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japanese · Foundations · Lesson 3

What is it? - Introducing です and Yes/No

Form basic polite statements using です and respond with simple 'yes' or 'no' expressions.

You are at an art gallery with a friend, pointing at a painting and asking if it is a famous piece. You confirm its identity with a simple 'yes' or 'no'.

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はい hai

yes

Expression

A set phrase or greeting you use as a whole — like おはようございます (good morning) or すみません (excuse me).

はい、そうです。
Hai, sō desu. — Yes, that's right.
はい、分かりました。
Hai, wakarimashita. — Yes, I understood.
はい、お願いします。
Hai, onegai shimasu. — Yes, please.
いいえ iie

no

Expression

A set phrase or greeting you use as a whole — like おはようございます (good morning) or すみません (excuse me).

いいえ、違います。
Iie, chigaimasu. — No, that's wrong.
いいえ、大丈夫です。
Iie, daijōbu desu. — No, it's fine.
いいえ、結構です。
Iie, kekkō desu. — No, I'm alright.
ええ ee

yes (casual)

Expression

A set phrase or greeting you use as a whole — like おはようございます (good morning) or すみません (excuse me).

ええ、知っています。
Ee, shitte imasu. — Yeah, I know.
ええ、そうですね。
Ee, sō desu ne. — Yeah, that's right.
ええ、いいですよ。
Ee, ii desu yo. — Yeah, that's fine.
いえ ie

no (casual)

Expression

A set phrase or greeting you use as a whole — like おはようございます (good morning) or すみません (excuse me).

いえ、いえ。
Ie, ie. — No, no. (waving off a compliment)
いえ、大丈夫です。
Ie, daijōbu desu. — Nah, it's okay.
いえ、違います。
Ie, chigaimasu. — No, that's not it.
絵 (え) e

picture / painting

Noun

A word for a person, place, thing, or idea.

この絵はきれいです。
Kono e wa kirei desu. — This painting is beautiful.
絵を描くのが好きです。
E wo kaku no ga suki desu. — I like drawing pictures.
あの絵は有名です。
Ano e wa yūmei desu. — That painting is famous.
ちょっと chotto

a little / excuse me

Adverb

A word that describes how, when, or how much something happens — like とても (very) or いつも (always).

ちょっと待ってください。
Chotto matte kudasai. — Please wait a moment.
ちょっと難しいです。
Chotto muzukashii desu. — It's a little difficult.
ちょっといいですか。
Chotto ii desu ka. — Do you have a moment?

Grammar Preview

です

to be (polite)

です goes at the end of a sentence to say what something is. It works like 'is,' 'am,' or 'are' in English. Use it whenever you want to be polite — which is most of the time with anyone you don't know well.

Noun + です Describing word (like きれい) + です

学生 → 学生です
きれいな → きれいです

Examples

これ は 本 です。This is a book.
kore wa hon desu.
私 は 学生 です。I am a student.
watashi wa gakusei desu.
田中さん は 日本人 です。Mr./Ms. Tanaka is Japanese.
tanaka-san wa nihonjin desu.
この 公園 は きれい です。This park is beautiful.
kono kōen wa kirei desu.
それ は 私 の 車 です。That is my car.
sore wa watashi no kuruma desu.

Contrast

Formality Scale

だ
Casual
Used in informal speech among close friends, family, or when speaking to oneself.
です
Polite
Used in formal speech, with strangers, superiors, or in public/professional settings.
Culture:Always use です in formal settings, with strangers, superiors, or when you want to show politeness. If you're unsure which to use, です is always the safer choice.
Tip:When です comes after a describing word that ends in い (like 寒いです — 'it's cold'), it just makes the sentence polite. After naming words (like 学生 — 'student') and words like きれい ('beautiful'), です is what actually means 'is' — like saying 'This is a book' or 'She is kind.'
Caution:です doesn't change for 'not' or 'was' — you use different words instead. To say 'is not,' use じゃないです (e.g., 絵じゃないです — 'It's not a painting'). You might also hear じゃありません — same meaning, just a bit more formal. To say 'was,' use でした (e.g., 学生でした — 'I was a student').

Related

だto be (plain)かquestion markerじゃありませんis not (polite)でしたwas (polite past)