Introducing: A は B です
A は B です。
Topic + は + information + です: “A は B です” means “A is B”, politely, whoever the person is.
In short
は (pronounced “wa”) marks the topic of the sentence: what you're talking about. です ends the sentence politely, like “is” or “am”. There are no articles and no plurals: “わたしは がくせいです” means “I am a student”.
- わたしは がくせいです。watashi wa gakusei desuI'm a student.
- これは ほんです。kore wa hon desuIt's a book.
- やまださんは せんせいです。yamada-san wa sensei desuMr Yamada is a teacher.
The basics
The simplest Japanese sentence says that one thing is another: “I am a student”, “it's a book”. It's always built the same way: the topic, the particle は, what you say about it, then です.
は announces the topic: “as for me…”, “speaking of this…”. です closes the sentence politely, a bit like “is” or “am”. It's the form to use with anyone you don't know well.
- わたしは がくせいです。watashi wa gakusei desuI'm a student. (word for word: as for me / student / am)
- これは ほんです。kore wa hon desuIt's a book.
は is read “wa”
When は is used as a particle, it's pronounced “wa”, not “ha”. It's a trace of the old spelling: the sound changed, the writing stayed. In an ordinary word (はな, flower), は is read “ha” as usual.
- やまださんは せんせいです。yamada-san wa sensei desuMr Yamada is a teacher.
- はなです。hana desuIt's a flower. (here, は is part of the word: “ha”)
No articles, no plurals, no “I”
Japanese has no “a”, no “the” and no plural: ほん means “a book”, “the book” or “books” depending on the context. です doesn't change with the person either: “I am”, “you are”, “they are” are all です.
When the topic is obvious, you drop it. If someone asks what you do, “がくせいです” is enough: saying わたしは in every sentence sounds insistent.
- がくせいです。gakusei desu(I) am a student.
- ねこです。neko desuIt's a cat. / They're cats.
Introducing yourself
This is the structure for introductions. You start with はじめまして, give your name with です, and end with よろしくおねがいします. Never add さん after your own name: this polite suffix is only for other people.
- はじめまして。マリーです。hajimemashite. marī desuNice to meet you. I'm Marie.
- フランスじんです。よろしくおねがいします。furansujin desu. yoroshiku onegaishimasuI'm French. Pleased to meet you.
Common mistakes
- Writing わ instead of は: the particle is always written は, even though you hear “wa”.
- Putting さん after your own name: saying “マリーさんです” to introduce yourself is a politeness mistake.
- Looking for a word for “the” or “a”: there isn't one, ほん is enough.
5 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N5 point is on the Chiyoda Line (First words) of the Tokyo subway.