です
Polite ending for basic noun statements
You’ll be able to introduce yourself and identify people politely with a basic noun sentence.
蓮は学生です。
ren wa gakusei desu.
What do you think this sentence means?
Ren is a student.
Finish a polite noun statement
Put です after a noun to finish a polite statement. Depending on the context, it often matches “is,” “am,” or “are” in English.
The full frame X は Y です means “As for X, X is Y.” For now, treat は as part of this useful frame. It is pronounced wa, and you will study it in the next lesson.
In natural speech, the final u in です is often very lightly pronounced or devoiced, so desu usually sounds closer to “dess.”
エマです。
ema desu.
I’m Emma.
Finish with です
Put です directly after the noun that identifies you or someone else. Japanese often leaves out the person when the context already makes them clear.
蓮です。
ren desu.
I’m Ren.
学生です。
gakusei desu.
I’m a student.
先生です。
sensei desu.
I’m a teacher.
エマです。
ema desu.
I'm Emma.
学生です。
gakusei desu.
I'm a student.
日本人です。
nihonjin desu.
I'm Japanese.
2 more examples in the grammar path — free for a limited time.