Introduction to Polite Forms
In Japanese, politeness is an essential part of daily communication. Polite forms are used to show respect or maintain a formal tone, especially when speaking to strangers, superiors, or in formal settings. The basic polite forms revolve around the use of です (desu) and ます (masu) endings for nouns, adjectives, and verbs respectively.
Using polite forms correctly helps learners sound natural and respectful in a variety of situations.
The です and ます Forms
The copula です (desu) is used to make nouns and adjectives polite statements, while ます (masu) is attached to verbs to form their polite present/future tense.
Examples:
これはペンです。
Kore wa pen desu.
This is a pen.
食べます。
Tabemasu.
I eat / will eat.
Conjugation Patterns of Polite Verbs
To conjugate verbs into the polite form, change the dictionary form into the ます form. This involves changing the verb ending depending on its group (Godan, Ichidan, or Irregular verbs).
| Verb Group | Dictionary Form | Polite Form (ます) |
|---|---|---|
| Ichidan (る-verbs) | 食べる (taberu) | 食べます (tabemasu) |
| Godan (う-verbs) | 書く (kaku) | 書きます (kakimasu) |
| Irregular | する (suru) | します (shimasu) |
| Irregular | 来る (kuru) | 来ます (kimasu) |
話します。
Hanashimasu.
I speak / will speak.
Polite Negative Form
To express the negative in polite form, replace ます with ません. This applies to all polite verbs regardless of their group.
| Polite Present Affirmative | Polite Present Negative |
|---|---|
| 飲みます (nomimasu) | 飲みません (nomimasen) |
行きません。
Ikimasen.
I do not go.
Polite Past Tense
The polite past tense is formed by replacing ます with ました. This is used to talk about completed actions politely.
| Polite Present Affirmative | Polite Past Affirmative |
|---|---|
| 買います (kaimasu) | 買いました (kaimashita) |
見ました。
Mimashita.
I saw / watched.
Polite Questions
To form polite questions, simply add the particle か (ka) at the end of a polite sentence. The intonation usually rises at the end as in English questions.
行きますか。
Ikimasu ka?
Are you going?
これはペンですか。
Kore wa pen desu ka?
Is this a pen?
Practice Examples
Try reading and understanding these polite sentences. Notice the use of です and ます forms.
今日は忙しいです。
Kyou wa isogashii desu.
I am busy today.
電話をかけます。
Denwa o kakemasu.
I will make a phone call.
勉強しません。
Benkyou shimasen.
I do not study.
昨日、映画を見ましたか。
Kinou, eiga o mimashita ka?
Did you watch a movie yesterday?
Tips for Remembering Rules
1. Always remember that です is used with nouns and adjectives, while ます is used with verbs.
2. To make verbs polite, focus on changing the verb ending to the ます form according to the verb group.
3. For negative polite form, replace ます with ません, this is consistent across all verbs.
4. The polite past tense is simple: replace ます with ました.
5. Adding か at the end of a polite sentence turns it into a question.
6. Practice regularly by converting casual sentences to polite ones to build confidence.