です: The Polite Copula — How to Say 'Is/Are' in Japanese
The one polite word for "is / am / are"
です is the copula — the little word that links a subject to what it is. After a noun or a な-adjective, です turns it into a complete, polite sentence meaning "is," "am," or "are." It carries no real meaning of its own; its job is to be polite and to mark the end of the statement. Japanese has no separate words for "is/am/are," so this one word covers all of them at once.
ヤッタンは学生です。
ヤッタンは がくせいです。
Yattan is a student.
モチは元気です。
モチは げんきです。
Mochi is healthy / lively.
元気 is a な-adjective, so it links with です just like a noun.
先生は親切です。
せんせいは しんせつです。
The teacher is kind.
親切 (kind) is another な-adjective.
What you can hang it on
です attaches straight onto a noun or な-adjective. It also rides on the plain form of an い-adjective to add politeness — and here's the key difference: with a noun or な-adjective です is the "to be," but an い-adjective already means "is ___" on its own (高い = "is expensive"), so です adds politeness only, never a second copula.
| What comes before | Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noun | noun + です | 学生です | is a student |
| な-adjective | な-adj + です | 元気です | is healthy |
| い-adjective | い-adj + です | 高いです | is expensive |
| Negative | じゃありません / ではありません | 学生じゃありません | is not a student |
| Past | でした | 学生でした | was a student |
| Past negative | じゃありませんでした | 学生じゃありませんでした | was not a student |
この車は高いです。
この くるまは たかいです。
This car is expensive.
今日は寒かったです。
きょうは さむかったです。
Today was cold.
Past い-adjective + です: 寒かった + です.
The plain (casual) version of です is だ — you'll meet it in casual speech and writing, but です is the safe, polite default for N5.
Turning it negative
To say something is not the case, swap です for じゃありません or the slightly more formal ではありません. In everyday speech じゃないです is also common (it's the polite version of じゃない).
ヤッタンは先生じゃありません。
ヤッタンは せんせいじゃ ありません。
Yattan is not a teacher.
この問題は簡単ではありません。
この もんだいは かんたんでは ありません。
This problem is not easy.
ではありません is a touch more formal than じゃありません.
モチは元気じゃないです。
モチは げんきじゃ ないです。
Mochi isn't feeling well.
じゃないです is the casual-but-polite negative.
Shifting into the past
For "was" or "were," です becomes でした, and the past negative is じゃありませんでした (or ではありませんでした). This is where nouns and い-adjectives part ways: a noun leans on でした for its tense, but an い-adjective changes its own shape (高い → 高かった) and leaves です untouched — 高かったです, not 高いでした.
昨日は休みでした。
きのうは やすみでした。
Yesterday was a day off.
ヤッタンの弟は学生じゃありませんでした。
ヤッタンの おとうとは がくせいじゃ ありませんでした。
Yattan's little brother was not a student.
Four traps to sidestep
- Adding だ to an い-adjective. い-adjectives never take だ — it's 高い (✓), never ×高いだ. For politeness use 高いです instead.
- Putting です in the past for い-adjectives. Say 高かったです (✓), not ×高いでした. The adjective itself carries the past tense; です stays put.
- Double-marking "to be." Don't stack です onto something that already includes a copula — choose one. It's 元気です (✓), not a doubled form.
- Forgetting the past negative ending. "Was not" is じゃありませんでした — the でした part still has to be there: 学生じゃありませんでした (✓).
Keep in your pocket
- です = polite "is / am / are"; goes after a noun or な-adjective.
- After an い-adjective it adds politeness only: 高いです.
- Negative: じゃありません / ではありません (casual-polite: じゃないです).
- Past: でした; past negative: じゃありませんでした.
- Plain casual form is だ — but だ never follows an い-adjective.
Put it into practice
Choose the correct form of です (negative, past, or with an adjective).
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
Choose the grammar pattern that best completes the sentence.
そちらはセントラル自動車学校ではないん＿＿＿か。
Frequently asked questions
What does です actually mean?
It's the polite copula — it means 'is,' 'am,' or 'are.' Put it after a noun or な-adjective to make a polite statement: 学生です ('is a student'). It has no meaning of its own beyond linking and being polite.
How do I make です negative?
Replace です with じゃありません or the more formal ではありません: 先生じゃありません ('is not a teacher'). In casual-polite speech, じゃないです is also common.
Can I use です with い-adjectives?
Yes, for politeness: 高いです. The い-adjective already means 'is expensive' by itself, so です just adds the polite tone — it does not mean 'to be' twice.
What's the difference between です and だ?
They mean the same thing, but です is polite and だ is plain/casual. Use です in most situations as an N5 learner. Note that だ never attaches to an い-adjective.
Where です fits
Don't confuse it with
- Conditional 〜と · N4 — The と conditional links A to an inevitable result B: 春になると、桜が咲く. Learn the plain-form formation, why B can't be a request, and how it differs from ば/たら/なら.
- で · N5 — The particle で marks where an action happens, the means or tool you use, the material, the cause, and the scope of a superlative. Learn each use and how で differs from に.
- が · N5 — が marks the grammatical subject and introduces new information. Learn how to use が with question words, existence (ある/いる), ability, and likes such as 好き — plus how が differs from は.
- か Particle · N5 — The particle か turns a statement into a question (〜ですか), means 'or' between nouns (AかB), and makes question words indefinite: だれか someone, なにか something, どこか somewhere.
Once this clicks, go on to
- 〜でしょう / 〜だろう · N5 — でしょう means 'probably' and, with a rising tone, 'right?'. Learn how it attaches to verbs, adjectives, and nouns, its casual form だろう, and why forecasts love it.
More N5 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- どんな — どんな means 'what kind of ~' and always sits before a noun: どんな音楽が好きですか. Learn the こ・そ・あ・ど set, どんな vs どう, and どんな〜でも ('any ~ at all').
- ある vs いる — Japanese has two existence verbs: いる for living things (people, animals) and ある for objects, plants, and events. Learn が, に, the negatives, and the classic mistakes.
- ごろ vs くらい — ごろ marks an approximate POINT in time (3時ごろ = around 3 o'clock), while くらい/ぐらい marks an approximate amount or duration (3時間くらい = about 3 hours).
- 〜ほうがいい — 〜ほうがいい gives advice: use the past (た) form for 'you should do X' (休んだほうがいい) and the ない-form for 'you'd better not' (行かないほうがいい). Learn the forms and nuance.
- じゃない — じゃない is the casual negative of nouns and な-adjectives: 学生じゃない ('not a student'). Learn じゃないです, ではない, the past じゃなかった, and the tag-question 〜じゃない？