Japanese Sentence Structure
Japanese sentences follow a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) structure, which is different from English (SVO). The verb always comes at the end of the sentence.
Basic Pattern
[Topic] は [Description] です
Topic wa Description desu
The Topic Marker: は (wa)
The particle は (written as は but pronounced "wa") marks the topic of the sentence - what you're talking about.
Examples
私は学生です。
Watashi wa gakusei desu.
I am a student.
田中さんは先生です。
Tanaka-san wa sensei desu.
Mr./Ms. Tanaka is a teacher.
これは本です。
Kore wa hon desu.
This is a book.
Important
Although written with the hiragana は (ha), when used as a particle it's always pronounced "wa".
The Copula: です (desu)
です is the polite form of the copula (similar to "is/am/are" in English). It comes at the end of sentences and makes them polite.
Affirmative vs Negative
学生です。
Gakusei desu.
(I) am a student.
学生じゃないです。
Gakusei ja nai desu.
(I) am not a student.
Questions with か (ka)
To turn a statement into a question, simply add か at the end. The sentence structure stays the same.
Statement → Question
学生です。→ 学生ですか。
Gakusei desu. → Gakusei desu ka.
(I) am a student. → Are (you) a student?
日本人ですか。
Nihonjin desu ka.
Are (you) Japanese?
Self-Introduction Pattern
A basic self-introduction in Japanese follows this pattern:
はじめまして。
Nice to meet you. (First time meeting)
私は [name] です。
I am [name].
[country] 人です。
I am [nationality].
どうぞよろしくお願いします。
Please treat me well. (Formal closing)