Structure
Noun + です
Adjective + です
Details
Part of Speech
Auxiliary Verb
Word Type
Dependent Word
Register
Polite
About です
Similarly to だ, です is an auxiliary verb that is an expression of determination or assertion. It states that something 'is' a certain way. です is considered to be the polite variation of だ. Keep in mind though that although their roles are similar, both だ and です are standalone structures.
です connects to words in exactly the same way as だ, but is also regularly seen attached to the end of い-Adjectives.
Caution
Although です is regularly attached to the end of い-Adjectives, some may actually consider this incorrect Japanese, and it should not be used in formal writing. In daily spoken language/texting, however, it is completely normal.
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暑いです。It is hot.
The above example technically should not be used in formal writing. Despite this, in recent years, it is starting to become the norm.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Examples
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あなたです。
It is you.
ペンです。
It is a pen.
さくらです。
(I) am Sakura.
友達です。
(He/she) is a friend.
暑いです。
It is hot.
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How to use です
80/20 Japanese
は and です
Japanese Ammo
Offline
Genki I 2nd Edition
Page 42
みんなの日本語 I
Page 14 [CH 1]
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 88
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です – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (6 in total)
nekoyama
I just read it as half-baked I think, just throwing around a few random quotes from dictionaries.
I agree on bunpro’s wording being a bit too strict, in particular the claim that it doesn’t appear in literature is just incorrect. And people use it in other writing too, in particular informal channels that are close to spoken language anyway like Twitter.
coffee126
Pretty late jumping in here, but if い-adjective plus です is considered incorrect, what is considered correct?
Fuga
Hey @coffee126 !
To make い-adjectives polite, people used ございます. For example, 楽しいです was 楽しゅうございます, and 美味しいです was 美味しゅうございます. However, because people thought this was too long and exaggerated for daily conversation, people started to use い-adjectives + です instead. Due to this, in 1952 the Japanese Language Council stated that い-adjective + です is acceptable. However, because this is a recent change, some people still consider it incorrect and think that it sounds unnatural.
I hope this answers your question!
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