Japanese grammar
What does 丁寧語（です・ます・ございます） mean? Japanese grammar N4
丁寧語（です・ます・ございます） means polite language — speaking politely to the listener.
| Level (estimated, JLPT framework) | N4 |
|---|---|
| Structure | N + です V + ます N + でございます あります → ございます |
| Romaji | teineigo |
| Meaning | polite language — speaking politely to the listener |
Forming it
| Plain level | だ／V dictionary form (friends, diary) |
|---|---|
| Formal level | でございます／ございます (service industry, customers) |
| Polite level | です／ます (default with strangers) |
How to use it
Maintaining polite distance with the listener, regardless of who is being talked about.
- This is the third branch, and it is completely different from the other two: 尊敬語/謙譲語 care about the PERSON BEING TALKED ABOUT, while 丁寧語 only cares about the PERSON LISTENING.
- An interesting consequence: you can speak politely about a cat — 猫がいます. The cat doesn't need to be respectable, only the listener needs to deserve politeness. This is the branch learners have already been using since N5 without knowing its name.
- ございます is the most formal level: ～です → ～でございます, あります → ございます. You hear it often at hotels, shops, call centers, and train announcements.
- The three branches can overlap within a single sentence: 先生がお読みになりました contains both the respectful form (お読みになる) and the polite form (ました). That's normal, not double honorifics.
Examples
こちらが会議室でございます。
This is the meeting room.
青いかばんもございますが、いかがですか。
We also have a blue bag. How about that?
毎朝七時に朝ごはんを食べます。
I eat breakfast at seven every morning.
Keep in mind
- ございます is NOT respectful language — it doesn't raise anyone up, it's simply formal. That's why it can be used for both objects and yourself: こちらがカタログでございます.
- Using ございます with friends sounds like you're joking or being sarcastic.
Common mistakes
-
Wrong社長はあちらにございます。
The president is over there.
Correct社長はあちらにいらっしゃいます。
ございます is the formal form of ある (used for objects). For people, いる must be used → the respectful form is いらっしゃる.
-
Wrong母は先生でございますから、私も教師になりたいです。
Because my mother is a teacher, I also want to become a teacher.
Correct母は教師ですから、私も教師になりたいです。
When talking about your own mother to an outsider, don't use 先生 (a respectful term) and there's no need to make it formal — use 教師 + です.
Exam tips
- Remember the 3 branches with a question: "Raising whom up?" → respectful. "Lowering whom down?" → humble. "Not raising or lowering anyone, just being polite to the listener?" → polite language.