Core Phrase 1: 「AはBです。」 (A wa B desu.) – “A is B.”

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This core phrase can be studied using the following sets:

  1. People
  2. Places
  3. Time
  4. Food & Drink
  5. Numbers
  6. Animals
  7. Objects & Things
  8. Emotions

1. People (singular & plural treated naturally)

  • Question: 彼は誰ですか？
    Kare wa dare des ka?
    Who is he?

    Answer: 彼は親切な先生です。
    Kare wa shinsetsu na sensei des.
    He is a kind teacher.

  • Question: 彼らは誰ですか？
    Karera wa dare des ka?
    Who are they?

    Answer: 彼らは優秀な学生です。
    Karera wa yūshūna gakuseidesu.
    They are excellent students.

  • Question: あの人たちは誰ですか？
    Ano shtotachi wa dare des ka?
    Who are those people?

    Answer: あの人たちは先生たちです。
    Ano shtotachi wa sensei-tachi desu.
    Those people are teachers.
  • Question: この人たちは誰ですか？
    Kono shtotachi wa dare des ka?
    Who are these people?

    Answer: この人たちは医者たちです。
    Kono shtotachi wa isha-tachi desu.
    These people are doctors.

  • Question: 彼女は誰ですか？
    Kanojo wa dare des ka?
    Who is she?

    Answer: 彼女は有名な作家です。
    Kanojo wa yūmei na sakka desu.
    She is a famous writer.

  • Question: 彼らは誰ですか？
    Karera wa dare des ka?
    Who are they?

    Answer: 彼らは献身的な看護師です。
    Karera wa kenshin teki na kango shi des
    They are dedicated nurses.

These are words that can be used to construct “who is” questions:

  1. この – these, this
    Kono
    Example: Kono ____ wa dare desu ka?

  2. 医者 (いしゃ) – doctor
    Isha

  3. 作家 (さっか) – writer, author
    Sakka
    Example: Sakka wa dare des ka?

  4. 有名な (ゆうめいな) – famous
    Yūumei na
    Example: Kono yuumei na _______ wa dare desu ka?

  5. 看護師 (かんごし) – nurse
    Kangoshi

  6. 熱心な (ねっしんな) – dedicated, enthusiastic
    Nesshinna
    Example: Nesshinna _____ wa dare desu ka?

  7. 彼女 (かのじょ) – she, her
    Kanojo

  8. たち – (used with 彼女 in 彼女たち = “they” for women)
    Tachi

  9. 人 (ひと) / 人たち – person / people
    sHto / sHto-tachi


  10. 先生 (せんせい) – teacher
    Sense

  11. 彼 (かれ) – he
    Kare

  12. 誰 (だれ) – who
    Dare
    Example: Dare des ka? = Who is it?

  13. 学生 (がくせい) – student
    Gakse

  14. 優秀な (ゆうしゅうな) – excellent
    Yūshūna
    Example: Yushuna ________ wa dare desu ka?

  15. 親切な (しんせつな) – kind
    Shinsetsuna
    Example: Shinsetsu na ________ wa dare desu ka?

  16. あの – that (over there)
    Ano
    Example: Ano ______ wa dare desu ka? = Who is that ____ ?

  17. たち – plural suffix (for people, e.g., 先生たち = teachers)
    Sense Tachi

  18. ら – plural suffix (for people, e.g., 彼ら = they)
    Karera

  19. です – is, am, are (copula, polite form)
    Desu
    Example: Dare des ka? = Who is it?

  20. 誰なの – who is it (casual form)
    Dare nano
    Example: “Who is it?” or “Who are (they)?”

2. Places (singular & plural form with context)

Here are some question-and-answer examples for “What is/are this/that place(s)?”:

  • Question: これは何の建物ですか？
    Kore wa nan no tatemono desu ka?
    What kind of building is this?

    Answer: これは新しい図書館です。
    Kore wa atarashii toshokan desu.
    This is a new library.

