Definify.com
Definition 2024
ます
ます
Japanese
Noun
ます (romaji masu)
Verb
ます (romaji masu)
- 益す, 増す: to increase
- 在す, 坐す: to be (honorific; rare)
- 申す: to speak
- 摩す, 磨す: to rub, scrub, polish, chafe
Suffix
ます (romaji -masu)
- expresses politeness toward and distance from the listener: vaguely similar to the social context indicated by the usted verb conjugation in Spanish, the vous conjugation in French, or the Sie conjugation in German
Conjugation
Conjugation of "ます" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
| Stem forms | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperfective (未然形) | － | － | ||
| Continuative (連用形) | － | － | ||
| Terminal (終止形) | ます | -masu | ||
| Attributive (連体形) | － | － | ||
| Hypothetical (仮定形) | － | － | ||
| Imperative (命令形) | ませ¹ まし¹ |
-mase¹ -mashi¹ |
||
| Key constructions | ||||
| Passive | － | － | ||
| Causative | － | － | ||
| Potential | － | － | ||
| Volitional | ましょう | -mashō | ||
| Negative | ません | -masen | ||
| Negative continuative | － | － | ||
| Formal | － | － | ||
| Perfective | ました | -mashita | ||
| Conjunctive | まして | -mashite | ||
| Hypothetical conditional | ますれば | -masureba | ||
| ¹ Rare, only used with honorific verbs | ||||
Other forms not attested.
Usage notes
Connects to the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative form”) of a verb and inflects partially like type 1 verbs. The imperative forms are only used with honorific verbs, e.g. いらっしゃいませ (irasshaimase), なさいませ (nasaimase), 下さいませ (kudasaimase). The perfective has an irregular negative form ませんでした (masen deshita); the hypothetical conditional is rare. The old dictionary form まする (masuru) is still sometimes used. When there is a choice, attaches last: e.g. polite passive is 話されます (hanasaremasu), not 話しまされる (*hanashimasareru).
Alternative forms
- 在す, 坐す (rare), 〼
See also
- です (desu)