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Japanese Grammar Tutorials
To be or not to be: Using Desu
Desu (to be) is the most basic Japanese verb. Note that desu, like other Japanese verbs, comes at the end of the sentence:
私はアメリカ人です。Watashi wa Amerikajin desu.
I am an American.
恵子さんの車は大きいです。Keiko-san no kuruma wa ookii desu.
Keiko's car is large.
日本は島国です。Nihon wa shimaguni desu.
Japan is an island nation.