Basic Japanese Sentence Structure: A は B です
You’ve learned Hiragana. Now let’s build your first Japanese sentence.
The good news? Japanese sentence structure can be much simpler than it looks.
Let’s start with one of the most basic patterns:
A は B です。
This simple structure lets you say things like:
I am Moto.
This is ramen.
This is coffee.
The Basic Pattern
A は B です。
A simple way to think about it is:
A = the topic
は (wa) = marks the topic
B = information about A
です (desu) = polite ending
So:
A は B です。
≈ A is B.
One important thing:
は is written “ha,” but when it is used as a particle, it is pronounced “wa.”
Example 1: This Is Ramen
これはラーメンです。
Kore wa ramen desu.
This is ramen.
Let’s break it down:
これ = this
は = topic marker
ラーメン = ramen
です = polite ending
Literally, you can think of it as:
As for this → ramen → です
That may sound strange in English, but this pattern is everywhere in Japanese.
Example 2: I Am Moto
わたしはモトです。
Watashi wa Moto desu.
I am Moto.
わたし = I
は = topic marker
モト = Moto
です = polite ending
Once you understand the pattern, you can change A and B to make many different sentences.
Try It Yourself
Can you say these in Japanese?
This is coffee.
Hint:
これ + は + コーヒー + です
I am Sarah.
Hint:
わたし + は + サラ + です
This is sushi.
Hint:
これ + は + すし + です
You’re already building Japanese sentences.
Moto’s Tip
Don’t try to translate every Japanese sentence word-for-word into English.
Instead, start recognizing patterns.
When you see:
A は B です
think:
“We’re talking about A, and B tells me something about it.”
Learning Japanese this way will become much easier as sentences get longer.
One More Thing About です
You’ll often see です translated as “is,” “am,” or “are.”
That’s useful when you’re starting, but です also helps make the sentence polite.
For now, you don’t need to overthink it.
Just get comfortable with:
A は B です。
You’re going to see this pattern a lot.
Next Step
Now that you can make a basic statement, let’s turn it into a question.
Next → How to Ask Questions in Japanese: ですか
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