、ちがいます。山田です。
No, I’m not. I’m Yamada.
- A
あ、すみません。
Oh, sorry.
Watch out
「そうです」 and 「ちがいます」 answer only noun sentences. When you reach verb sentences (「行きますか」), the answer repeats the verb instead of 「そうです」.
も: also
To say “A is also B”, replace 「は」 with 「も」. It replaces 「は」 rather than following it: 「わたしも学生です」, never 「わたしはも学生です」.
topic も noun です
リーさんは学生です。わたしも学生です。
Lee is a student, and so am I.
田中さんも先生ですか。
Is Tanaka a teacher too?
鈴木さんも佐藤さんも会社員です。
Suzuki and Sato are both office workers.
「AもBも」 means “both A and B”.
わたしも日本人じゃありません。
I’m not Japanese either.
Introducing yourself in three sentences
Meeting someone for the first time, a self-introduction is usually three sentences: a greeting, your name (perhaps with your nationality and occupation), and a request for their goodwill.
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| はじめまして。 | Nice to meet you. |
| 〇〇です。 | I’m ____. |
| よろしくおねがいします。 | I look forward to working with you. |
- マリア
はじめまして。マリア・シルバです。ブラジル人です。よろしくおねがいします。
Nice to meet you. I’m Maria Silva, from Brazil. I look forward to working with you.
- 佐藤
佐藤です。こちらこそ、よろしくおねがいします。
I’m Sato. Likewise, I look forward to working with you.
Culture
「よろしくおねがいします」 has no neat translation; roughly, “please be kind to me from now on”. It is said on meeting someone, when starting to work together and when asking a favour. If the other person says it first, answer 「こちらこそ」 (“likewise”). A slight bow usually goes with it.
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 中国人 | Chinese |
| 韓国人 | Korean |
| アメリカ人 | American |
| 日本人 | Japanese |
| 学生 | student |
| 会社員 | office worker |
| 医者 | doctor |
| 教師 | teacher (for your own job) |
Tip
A nationality is the country’s name plus 「人」. If you are a teacher, say 「教師です」: 「先生」 is a title of respect for others, so using it for yourself sounds like calling yourself “honoured teacher”.