{"id":107397,"date":"2023-05-22T17:12:02","date_gmt":"2023-05-22T21:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/desu-meaning\/"},"modified":"2025-01-15T00:28:38","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T05:28:38","slug":"desu-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/desu-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"What Desu Means, How to Use It and Audio Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u3067\u3059 (desu)<\/em> is often translated as “to be” in English.\u00a0However, \u3067\u3059 is so much more complex and nuanced than that.<\/p>\n

Read on for a full explanation of the politeness and grammar aspects of the Japanese \u3067\u3059.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

The 4 Forms of \u3067\u3059 You Need to Know<\/h2>\n

Simply put, \u3067\u3059 means “to be”<\/strong> and comes at the end of sentences, as all Japanese sentences<\/a> follow a subject-object-verb pattern. It’s pronounced as dess<\/em><\/a> rather than de<\/em>–soo<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here are the four most common forms of \u3067\u3059.<\/p>\n

\u3067\u3059 (desu):<\/em> The polite and most common form<\/h3>\n

In most cases, it’s best to use the polite form of \u3067\u3059\u2014which is, well, itself.<\/p>\n

Not only does it ensure that your sentences are grammatically correct, but also that they’re not offensive. It’s standard to use \u3067\u3059 with your superiors or people you might not know very well.<\/p>\n

\u3067\u3054\u3056\u3044\u307e\u3059 (degozaimasu):<\/em> The respectful form used in formal situations<\/h3>\n

If you’re familiar with \u656c\u8a9e\uff08\u3051\u3044\u3054\uff09\u2014 keigo <\/em>or polite speech<\/a>, you know that verbs can have very different levels of politeness.<\/p>\n

\u3067\u3054\u3056\u3044\u307e\u3059 is considered a very respectful form of \u3067\u3059 and has the same meaning and usage.<\/p>\n

You might find it written in email correspondence<\/a> or on website pages. You may also hear it spoken in meetings and presentations.<\/p>\n

\u3067\u3042\u308b (de aru):<\/em> The polite form used in public speech and literature<\/h3>\n

You’ll likely see \u3067\u3042\u308b as the form of \u3067\u3059 most often used in journalism and formal writing, so it’s good to know for reading the news in Japanese<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u3060 (da): <\/em>The casual form used in informal situations<\/h3>\n

Lastly, \u3060 indicates the lowest level of politeness. Thus, it can sound very straightforward.<\/p>\n

Take the following examples and their translations:<\/p>\n

\u4f55\u65b9\u69d8\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u304b\uff1f\uff08\u3069\u306a\u305f\u3055\u307e\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u304b\uff1f\uff09\u2014 May I ask who might you be?<\/p>\n

\u8ab0\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u304b\uff1f\uff08\u3060\u308c\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u304b\uff1f\uff09\u2014 Who is it?<\/p>\n

\u8ab0\u3060<\/strong>\uff1f\uff08\u3060\u308c\u3060<\/strong>\uff1f\uff09\u2014 Who dat?<\/p>\n

How to Use \u3067\u3059<\/h2>\n

As a linking verb or copula<\/h3>\n

\u3067\u3059 is used to connect subjects and predicates. For example:<\/p>\n

\u79c1\u306e\u540d\u524d\u306f\u30c8\u30e0\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u3002
\n(\u308f\u305f\u3057\u306e\u306a\u307e\u3048\u306f\u3068\u3080\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u3002)
\nMy name is Tom.<\/p>\n

\u4eca\u65e5\u306f\u91d1\u66dc\u65e5\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u3002
\n(\u304d\u3087\u3046\u306f\u304d\u3093\u3088\u3046\u3073\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u3002)
\nToday is Friday.<\/p>\n

As a connector for two independent sentences<\/h3>\n

Whereas \u3068 (and) is used for connecting nouns, \u3067\u3059 is used for connecting two complete sentences.<\/p>\n

Like the Japanese godan<\/em> verbs<\/a>, \u3067\u3059 has a -\u3066form (connecting form), which is \u3067, as in:<\/p>\n

\u8a66\u9a13\u306f\u4eca\u65e5\u3067<\/strong>\u3001\u7d50\u679c\u767a\u8868\u306f\u6765\u9031\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u3002
\n(\u3057\u3051\u3093\u306f\u304d\u3087\u3046\u3067<\/strong>\u3001\u3051\u3063\u304b\u306f\u3063\u3074\u3087\u3046\u306f\u3089\u3044\u3057\u3085\u3046\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u3002)
\nThe test is today and the presentations are next week.<\/p>\n

With adjectives and verbs<\/h3>\n

Using\u00a0\u3067\u3059 with adjectives<\/a> and verbs<\/a> doesn’t change the meaning or tense of these words.<\/p>\n

\u6771\u4eac\u306f\u4eba\u53e3\u304c\u591a\u3044\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u3002
\n(\u3068\u3046\u304d\u3087\u3046\u306f\u3058\u3093\u3053\u3046\u304c\u304a\u304a\u3044\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u3002)
\nTokyo is highly populated.<\/p>\n

In casual speech, \u3067\u3059 is usually omitted. Here’s the same sentence with and without \u3067\u3059:<\/p>\n

\u6628\u65e5\u306f\u5bd2\u304b\u3063\u305f\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u3002
\n(\u304d\u306e\u3046\u306f\u3055\u3080\u304b\u3063\u305f\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u3002)
\nIt was cold yesterday.<\/p>\n

