だ is the plain form of “is”. It comes after a noun or a な-adjective and states something as fact, as in 今日は休みだ, “today is a day off”. Its polite counterpart is です.
だ has its own conjugations. The negative is じゃない, or ではない in careful speech, and the past is だった. Casual speech often leaves だ out, especially in questions.
Usage Notes
Verbs and い-adjectives never take だ. 高い already means “is expensive”, so 高いだ is wrong. The polite 高いです is fine, because there です only adds politeness.
A sentence that ends in a bare だ sounds firm, sometimes blunt. Sentence-ending particles soften it or give it color, as in だよ, だね, and だな. Traditional women’s speech drops だ before よ and ね, as in きれいね.
Before the explanatory の, だ changes to な, as in 学生なんだ. Before と思う and other quotes, a noun keeps its だ, as in 本当だと思う. Writing uses である in place of だ.
Formation
View formation details
Noun ＋ だ
彼は高校生だ
"He's a high school student."
な-adjective ＋ だ
この町は静かだ
"This town is quiet."
〜じゃない・〜ではない (negative)
嘘じゃない
"It's not a lie."
Note: じゃ is a contraction of では.
〜だった (past)
昨日は休みだった
"Yesterday was a day off."
〜じゃなかった・〜ではなかった (past negative)
テストは簡単じゃなかった
"The test wasn't easy."
Dropped だ (casual question)
あれ、先生？
"Huh, is that the teacher?"
Noun ＋ だと思う
明日は雨だと思う
"I think it'll rain tomorrow."
Noun ＋ である (writing)
吾輩は猫である
"I am a cat."
Note: The first line of Natsume Soseki's novel of the same name.
Saying What Something Is
The basic sentence is AはBだ, “A is B”. は marks what the sentence is about, and だ closes the statement. B can be a noun or a な-adjective.
Conan overhears Gin and Vodka discuss a bomb they’ve planted. There’s little time left for Conan to find the bomb and get it off the bullet train before it explodes. As he tries to determine who is unknowingly carrying the bomb, he thinks back to what the two had said.
Conan overhears Gin and Vodka talking about a bomb they’ve planted on a bullet train. 爆発時刻は３時１０分だ means “the explosion time is 3:10”. Nothing follows the だ, and that makes it sound cold and final.
Zen lived in a glittering, idyllic town until his family moved. During his first day of school, he found everyone to be glaring and rugged. Rather than being gentle and playful, his classmates sought a brawl and chased after him.
Zen grew up in a glittering, gentle town, and his new school is full of glaring, brawling kids. ここは異世界だ, “this is another world”, is AはBだ in its plainest form. His next line goes further: he must have wandered into one.
Example 3 of 8: Besides, it's just practice with それに〜
Urushi plays three shogi games at once against the other members of the shogi club. After she wins all three, she worries she has hurt their confidence right before the upcoming tournament.
Urushi beat three shogi club members at once, and now she worries she has shaken their confidence before a tournament. それにただの練習だ is “besides, it’s just practice”. The topic, the games, goes unsaid.
Example 4 of 8: Attraction to the opposite sex with 異性
During a ninja training exercise, Tsubaki disguises herself as the teacher’s assistant in the hope of getting close enough to take the teacher’s mask. When the teacher unknowingly reveals that keeping boys and girls separate has been aided by lying to the female ninjas about men being scary, Tsubaki accidentally drops her disguise. The teacher has no choice but to take Tsubaki into her confidence and explain the reason for the separation, starting with the word “love”, of which Tsubaki is unfamiliar.
ハナ先生:
「異性に好きという思いを寄せることだ。」
“It means harboring feelings of affection for someone of the opposite sex.”
「年頃になると皆経験すると聞く。」
“I hear that everyone goes through this when they reach a certain age.”
Tsubaki has never heard the word “love”, so Hana-sensei defines it. 〜ことだ, “it’s the act of…”, ends the definition: 異性に好きという思いを寄せることだ, “having feelings of love for someone of the opposite sex”.
Example 5 of 8: Wanting to photograph means with 〜たがる
Kumada observes the bear that’s been living in his apartment for a while now, trying to determine from its personality traits whether it’s male or female.