  • Question: あれはどんな場所ですか？
    Are wa donna basho desu ka?
    What kind of place is that?

    Answer: あれは静かな神社です。
    Are wa shizuka na jinja desu.
    That is a quiet shrine.

  • Question: ここは何ですか？
    Koko wa nan desu ka?
    What is this place?

    Answer: ここは有名な美術館です。
    Koko wa yūmei na bijutsukan desu.
    This is a famous art museum.

  • Question: この町はどんな場所ですか？
    Kono machi wa donna basho desu ka?
    What kind of place is this town?

    Answer: この近くにはカフェとパン屋があります。
    Kono chikaku ni wa kafe to panya ga arimasu.
    There is a cafe and a bakery near here.

  • Question: あの建物は何ですか？
    Ano tatemono wa nan desu ka?
    What is that building?

    Answer: あの建物は古い病院です。
    Ano tatemono wa furui byōin desu.
    That building is an old hospital.

  • Question: この近くのお店はどんな店ですか？
    Kono chikaku no omise wa donna omise desu ka?
    What kind of shops are the shops nearby?

    Answer: この近くのお店はレストランとコンビニです。
    Kono chikaku no omise wa resutoran to konbini desu.
    The shops near here are a restaurant and a convenience store.

These are some vocabulary words that can be used to expand on “What is/are this/that place(s)?”

  1. Tōkyō (とうきょう)
    Tokyo
    Example: Tōkyō wa ōkina toshi desu. (Tokyo is a big city.)

  2. toshi (とし)
    City
    Example: Kono toshi wa yūmei desu. (This city is famous.)

  3. kōen (こうえん)
    Park
    Example: Chikaku ni kōen ga arimasu. (There is a park nearby.)

  4. toshokan (としょかん)
    Library
    Example: Koko wa atarashii toshokan desu. (This is a new library.)

  5. tatemono (たてもの) – building
    Building
    Example: Are wa takai tatemono desu. (That is a tall building.)

  6. jinja (じんじゃ)
    Shrine
    Example: Asoko wa jinja desu. (That place over there is a shrine.)

  7. chikaku (ちかく)
    Nearby
    Example: Chikaku ni wa mise ga arimasu. (There is a shop nearby.)

  8. omise (おみせ)
    Shop, store
    Example: Kono omise wa ninki desu. (This shop is popular.)

  9. kafe – café
    Café
    Example: Tomodachi to kafe ni ikimasu. (I go to a cafe with friends.)

  10. panya (ぱんや)
    Bakery
    Example: Panya no pan wa oishii desu. (The bakery’s bread is delicious.)

  11. byōin (びょういん)
    Hospital
    Example: Byōin wa koko desu. (The hospital is here.)

  12. bijutsukan (びじゅつかん)
    Art museum
    Example: Bijutsukan wa subarashii desu. (The art museum is wonderful.)

  13. eigakan (えいがかん)
    Movie theater
    Example: Eigakan de eiga o mimasu. (I watch movies at the movie theater.)

  14. resutoran
    Restaurant
    Example: Resutoran wa oishii desu. (The restaurant is delicious.)

  15. machi (まち)
    Town
    Example: Kono machi wa shizuka desu. (This town is quiet.)

  16. takusan
    Many, a lot
    Example: Machi ni wa takusan no hito ga imasu. (There are many people in the town.)

  17. furui (ふるい)
    Old
    Example: Furui tatemono desu. (It is an old building.)

  18. atarashii (あたらしい)
    New
    Example: Atarashii toshokan ga arimasu. (There is a new library.)

  19. shizuka na (しずかな)
    Quiet
    Example: Shizuka na kōen desu. (It is a quiet park.)

  20. hashi (はし)
    Bridge
    Example: Kawa ni hashi ga arimasu. (There is a bridge over the river.)