\u6628\u65e5\u306f\u5bd2\u304b\u3063\u305f\u3002
\n(\u304d\u306e\u3046\u306f\u3055\u3080\u304b\u3063\u305f\u3002)
\nIt was cold yesterday.<\/p>\n

Remember, because Japanese adjectives can be conjugated<\/a>, \u3067\u3059 doesn’t function like the “to be” verb in English. So \u3067\u3057\u305f (the past tense of \u3067\u3059) would sound unnatural if used as follows:<\/p>\n

\u6628\u65e5\u306f\u5bd2\u304b\u3063\u305f\u3067\u3057\u305f<\/strong>\u3002
\n(\u304d\u306e\u3046\u306f\u3055\u3080\u304b\u3063\u305f\u3067\u3057\u305f<\/strong>\u3002)
\nIt was cold yesterday.<\/p>\n

To soften strong expressions<\/h3>\n

Another unique aspect of Japanese adjectives and verbs is that they can take on the \u301c\u305f\u3044 or the “I want to…” form<\/a>. For example:<\/p>\n

\u3044\u3061\u3054\u98df\u3079\u305f\u3044\uff01
\n(\u3044\u3061\u3054\u305f\u3079\u305f\u3044\uff01)
\nI want to eat strawberries!<\/p>\n

Expressing desire like this sounds very powerful. So you’ll typically want to soften the impact with \u3067\u3059 or even \u301c\u3068\u601d\u3044\u307e\u3059 (\u301c\u3068\u304a\u3082\u3044\u307e\u3059). \u301c\u3068\u601d\u3044\u307e\u3059 literally translates as “I think that…” but acts as a humble sentence ending to display politeness<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u30b3\u30fc\u30d2\u30fc\u3092\u98f2\u307f\u305f\u3044\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u3002
\n(\u3053\u30fc\u3072\u30fc\u3092\u306e\u307f\u305f\u3044\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u3002)
\nI want to drink some coffee.<\/p>\n

\u30b3\u30fc\u30d2\u30fc\u3092\u98f2\u307f\u305f\u3044\u3068\u601d\u3044\u307e\u3059<\/strong>\u3002
\n(\u3053\u30fc\u3072\u30fc\u3092\u306e\u307f\u305f\u3044\u3068\u304a\u3082\u3044\u307e\u3059<\/strong>\u3002)
\n<\/strong>I would like to drink some coffee.<\/p>\n

As \u301c\u306e\u3067\u3059 (~no desu)<\/em><\/h3>\n

The \u306e particle goes at the end of a sentence to explain something to the speaker. Here, \u3067\u3059 is optional and its form depends on the style of speech, but its presence (or absence) doesn’t change the meaning.<\/p>\n

\u30b3\u30fc\u30d2\u30fc\u3092\u98f2\u307f\u305f\u3044\u306e\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u3002
\n(\u3053\u30fc\u3072\u30fc\u3092\u306e\u307f\u305f\u3044\u306e\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u3002)
\nI want to drink some coffee.<\/p>\n

How to Conjugate \u3067\u3059<\/h2>\n

\u3067\u3059 can be used in different tenses.<\/p>\n

The past tense of \u3067\u3059 is \u3067\u3057\u305f<\/strong>, with the casual form being \u3060\u3063\u305f<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u6628\u65e5\u306f\u79c1\u306e\u8a95\u751f\u65e5\u3067\u3057\u305f<\/strong>\u3002
\n(\u304d\u306e\u3046\u306f\u308f\u305f\u3057\u306e\u305f\u3093\u3058\u3087\u3046\u3073\u3067\u3057\u305f<\/strong>\u3002)
\nYesterday was my birthday.<\/p>\n

You can link different statements together, but they don’t have to be in the same tense:<\/p>\n

\u6628\u65e5\u306f\u79c1\u306e\u8a95\u751f\u65e5\u3067\u3057\u305f<\/strong>\u304c\u3001\u4eca\u65e5\u306f\u59b9\u306e\u8a95\u751f\u65e5\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u3002
\n(\u304d\u306e\u3046\u306f\u308f\u305f\u3057\u306e\u305f\u3093\u3058\u3087\u3046\u3073\u3067\u3057\u305f<\/strong>\u304c\u3001\u304d\u3087\u3046\u306f\u3044\u3082\u3046\u3068\u306e\u305f\u3093\u3058\u3087\u3046\u3073\u3067\u3059<\/strong>\u3002)
\nYesterday was my birthday but today is my little sister’s birthday.<\/p>\n

There’s also the presumptive form, which (as the name suggests) is used for uncertainty and presumptions. The polite form is \u3067\u3057\u3087\u3046<\/strong>, while the informal form is \u3060\u308d\u3046<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u4eca\u5e74\u306e\u52dd\u8005\u306f\u3042\u306e\u3072\u3068\u3067\u3057\u3087\u3046<\/strong>\uff1f
\n(\u3053\u3068\u3057\u306e\u3057\u3087\u3046\u3057\u3083\u306f\u3042\u306e\u3072\u3068\u3067\u3057\u3087\u3046<\/strong>\uff1f)
\nIsn’t she the winner this year?<\/p>\n

\u3053\u308c\u3067\u3088\u308d\u3057\u3044\u3067\u3057\u3087\u3046<\/strong>\u304b\uff1f
\nIs this fine?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Remember to keep an eye out for all uses of desu<\/em>, both in written and spoken forms. FluentU<\/a> is one program that can help you see how it pops up naturally in conversation.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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