〜1は 名詞2です

Meaning

This pattern expresses that Noun 1 is Noun 2. The particle は (wa) marks the topic of the sentence and has no meaning itself—note that it's pronounced 'wa' despite being written as は. The auxiliary verb です (desu) means 'is' and makes the sentence polite. When a sentence ends with です, it is considered formal and respectful.

Formation

Examples

1. わたしは にほんじんです。
   I am a Japanese person.

2. ワンさんは がくせいです。
   Wang is a student.

3. わたしは インドの がくせいです。
   I am a student from India.

Summary

• は (wa) marks the topic; です (desu) means 'is' and adds politeness
• The pattern is: Noun 1 + は + Noun 2 + です
• Use this to introduce yourself or describe what someone/something is