This is the most fundamental sentence structure in Japanese. 'は' marks the topic (X) of the sentence, and 'です' acts like 'is/am/are' to connect it to the description (Y). It is the polite, neutral way to make statements about people, things, and attributes.
Structure
[Topic] は [Description] です
In informal speech, です is often replaced by だ (for nouns/na-adj) or simply omitted (i-adjectives). But for beginners, polite form with です is safest and most respectful.
Key Rules
- The particle は is written with the character 'ha' but pronounced 'wa'.
- です is placed at the end of the sentence to make it polite.
- The topic (X は) is often dropped in natural conversation if it is obvious.
- You can use this pattern with nouns, adjectives, and even longer phrases.
- When the topic is clear from context, Japanese frequently omits the topic completely (e.g. just '学生です' – I am a student).
Sentence structures
4 examplesBananas are sweet.
甘い is an い-adjective – it attaches directly to です without any change.
I am a student.
Remember: Japanese sentences often omit pronouns if the topic is obvious. You can just say '学生です'.
That building is a hospital.
Today is the 15th.
Numbers + 日 make dates. The pronunciation of 日 changes depending on the day.
Common Mistakes
- Using わ instead of は for the topic particleAlways write は (ha), even though it sounds like 'wa'.
The hiragana わ is only used as a phonetic character, never as the topic marker.
- Placing です before the topicJapanese word order is Topic + は + Description + です.
The verb (です) always comes at the end of a sentence.
Pro Tips
- Think of は as 'as for X...' – it introduces what you want to talk about.
- If you're unsure whether to drop the topic, include it. It's always safe and polite.
Related grammar
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ka · N5