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.

The negative form of る-Verbs are conjugated based on the same set of rules used for other forms of る-Verb conjugation (removal of る, followed by the addition of something else). In the case of negation, the additional component will be ない (casual), or ません (polite).

While the common translation of ない and ません is simply 'not', they actually have several possible nuances. These nuances are 'don't' (usually not), 'won't' (intentionally not), or 'can't' (unintentionally not).

Both ない and ません are auxiliary verbs (ません is a conjugation of ます), meaning that they have their own set of conjugation rules.

A semi-polite form may also be used. This is constructed by using ない, and then simply adding です. です is used to mark politeness here, and ないです sounds less formal and stiff than ません.

The negative form of う-Verbs are conjugated based on the same set of rules used for other forms of う-Verb conjugation (changing the last kana, followed by the addition of something else). In the case of negation, the additional component will be ない (casual), or ません (polite).

As can be seen here, the kana change differs depending on whether ない or ません is being used. If ない will be used, the last kana will always change from the kana ending with a う sound, to the kana ending with an あ sound within the same row. If ません will be used, the change will be from the う sound kana to the い sound kana. The only exception to this rule are verbs that end in the kana う. Instead of changing to あ (the あ sound kana in the same row), う will become わ, when used with ない.

While the common translation of ない and ません is simply 'not', they actually have several possible nuances. These nuances are 'don't' (usually not), 'won't' (intentionally not), or 'can't' (unintentionally not).

Both ない and ません are auxiliary verbs (ません is a conjugation of ます), meaning that they have their own set of conjugation rules.

A semi-polite form may also be used. This is constructed by using ない, and then simply adding です. です is used to mark politeness here, and ないです sounds less formal and stiff than ません.