ございます・でございます: Extra-Polite 'To Be' (Service Japanese)
What it means
ございます and でございます are polished, formal upgrades of two everyday words. ございます replaces あります (the verb for existence and possession), and でございます replaces です (the copula, "to be"). The meaning does not change — only the politeness level goes up. You hear them constantly from clerks, hotel staff, and station announcements, where speakers show respect to a customer or audience.
お手洗いはあちらにございます。
おてあらいは あちらに ございます。
The restroom is over there.
ございます = a very polite あります (exists / is located).
こちらが会議室でございます。
こちらが かいぎしつ でございます。
This is the meeting room.
でございます = a very polite です.
本日はご来店ありがとうございます。
ほんじつは ごらいてん ありがとうございます。
Thank you for visiting our store today.
ありがとうございます is a fixed phrase built on ございます.
How to form it
There is nothing to conjugate from scratch — you simply swap in the courteous form:
| Everyday form | Courteous form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| あります (exists) | ございます | 受付は2階にございます (Reception is on the 2nd floor) |
| ありません (negative) | ございません | あいにく在庫がございません (Sorry, it's out of stock) |
| です (is) | でございます | こちらが新商品でございます (This is the new product) |
| ではありません | ではございません | 無料ではございません (It is not free) |
Note that でございます is literally で + ございます — the same で you already know from だ／です, plus ございます standing in for ある. The past tense exists too (ございました, でございました), most familiar from ありがとうございました.
ございます — polite existence
Use it wherever you would use あります: to say something exists, is located somewhere, or that a shop has an item in stock.
先生、メニューはこちらにございます。
せんせい、メニューは こちらに ございます。
Sensei, the menu is right here.
A waiter speaking to 先生 as a customer.
申し訳ございません、その色はただいまございません。
もうしわけ ございません、その いろは ただいま ございません。
I'm very sorry, that color is not available right now.
ございません = a polite ありません; 申し訳ございません is a set apology.
でございます — polite identification
Use it to identify or describe something to a customer: "this is X," "I am X." Staff often use it when introducing themselves or pointing things out.
ヤッタン様、お席はこちらでございます。
ヤッタンさま、おせきは こちらで ございます。
Mr. Yattan, your seat is right this way.
Restaurant staff seating ヤッタン as a guest.
ただいま受付の担当でございます。
ただいま うけつけの たんとう でございます。
I am the person in charge of reception at the moment.
A staff member identifying their role.
Register: when to use it
These are 丁寧語 — courteous language for service, business, and public settings. A clerk talking to ヤッタン or 先生 as customers uses them; friends chatting do not. For ordinary polite speech, the everyday tools are still です and 〜ます — perfectly polite and right for almost every situation. Save ございます／でございます for when you are serving someone or speaking formally to an audience.
ヤッタンの弟はお店の人に「トイレはどこですか」と聞いた。
ヤッタンの おとうとは おみせの ひとに「トイレは どこですか」と きいた。
Yattan's little brother asked the shop staff, 'Where is the toilet?'
As a customer, the brother uses plain ですか; the staff would reply with ございます.
〜うございます — courteous adjectives (set phrases)
A few い-adjectives have an old courteous form ending in 〜うございます. You already know the two most common ones:
- ありがとうございます — from ありがたい ("grateful") → ありがたく → ありがとう + ございます.
- おはようございます — from 早い ("early") → 早く → おはよう + ございます.
Treat these as fixed greetings. Older or very formal speech also has 大きゅうございます or 寒うございます, but this pattern is not productive at N4 — you will mostly meet it baked into these set phrases.
モチは店員さんに「ありがとうございます」とお辞儀した。
モチは てんいんさんに「ありがとうございます」と おじぎした。
Mochi bowed to the clerk and said 'Thank you very much.'
ありがとうございます is the everyday face of this 〜うございます pattern.
Common mistakes
- Using でございます about yourself in casual talk. It sounds stiff and servant-like among friends. With buddies, plain だ or です is right; save でございます for serving customers.
- Dropping the で before ございます. To say "this is X," you need で: 会議室でございます (✓), not 会議室ございます (✗). Bare ございます means "exists," not "is."
- Saying ありませんございます or mixing forms. The polite negatives are ございません and ではございません — don't stack あります and ございます together.
- Treating 〜うございます as a rule you can apply freely. 楽しゅうございます is grammatically real but archaic. At N4, stick to ありがとうございます and おはようございます.
Quick recap
- ございます = a very polite ある／あります (exists, is located, has): あちらにございます.
- でございます = a very polite です (is): こちらでございます — note the で.
- They are 丁寧語: for service, business, and announcements, not casual chat.
- Negatives: ございません, ではございません; past: ございました.
- 〜うございます survives mainly in ありがとうございます and おはようございます — set phrases, not a live N4 rule.
Your turn
Choose ございます or でございます for each service scene.
Start the 5-question drill →Take the full N4 ございます・でございます drill →
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between ございます and でございます?
ございます replaces ある／あります (existence or possession): トイレはあちらにございます. でございます replaces です (the copula 'is'): こちらが入口でございます. The で is the same で as in です.
Is ございます formal or casual?
It's 丁寧語 — courteous language used in service, business, and announcements. It's more polite than あります／です. Among friends it sounds overly stiff, so use plain です／ます there instead.
Why does ありがとうございます end in ございます?
It's the 〜うございます pattern: ありがたい → ありがたく → ありがとう, plus ございます. おはようございます works the same way (早い → 早く → おはよう). Just memorize them as set greetings.
Can I say でございます about myself?
Yes, when introducing yourself formally — e.g. staff saying 受付の田中でございます ('I'm Tanaka from reception'). In casual conversation it sounds like a butler, so use です instead.