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でございます
N4 GRAMMAR ⏱ 0s study 📖 0 today
de gozaimasu
to be (honorific)
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🃏 Flashcard
でございます
de gozaimasu
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to be (honorific)
N4
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📊 Pattern Stats
JLPT Level N4
Upper-Beginner · Forming complex sentences
Reading de gozaimasu
Post ID 50691
Patterns today 0
0 / 10 daily goal
📝 Usage Notes

to be (honorific)

📖 How to use it

でございます is the very polite, honorific form of です, used in formal speech and customer-service contexts.

Attaches to Attach to a noun or な-adjective stem directly, or to い-adjective in their く-form (e.g., よろしくございます). For verbs, use the ます-stem + でございます (e.g., 伺っております is different).

でございます is a super-polite version of です. It is used in formal situations like business meetings, public announcements, or when speaking to customers. You will hear it in department stores, hotels, and on trains. It is not used in casual conversation with friends—it would sound oddly stiff and distant.

When you use it, attach it directly to a noun or な-adjective stem: 私でございます, 結構でございます. For い-adjectives, the adjective changes to its く-form first: よろしい → よろしゅうございます (note the sound change). But for N4, focus on nouns and な-adjectives.

Note that でございます is the same politeness level as です but more formal. In modern speech, it is often replaced by であります in written formal Japanese, but in spoken polite service, でございます is standard.

こちらは駅前の案内所でございます。
Kochira wa ekimae no annaijo de gozaimasu.
This is the information center in front of the station.
商品はこちらでございます。
Shouhin wa kochira de gozaimasu.
The product is over here.
ありがとうございます。ご注文は以上でございますか。
Arigatou gozaimasu. Go-chuumon wa ijou de gozaimasu ka.
Thank you. Is that all for your order?
Not であります であります is also a formal copula, but it is used in written or military style, not in polite customer service speech. でございます is the standard spoken honorific form.
Register Highly formal and polite; used in service industry, public announcements, and formal speeches, not in casual or family situations.
🎯 Quick Quiz
What does this grammar pattern mean or do?
でございます
📚 How to Master This Pattern
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Say It Aloud
Press Hear it and repeat でございます three times. Feel the rhythm — grammar patterns have a natural flow.
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Flip Before Reading
Always try to recall the usage before flipping the card. Struggle = learning. Every failed recall makes the next one stick harder.
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Write Two Sentences
Compose two original sentences using でございます. One about yourself, one about something you see right now.
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Spaced Review
Save this pattern and revisit at 10 min, 1 day, 3 days. Production (writing) beats recognition for grammar.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What does the grammar pattern でございます mean? ▼
To be (honorific)
What JLPT level is でございます? ▼
Nihoner currently groups this pattern under JLPT N4 — Upper-Beginner · Forming complex sentences. Use the level label as study guidance rather than a prediction of what will appear on an exam.
How do you use でございます in a sentence? ▼
Attach でございます (de gozaimasu) to the appropriate verb or noun form as described in the usage notes. Then try writing two original sentences — one about yourself and one about something around you.
Is でございます formal or casual Japanese? ▼
でございます is used in both casual and polite contexts. It appears frequently in everyday conversation, textbooks, and simple written materials.
How can I remember でございます long-term? ▼
Use the flashcard on this page for active recall — see the pattern, reconstruct the usage from memory, then flip. Follow with the 4-choice quiz to distinguish it from similar patterns. Review later the same day and again over the following days. Writing original sentences can help you practise using the pattern in context.