auxiliary N4 common politewritten teineigo (polite)
ございます — there is
ございます
Meaning
- the very polite (丁寧語) form of ある — 'there is / exists / I have', used in service and formal speech
Key sentence
お手洗いはあちらにございます。
The restroom is over there.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Replaces あります in the same slot | [thing] が ございます | ご質問がございますか |
Examples
申し訳ございません。
I'm terribly sorry. (lit. there is no excuse.)
サイズは赤と青がございます。
We have it in red and blue.
本日は祝日のため、お休みでございます。
We are closed today as it is a national holiday.
When you can't use it
- It is 丁寧語 (politeness toward the listener), not 尊敬語. It elevates the tone, not the subject — so it is freely used for your own things and the shop's things, unlike honorific verbs.
Easily confused with
Notes
- ありがとうございます and おはようございます are frozen ございます phrases — the 〜く + ございます origin (ありがたく→ありがとう) is no longer felt.
See ございます in real sentences
Jengo shows ございます the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.