Grammar Info
N5 Lesson 1: 1/12

To be, Is

だ cannot be used with い-Adjectives

Structure
Noun +
[な]Adjective +
Details
Part of Speech Auxiliary Verb
Word Type Dependent Word
Register Standard
品詞 助動詞
単語の種類 付属語
使用域 一般
Information
is an auxiliary verb in Japanese that acts as an expression of determination, or strong assertion. It simply states that something ‘is’ a certain way. It is a casual equivalent of です (another auxiliary verb).
should always be attached to the end of nouns, or words that can behave like nouns, such as な-Adjectives.
  • アイスクリーム。(Noun + )
    It is an ice cream.
  • お寺(てら)。(Noun + )
    It is a temple.
  • 危険(きけん)。(な-Adj + )
    It is dangerous.
  • 大切(たいせつ)。(な-Adj + )
    It is important.
Caution
should never be attached to the end of い-Adjectives. In these cases, it is considered more correct to attach a polite equivalent, like です.
  • 大(おお)きい
    It is big. (Unnatural in Japanese)
  • 大(おお)きいです
    It is big. (Natural in Japanese)
Caution
While is often thought of as the casual ‘form’ of です, that is actually not correct. です is a 丁寧語(ていねいご) word (polite speech word). The official ‘formal version’ of is である. We will learn this grammar point a bit later. である can often be seen in articles, and formal writing, while です is more common in polite speech.
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私(わたし)
It is me.
casual
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本(ほん)
It is a book.
[casual]
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猫(ねこ)
(It) is a cat.
[casual]
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Books
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 29
みんなの日本語 I
Page 14 [CH 1]
みんなの日本語 I
Page 128 [CH 20]