Da or Desu? A Simple Guide to Japanese Speech Levels
Understanding Differences Between Da and Desu in Japanese
When learning Japanese, one of the most common sources of confusion for beginners is the difference between だ da and です desu.
Both are often used to end sentences and convey similar meanings, but they reflect different levels of politeness and are used in distinct contexts.
This article will explain how to make these subtle distinctions in usage with examples!
Da vs Desu || Basic Usage
Da vs Desu || Past Tense
Da vs Desu || Special Cases
Da vs Desu || Da or Desu in Which Situations?
Da vs Desu || FAQs
Da vs Desu || Basic Usage
In the simplest terms, だ and です are both forms of the Japanese verb “to be.” They are used to link the subject of a sentence to a description, similar to how “is” or “are” functions in English.
However, だ and です differ significantly in terms of formality and nuance.
それだ。
soreda
That’s it.
それです。
soredesu
That’s it.
These sentences are both translated into “That’s it.” in English.
But you are not supposed to say それだ to your superiors, such as bosses, customers and the elderly. です desu is always more polite than だ da. So, if you are not sure, it is better to always use です instead of だ.
Basically, for nouns and adjectives you can add です to make it polite. And for verbs, you can add ます masu to make it polite.
【Nouns and adjectives + desu】
| WITH DA だ | WITH です DESU | ENGLISH MEANING |
|
わたしだ
watashi da |
わたしです
watashi desu | It’s me |
|
チケットだ
chiketto da |
チケットです
chiketto desu | This is a ticket |
|
きれいだ
kirei da |
きれいです
kirei desu | It’s beautiful |
|
おいしい
oishii |
おいしいです
oishii desu | It’s delicious |
| 古い ふるい furui | 古いです ふるいです furui desu | It’s old |
【Verb + masu】
| VERB | WITH ます MASU | ENGLISH MEANING |
| 食べる たべる taberu | 食べます たべます tabemasu | I eat |
| 行く いく iku | 行きます いきます ikimasu | I go |
| 読む よむ yomu | 読みます よみます yomimasu | I read |
Adjectives ending “だ” are called adjective verbs (形容動詞 けいようどうし ).
Here are examples:
きれいだ
kireida
Beautiful
健康だ
けんこうだkenkouda
Healthy
安全だ
あんぜんだanzenda
Safe
On the other hand, there are simple “adjectives” (形容詞 けいようし )
おいしい
oishii
Delicious
美しい
うつくしいutsukushii
Beautiful
古い
ふるいfurui
Old
新しい
[あたらしい]
atarashii
new
What are the differences between “adjectives” and “adjective verbs”? The greatest difference is that you can’t add だ to “adjectives.”
For example, you can’t say:
×おいしいだ
×ふるい
×あたらしいだ
Adjectives that do not end in “だ” are called simple “adjectives” in Japanese.
However, confusingly, you can add です to adjectives. “おいしいです,” “ふるいです” and “あたらしいです” are all correct!
To tell the difference, you have to know which ones are adjectives and which are adjective verbs. Some Japanese grammerian say that there is no such thing as “adjective verb,” but this concept is useful to tell if you can add です or だ.
この新聞は古いです。
このしんぶんはふるいです。kono shimbun wa furui desu.
This newspaper is old.
これは古い新聞だ。
これはふるいしんぶんだ。kore wa furui shimbun da.
This is an old newspaper.
×この新聞は古いだ。
このしんぶんはふるいだ。kono shimbun wa furui da.
As “furui” is an adjective, you can’t add だ to its end.
Da vs Desu || Past Tense
Past tense of だ is だった datta, and です is でした deshita.
私は学生だ。
わたしはがくせいだ。watashi wa gakusei da.
I am a student.
私は学生だった。
[わたしはがくせいだった。]
watashi wa gakusei datta.
I was a student.
私は学生です。
わたしはがくせいです。watashi wa gakusei desu.
I am a student.
私は学生でした。
わたしはがくせいでした。watashi wa gakusei desita.
I was a student.
