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JLPT N4Honorific Language

でございます— Is (formal polite copula)

The formal/humble equivalent of です. Used in customer service, formal announcements, and business settings as part of the keigo (honorific language) system.

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Pro lessonUNIT 4 · HONORIFIC LANGUAGE

Structure · 形

[Noun / な-adj] + でございます

Examples · 例文

  • こちらが受付でございます。

    Kochira ga uketsuke de gozaimasu.

    This is the reception desk.

    でございます = very polite です

  • 私、田中でございます。本日はよろしくお願いいたします。

    Watakushi, Tanaka de gozaimasu. Honjitsu wa yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.

    I am Tanaka. Thank you for your time today.

    Formal self-introduction in a business context

  • ただいまの時間は営業時間外でございます。

    Tadaima no jikan wa eigyō jikan gai de gozaimasu.

    We are currently outside business hours.

    Recorded message / formal announcement

Usage notes · 注意

  • Formality: だ < です < でございます.
  • でございます is used in: department store/hotel service, formal business, official speeches.
  • Detail: ございます also replaces あります formally.
  • Detail: ありがとうございます = "thank you" (from ありがたい + ございます).
  • Summary: でございましたら = very formal conditional "if it is."

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones でございます is tested against.

vsです (polite copula)

です is standard polite and fine in almost all situations. でございます is one register higher — used by staff to customers or in formal announcements; using it about a peer or casually sounds stiff or comical.

vsでいらっしゃいます (respectful 'is')

でございます is teichōgo (courteous): it politely states what something is (about oneself or things) without raising anyone's status. でいらっしゃいます is sonkeigo that RAISES the listener's status: 田中様でいらっしゃいますか = 'Are you Mr. Tanaka?' (respectful), vs 田中でございます = 'I am Tanaka' (about self).

More honorific language

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