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## What is 「です」?

**です (desu)** is one of the first and most important words in Japanese. It is a **polite sentence ending** that makes your sentence sound respectful and complete.

Think of **です** as helping you say **"am," "is," or "are"** in a polite way. However, **です does not directly translate to "is."** Instead, it politely finishes a sentence.

### Basic Pattern

**Noun + です**

Examples:

- わたしは学生です。 → I am a student. - これは本です。 → This is a book. - あの人は先生です。 → That person is a teacher.

### Where does です go?

**です always comes at the end of the sentence.**

✅ わたしは学生です。

❌ ですわたしは学生

### Why use です?

Without **です**, the sentence sounds casual or incomplete. Beginners should use **です** in most conversations with teachers, strangers, coworkers, or anyone they want to speak politely to.

### Things to Remember

- It is a polite sentence ending. - It usually means 'am', 'is', or 'are' depending on the sentence. - It always comes at the end. - It makes your Japanese sound polite and natural.

### Easy Memory Trick

Whenever you want to politely say:

- I am... - This is... - He is... - She is...

Your sentence will usually end with **です**.