One of the most confusing phrase in Japanese is “おつかれさまです” and “おつかれさまでした.” “おつかれさまです” has many meanings and you can say “おつかれさまです” as “hello,” “thank you” and “good bye.”
Because “でした” is past tense of “です,” “おつかれさまでした” is used at a farewell.
おつかれさまです。
otsukaresamadesu.
Hello. (When you meet someone)
おつかれさまでした。
otsukaresamadesu.
Good bye. (When you leave from workplace)
As mentioned above, you can add “です” to adjectives. However, you can’t add “でした” to adjectives!
For example:
おいしいです
oishii desu
This tastes good.
This is possible, but ×おいしいでした is impossible! You have to say おいしかったです.
On the other hand, you can add “でした” to adjective verbs.
| WITH だ DA | WITH でした DESHITA | ENGLISH MEANING |
| 健康だ けんこうだ kenkouda | 健康でした けんこうでした kenkou deshita | I was healthy. |
| 不安だ ふあんだ fuanda | 不安でした ふあんでした fuan deshita. | I had anxiety. |
| 安全だ あんぜんだ anzenda | 安全でした あんぜんでした anzen deshita | It was safe. |
Following are incorrect:
×おいしいでした
×ふるいでした
×新しいでした [あたらしいでした]
You can see how important it is to distinguish “adjectives” and “adjective verbs.”
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Da vs Desu || Special Cases
Although we wrote that “です” is used to make it polite, in some cases “だ” is still used in polite situations.
There is an adjective verb:
大丈夫だ
だいじょうぶだdaijoubuda
It’s okay.
If you want to make it polite, you say 大丈夫です だいじょうぶです . However, when you use this in sentences like indirect narration, “です” is not natural even in polite situations.
×大丈夫ですと思います。
だいじょうぶですとおもいます。daijoubu desu to omoimasu.
I think it is alright.
大丈夫だと思います。
だいじょうぶだとおもいます。daijoubuda to omoimasu.
I think it is alright
×安全ですと思います。
あんぜんですとおもいます。anzen desu to omoimasu.
I think it’s safe.
安全だと思います。
あんぜんだとおもいます。anzen da to omoimasu.
I think it’s safe.
Also in past tense, “でした” is not correct.
×大丈夫でしたと思います。
だいじょうぶでしたとおもいます。daijoubu deshita to omoimasu.
I think it was fine.
大丈夫だったと思います。
だいじょうぶだったとおもいます。daijoubu datta to omoimasu.
I think it was fine.
Da vs Desu || Da or Desu in which situations?
In Japanese, using the right level of politeness is crucial for effective communication.
Using だ in a formal situation can come across as too casual or even disrespectful, while using です in casual settings might make you seem overly formal or distant.
Here are some tips on choosing between だ and です:
【です】
It is safe to assume that you would basically use desu when talking with people other than close friends, such as in business relationships or with strangers.
The special cases described in Chapter 3 also do not give the impression of rudeness, only of sounding somewhat unnatural.
【だ】
Adding “です” all the time also gives an unnatural and distant impression in casual conversation.
If you have a close Japanese friend, try to use “だ” more often than “です.” If you are too rude, your friends will point it out to you.
Unless you are sure that you can use “だ,” it is better to use “です” to avoid unnecessary worry.
In any case, the only way to improve is to get used to it by being exposed to many examples of actual usage. It is easy these days to have opportunities to speak with native speakers online.
Please come in contact with a lot of real Japanese and become more proficient in using the language!
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Da vs Desu || FAQs
What is the difference between da and desu?
Basically, da is used in casual sentences. Desu is used in formal sentences.
Can I use always “desu?”
Yes, it is a good idea to use desu to avoid unnecessary problems, but when you get used to usages, always saying “desu” gives the impression of being too formal.
What is the past tense of da and desu?
Past tense of da is datta だった , and desu is deshita でした .
What should I add to make verbs polite?
When you want to make verbs polite, you add “ますmasu,” not “desu.”
Why should I know “adjective verbs?”
Because “da” and “desu” usage are different for “adjectives” and “adjective verbs.”
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