  21. eki (えき)
    Train station
    Example: この駅は大きいですか？Kono eki wa ōkii desu ka? (Is this station big?)


3. Time (expressing singular/plural time units)

  • 今は忙しい時間です。
    Ima wa isogashii jikan desu.
    Now is a busy time.

  • 1ヶ月は約30日です。
    Ikkagetsu wa yaku sanjū-nichi desu.
    One month is about 30 days.

  • Question: 何時がいい時間ですか？
    Nanji ga ii jikan desu ka?
    What time is a good time?

    Answer: 午後3時がいい時間です。
    Gogo sanji ga ii jikan desu.
    3 PM is a good time.

4. Food & Drink (singular & plural implied)

  • そのリンゴは新鮮な果物です。
    Sono ringo wa shinsen na kudamono desu.
    That apple is fresh fruit.

  • テーブルにいくつかの美味しいサンドイッチがあります。
    Tēburu ni ikutsuka no oishii sandoitchi ga arimasu.
    There are some delicious sandwiches on the table.

  • Question: 今日のおすすめの食べ物は何ですか？
    Kyō no osusume no tabemono wa nan desu ka?
    What is today’s recommended food?

    Answer: 今日のおすすめは美味しい寿司です。
    Kyō no osusume wa oishii sushi desu.
    Today’s recommendation is delicious sushi.

5. Numbers pluralizing a noun

Note: Japanese typically doesn’t pluralize nouns like English; number + counter expresses plural meaning.

  • 三人は忙しい学生です。
    Sannin wa isogashii gakusei desu.
    Three people are busy students.

  • 五匹の犬は元気な動物です。
    Gohiki no inu wa genki na dōbutsu desu.
    Five dogs are lively animals.

  • Question: あそこに何匹の猫がいますか？
    Asoko ni nanbiki no neko ga imasu ka?
    How many cats are over there?

    Answer: あそこに二匹の猫がいます。
    Asoko ni nihiki no neko ga imasu.
    There are two cats over there.

6. Animals (with adjectives and plural forms implied)

  • あの馬は速い動物です。
    Ano uma wa hayai dōbutsu desu.
    That horse is a fast animal.

  • 公園にはたくさんのカラフルな鳥がいます。
    Kōen ni wa takusan no karafuru na tori ga imasu.
    There are many colorful birds in the park.

  • Question: あなたの好きな動物は何ですか？
    Anata no suki na dōbutsu wa nan desu ka?
    What is your favorite animal?

    Answer: 私の好きな動物はかわいい猫です。
    Watashi no suki na dōbutsu wa kawaii neko desu.
    My favorite animal is a cute cat.

7. Objects & Things (with adjectives and plural forms implied)

  • これは新しい車です。
    Kore wa atarashii kuruma desu.
    This is a new car.
  • 机の上にたくさんの古い本があります。
    Tukue no ue ni takusan no furui hon ga arimasu.
    There are many old books on the desk.

  • Question: これらの物は誰のですか？
    Korera no mono wa dare no desu ka?
    Whose things are these?

    Answer: それらの物は私のです。
    Sorera no mono wa watashi no desu.
    Those things are mine.

8. Emotions (expressed as adjectives or noun phrases)

  • 彼女は幸せな人です。
    Kanojo wa shiawase na hito desu.
    She is a happy person.

  • 子供たちはとても疲れています。
    Kodomotachi wa totemo tsukarete imasu.
    The children are very tired.

  • Question: 今、どう感じていますか？
    Ima, dō kanjite imasu ka?
    How are you feeling now?

    Answer: 私は元気です。
    Watashi wa genki desu.
    I am feeling well.

Notes on Plural Forms in Japanese

  • Japanese often does not explicitly mark plurals on nouns (except for animate beings with suffixes like たち (-tachi) or ら (-ra)).
  • Quantity or context usually indicates plurality (numbers, counters, and collective words).
  • Adjectives modify nouns similarly regardless of singular/plural use.

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