ますPolite Verb Endings

In traditional Japanese teaching, ます is introduced as something placed on the verbs to create the 'polite form'. While this is true, taking a bit of a closer look at what ます is by itself will help us understand the concept more clearly.

ます is an auxiliary verb, which means it is a word that connects to other words in order to change the meaning. For ます, this change occurs on verbs, and creates the polite form. To use ます, attach it to the conjunctive form of the verb.

Because most students see ます so early in their learning, the 'conjunctive form' is often simply called the 'ます form', or the 'ます stem' in many resources, as it may be easier to remember what to do with the verb that way.

Basically, ます is to verbs what です is to nouns and adjectives. They are both auxiliary verbs, and together they form the basis of polite language in Japanese.

Caution

In general, です and ます will only appear at the end of sentences. However, this is not a strict rule, as they are both occasionally used before conjunction particles such as が 'but' in very polite language.

Fun Fact

It is thought that ます originally came from 参(まい)らす 'to humbly do'. Over time it changed to まらす, then まっす, and then finally ます. 参(まい)る itself is a humble verb meaning 'to come' that is still used very frequently in modern Japanese.

Fun Fact

You will often hear the imperative form of ます, ませ in various set expressions. We will cover this in a set lesson on ませ!