copula N3 common writtenliterary
である — formal/written copula 'to be'
である
Builds on だ
Meaning
- is / am / are — the assertive copula of written and formal Japanese (である調)
である is the copula of the written register (である調) — essays, academic papers, editorials, and formal reports. It carries no extra meaning over だ; it signals that the text is objective and authoritative rather than conversational.
Key sentence
言語は人間だけが持つ能力である。
Language is an ability that only humans possess.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun / な-adjective stem | N + である | 学生 → 学生である |
When: Written and formal only — essays, theses, news, official documents. Spoken Japanese uses だ or です.
Variants
であります — formal-speech form, heard in speeches and announcements
Examples
この問題は依然として未解決である。
This problem remains unresolved to this day.
彼の主張は明らかに誤りである。
His claim is clearly mistaken.
結論から言えば、答えは一つである。
To state the conclusion first, there is only one answer.
歴史とは過去との対話である。
History is a dialogue with the past.
When you can't use it
- Don't mix copula styles within one piece of writing. A である-style text keeps である / であった throughout; switching to です・ます mid-essay reads as inconsistent register.
Easily confused with
See である in real sentences
Jengo shows である the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.