What Does Desu Mean And How Can You Use It?

What does desu mean and how can you use it?

Desu is the Japanese sentence ender used to make statements while also adding formality…

Keep in mind that desu is to be used when ending a statement with a noun, e.g. kore wa (inu) desu – this is a (dog), or boku wa (gaikokujin) desu – I am a (foreigner). Do not use desu in a sentence ending with a verb. There are other sentence enders you can learn more about later used in that case. For now, this Japanese study tip will help you:

• Understand the common forms of desu (positive, negative, present, or past tense)
• Learn simple phrases to practice using desu.
• Fill in the blanks below to clarify if you have mastered this subject before moving on.

See below to review all the common forms of the desu (です) sentence ender.

1. PRESENT TENSE, DESU (です)

2. PAST TENSE, DESHITA (でした)

3. ADDITIONAL FORMS OF DESU

Here are two common additions that you can use to add personality to your Japanese statements using desu.

Desu ne (ですね)

ne (ね), is used to ask for a casual confirmation. Such as to say “this is good, isn’t it?”, or “this is a good book, don’t you think so?” Unlike yo (よ), this does not come across as strong or rude. It is light, fun, and very commonly added when conversing with others.

Desu yo (ですよ)

yo (よ), is a strong way of declaring your statement to be true. When added, it makes the implication of “this is right”, or “don’t you know?” Be careful to use this only in a situation where who you are speaking with does NOT know what you are stating. As it may come across as arrogant otherwise.

FILL IN THE BLANKS PRACTICE

Do your best to fill in the blanks with the correct form of desu. Check your answers below.

PHRASE
FILL IN BLANK
DESU FORM

1. this was not coffee
what form of desu?
past, negative

2. this is coffee
what form of desu?
present, positive

3. was this coffee?
what form of desu?
past, positive, question

4. this was coffee
what form of desu?
past, positive

5. is this coffee?
what form of desu?
present, positive, question

6. was this not coffee?
what form of desu?
past, negative, question

7. this is not coffee
what form of desu?
present, negative

8. is this not coffee?
what form of desu?
present, negative, question

Answer Key:

1. ja nakatta desu (semi formal), or dewa arimasen deshita (formal)
2. desu
3. deshitaka
4. deshita
5. desuka
6. dewa arimasen deshitaka
7. ja nai desu (semi formal), or dewa arimasen (formal)
8. dewa arimasenka

JAPANESE VOCABULARY REVIEW

Desu Example
Desu Form

desu (です)
present, positive

desuka (ですか)
present, positive, question

ja nai desu (じゃないです)
present, negative *semi formal

dewa arimasen (ではありません)
present, negative *formal

dewa arimasenka (ではありませんか)
present, negative, question

deshita (でした)
past, positive

deshitaka (でしたか)
past, positive, question

ja nakatta desu (じゃなかったです)
past, negative *semi formal

dewa arimasen deshita (ではありませんでした)
past, negative *formal

dewa arimasen deshitaka (ではありませんでしたか)
past, negative, question