The Japanese language is an interesting and complex trick of hieroglyphs, strange rules, obscure dialects and inappropriate prefixes. But as soon as one begins to analyze its fundamentals, it becomes clear that one without the other is nowhere. And you have to learn everything in order, paying attention to even the smallest details. In Japanese, most narrative sentences end with the prefix "desu." What does this word mean and why is it used so often? Let's try to figure it out.
Verb
So what does “desu” mean in Japanese? In literal translation, this word means "to be." It is quite reasonable, the question may arise: why does the word “desu” appear in almost all sentences? The fact is that in Japanese verbs have no forms and numbers. Most of them are placed at the end of the sentence and are translated by the only word "desu" - "to be."
In order to make it clear, we will give a small example.
あ れ わ 新 幹線 で す。 (Are wa shinkansen desu) - If you translate this phrase verbatim, you get something like: "That is, the train." In spoken Japanese, it will be perceived as: "This is a train."
In essence, “desu” means nothing. This prefix gives verbs a neutral polite hue. And since Japanese mentality is considered the main link, this style of speech is most often found in everyday life.
Question
What “desu” means is now a little understandable. However, this verb has several other uses. Those who learn Japanese, and those who have just begun to learn the basics, can notice that after the “desu” there are often particles. These particles are called "gobies" and in the sentence they are responsible for the emotional background.
One of the most popular ka particles. If she stands after Desu, then the sentence is interrogative. For clarity, we give a few examples:
- あ れ わ 新 幹線 で す か? (Are wa shinkansen desu ka?) - In the first example, this phrase was affirmative, but after adding the particle "ka" it turned into an interrogative sentence: "Is this a train?"
- ど な た で す か? (Donata desu ka?) - Another example in the literal translation will sound like: “Who is?”. This interrogative pronoun, which is used when it comes to a person, is perceived as a question: "Who is this?" A similar expression is often used in a polite, formal conversation. For less formal cases, it is customary to say: だ れ で す か? (Dare desu ka?). The essence of the matter remains the same, only the degree of politeness changes.
Thus, “desu” (which means “to be”) can appear not only in narrative, but also in interrogative sentences. But there are two more particles of the gobi that can be found in tandem with the desu.
"Yo" and "ne"
When learning Japanese language materials for beginners, you can often come across a combination of Desu Ne. Often it appears in phrases such as:
- わ 、 畳 の 部屋 で す ね。 (Wa, tatami no heya desu ne.) - In the translation, the sentence sounds quite simple: "This is a room with tatami." But you should pay attention to the prefix “va” at the beginning of the sentence, which means delight or admiration for what you see. In turn, the combination “desu ne” means that a person who admires a room with a tatami is not sure that the person he is talking to shares his emotions.
Expressions of this kind are often found in conversations between Japanese and visitors. Everyone visiting Japan seems like a novelty, but for the indigenous people it is an ordinary daily routine. This also works in the opposite direction: if a Japanese comes to a foreign country and speaks with someone in his native language, you can often find the combination “desu ne”.
Another particle that can be found after “desu” (which means “to be”) is read as “yo”. Accordingly, it turns out "desu yo." This tandem is used in a conversation when the person you want to share new information about something. If we compare it with the Russian language, then the combination "desu yo" is used in the manner of the word "by the way." That is, it is used to say information that the speaker knows about, but the interlocutor does not know. For example, a speaker can say that this restaurant is cozy and they cook deliciously. And if the interlocutor first hears about this institution, at the end of the sentence it is necessary to put the phrase “desu yo”.
And it’s not a “desu” at all
Those who teach Japanese should know that “desu” (which means “to be”) is never pronounced completely. Due to the reduction of vowels, the word “des” is obtained. That is, when writing the word, it will consist of two syllables “de” (で) and “su” (す), but it will be read as “des”.
Due to the fact that people who popularize Eastern culture do not always have sufficient knowledge, many Internet users are mistaken about the correct pronunciation.
To be or not to be
So, at this stage, the “desu” has already been learned, which means “to be.” But what to do when you need to "not be." “To be or not to be” - Shakespeare’s words are very suitable for considering this issue.
The word "desu" has a negative form, "de va arimasen," which literally means "is not." For instance:
- 山田 さ ん は 学生 で は あ り ま せ ん。 (Yamada-san wa gakusei de wa arimasen.) - With the full literal translation, it turns out: "Yamada-san is not a student." That is, the student receives information that Yamada-san is not a university student.
The word "desu" is particularly popular. It can be found in the original anime or manga, heard in the voice acting of dubbers, or memorized after watching some videos. But no matter what meaning they attach to the word “des”, this is nothing more than a particle of speech. A peculiar analogue of the point at the end of the sentence. And only thanks to this analogue it is much easier to achieve understanding in a conversation, because “desu” can “be” or “not be”, ask, express emotions and provide additional information.