Japanese grammar
What does ～は～です mean? Japanese grammar N5
～は～です means A is B (polite statement).
| Level (estimated, JLPT framework) | N5 |
|---|---|
| Structure | N1 は N2 です |
| Romaji | ~ wa ~ desu |
| Meaning | A is B (polite statement) |
Forming it
| Noun | N + です |
|---|---|
| i-adjective | いAdj + です (keep い) |
| na-adjective | なAdj + です (drop な) |
How to use it
Introduce or state something about the topic being discussed.
- は (read as "wa", not "ha") marks the TOPIC of the sentence — what the whole sentence is about.
- です is the polite copula, placed at the end of the sentence. It has no meaning of its own, it just makes the sentence polite.
- Vietnamese speakers often think です = "is/to be", but actually "is" comes from the structure は…です, while です only adds a polite nuance. With an i-adjective, い already carries the meaning, and です just adds politeness.
Examples
わたしは学生です。
I am a student.
この本はおもしろいです。
This book is interesting.
田中さんは先生です。
Mr. Tanaka is a teacher.
Keep in mind
- In casual conversation, です is often omitted (だ or nothing at all).
- When the subject is already clear from context, it's often dropped entirely — Japanese frequently omits the subject.
Common mistakes
-
Wrongこの本はおもしろいだです。
This book is interesting.
Correctこの本はおもしろいです。
The i-adjective い already carries the meaning "is", so you don't add だ before です.
-
Wrongわたしわ学生です。
I am a student.
Correctわたしは学生です。
The topic particle is written with the character は (even though it's read "wa"), not わ.
Exam tips
- Exam questions often test distinguishing は (topic) from が (subject) — see the ～が pattern.