Guide to Japanese

Formal Expressions

What do you mean by formal expressions?

So far we have learned casual, polite, and honorific/humble types of languages. So what do I mean by formal expressions? I think we are all aware of the type of language I am talking about. We hear it in speeches, read it in reports, and see it on documentaries. While discussing good writing style is beyond the scope of this guide, we will go over some of the grammar that you will commonly find in this type of language. Which is not to say that it won’t appear in regular everyday speech. (Because it does.)

Using である for formal state-of-being

Vocabulary

我輩(わが・はい)
I; we
猫(ねこ)
cat
夏目(なつ・め)
Natsume (last name)
漱石(そう・せき)
Souseki (first name)
お任せ(お・まか・せ)
leaving a decision to someone else
表示(ひょう・じ)
display
混合物(こん・ごう・ぶつ)
mixture, amalgam
種類(しゅ・るい)
type, kind, category
以上(い・じょう)
greater or equal
純物質(じゅん・ぶっ・しつ)
pure material
混じりあう(ま・じりあう) u-verb
to mix together
物質(ぶっ・しつ)
pure material
何(なに／なん)
what

We have already learned how to speak with your friends in casual speech, your superiors in polite speech, and your customers in honorific / humble speech. We’ve learned だ、です、and でございます to express a state-of-being for these different levels of politeness. There is one more type of state-of-being that is primarily used to state facts in a neutral, official sounding manner - である. Just like the others, you tack である on to the adjective or noun that represents the state.

Examples

  • 吾輩は猫である
    I am a cat. (This is the title of a famous novel by 夏目漱石)

Since I’m too lazy to look up facts, let’s trot on over to the Japanese version of Wikipedia and look at some random articles by clicking on おまかせ表示.

  • 混合物(こんごうぶつ, mixture)とは、2種類以上の純物質が混じりあっている物質である。 (Wikipedia - 混合物, July 2004)
    An amalgam is a mixture of two or more pure materials.

To give you an idea of how changing the である changes the tone, I’ve included some fake content around that sentence.

  1. 混合物は何？
    混合物は、2種類以上の純物質が混じりあっている物質だ。

  2. 混合物は何ですか？
    混合物は、2種類以上の純物質が混じりあっている物質です。

  3. 混合物は何でしょうか。
    混合物は、2種類以上の純物質が混じりあっている物質でございます。

  4. 混合物とは？
    混合物は、2種類以上の純物質が混じりあっている物質である 。

Negative of である

Vocabulary

ある u-verb
to exist (inanimate)
それ
that
不公平(ふ・こう・へい)
unfair
言語(げん・ご)
language
簡単(かん・たん) na-adj
simple
マスター(ma su ta a)
master
する exception
to do
こと
event, matter
出来る(で・き・る) ru-verb
to be able to do
学生(がく・せい)
student

Because the negative of ある is ない, you might expect the opposite of である to be でない. However, for some reason I’m not aware of, you need to insert the topic particle before ない to get ではない.

Examples

  1. それは不公平ではないでしょうか。
    Wouldn’t you consider that to be unfair?

  2. 言語は簡単にマスターできることではない。
    Language is not something that can be mastered easily.

Using である to sound official

Attach である to the verb or adjective that the state-of-being applies to.

Example:

  • 学生 → 学生である

For the negative, attach ではない to the verb or adjective that the state-of-being applies to.

Example:

  • 学生 → 学生ではない

For the past tense state-of-being, apply the regular past tenses of ある

PositiveNegative
学生であるis student学生ではないis not student
学生であったwas student学生ではなかったwas not student
Complete conjugation chart for である

Sequential relative clauses in formal language

Vocabulary

花火(はな・び)
fireworks
火薬(か・やく)
gunpowder
金属(きん・ぞく)
metal
粉末(ふん・まつ)
fine powder
混ぜる(ま・ぜる) ru-verb
to mix
物(もの)
object
火(ひ)
flame, light
付ける(つ・ける) ru-verb
to attach
燃焼時(ねん・しょう・じ)
at time of combustion
火花(ひ・ばな)
spark
楽しむ(たの・しむ) u-verb
to enjoy
ため
for the sake/benefit of
企業内(き・ぎょう・ない)
company-internal
顧客(こ・きゃく)
customer, client
データ(de e ta)
data
利用(り・よう)
usage
する exception
to do
彼(かれ)
he; boyfriend
行方(ゆく・え)
whereabouts
調べる(しら・べる) ru-verb
to investigate
こと
event, matter
出来る(で・き・る) ru-verb
to be able to do
封筒(ふう・とう)
envelope
写真(しゃ・しん)
photograph
数枚(すう・まい)
several sheets (flat objects)
入る(はい・る) u-verb
to enter
手紙(て・がみ)
letter
添える(そ・える) ru-verb
to garnish; to accompany (as a card does a gift)
この
this （abbr. of これの）
ファイル(fu a i ru)
file
パスワード(pa su wa a do)
password
設定(せっ・てい)
setting
開く(ひら・く) u-verb
to open
～際(～さい)
on the occasion of
それ
that
入力(にゅう・りょく)
input
必要(ひつ・よう)
necessity
ある u-verb
to exist (inanimate)

In the Compound Sentence lesson, we learned how to use the te-form of verbs to express multiples sequential actions in one sentence. This practice, however, is used only in regular everyday speech. Formal speeches, narration, and written publications employ the verb stem instead of the te-form to describe sequential actions. Particularly, newspaper articles, in the interest of brevity, always prefer verb stems to the te-form.

Examples

  1. 花火（はなび）は、火薬と金属の粉末を混ぜたものに火を付け、燃焼時の火花を楽しむためのもの。 （Wikipedia - 花火, August 2004）
    Fireworks are for the enjoyment of sparks created from combustion created by lighting up a mixture of gunpowder and metal powder.

  2. 企業内の顧客データを利用し、彼の行方を調べることが出来た。
    Was able to investigate his whereabouts using the company’s internal customer data.

For the ～ている forms, the stem becomes ～てい but because that doesn’t fit very well into the middle of a sentence, it is common to use the humble form of いる which you will remember is おる. This is simply so you can employ おり to connect relative clauses instead of just い. It has nothing to do with the humble aspect of おる

  1. 封筒には写真が数枚入っており、手紙が添えられていた。
    Several photos were inside the envelope, and a letter was attached.

  2. このファイルにはパスワードが設定されており、開く際にはそれを入力する必要がある。
    A password has been set on this file, and it needs to entered when opening.