Kumada is trying to work out whether the bear in his apartment is male or female. It always photographs its meals, and he files that under メスっぽい行動だ, “female-like behavior”. The noun 行動 takes だ.
During a competition, Touwata and Mizubashou confront Tsubaki’s group to ask for help. While Touwata lays out her request, Sazanka and Asagao tie the two with ropes, believing their plea to be a trick. Figuring they’ve won, Sazanka and Asagao let down their guard and fall into a trap.
Sazanka and Asagao tied up Touwata and Mizubashou, suspecting a trick, then let their guard down and got caught themselves. Mizubashou apologizes: she made the thing earlier out of habit. 〜作っちゃったやつだ is “it’s a thing I made”. A whole clause describes やつ, and だ ends the sentence.
At a pool visit, it’s learned that Rize doesn’t know how to swim. Syaro suggests she practice using a kickboard, but there’s something Rize is more interested in trying.
リゼ:
「手を引っ張るやつ あれがやりたい」
“Being pulled along by the hands. I want to try that.”
Rize can’t swim, and instead of a kickboard, she wants someone to pull her along by the hands. Syaro is surprised: リゼ先輩意外と子供だ, “Rize-senpai is surprisingly childish”. 子供 is a noun, so it takes だ.
Chino seems to be telling a customer’s fortune, and Cocoa asks what it is. コーヒー占いだよ, “it’s coffee fortune-telling”, is a noun with だ and よ. Rize adds that Chino’s fortunes are usually right.
な-Adjectives Take だ, い-Adjectives Don’t
な-adjectives act like nouns here, so they need だ to end a sentence. い-adjectives and verbs can already end a sentence on their own, so they never take だ.
Word type
Dictionary form
Ending a sentence
Noun
学生
学生だ
な-adjective
静か
静かだ
い-adjective
高い
高い
Verb
行く
行く
Example 1 of 3: Thanks for the sunset photograph with ありがと
On her way home from the store, Takagi sees Nishikata out jogging. She asks where he’s heading, and he says he doesn’t really have a destination, but he’s jogged as far as the beach before. Takagi doesn’t seem to fully believe him, so after they part ways, Nishikata heads specifically for the beach. Once there, he takes a photograph and sends it to Takagi as proof of his accomplishment.
Nishikata told Takagi he sometimes jogs as far as the beach, and she didn’t seem to believe him. So he ran there and sent her a photo of the sunset as proof. きれい ends in い, but it’s a な-adjective, so Takagi writes きれいだね. An い-adjective would skip だ, as in 夕日赤いね, “the sunset is red”. 嫌い is another な-adjective that looks like an い-adjective. The ね asks Nishikata to agree. Without it, 夕日きれいだ would sound like Takagi talking to herself.
Example 2 of 3: Nothing out of the ordinary with 異常
Yui, Sacchan, and Kotoha go on an early-morning patrol to check for any issues in their neighborhood. Because it’s so early, none of the shops are open yet, and the streets are empty.
The Colors are patrolling their neighborhood early in the morning, and nothing is open yet. 平和, “peaceful”, is a な-adjective, so it ends with だ: 朝は平和だ. Yui repeats it with ね, asking the others to agree.
Example 3 of 3: I'd totally die in the heat with 〜じゃう
Hori’s classmates are wilting on a hot summer day. 無理, “impossible”, is a な-adjective, so it takes だ before the final わ: 絶対無理だわ, “absolutely no way”. She means PE in this sun.
だ Changes to な Before の
Before the explanatory の, だ changes to な. 学生だ becomes 学生なんだ, and 好きだ becomes 好きなんだ. The past だった doesn’t change, as in 学生だったんだ. See Reasoning with 〜のだ for the whole pattern.
After Yousuke finishes moving his belongings into his new home with the help of his friend Jumbo, Jumbo offers to pick up some gifts for Yousuke to give his new neighbors when he goes around the neighborhood to introduce himself.
Jumbo is going to pick up gifts for Yousuke’s new neighbors, and Yousuke tells him not to bring anything weird. 好きだ becomes 好きなんだ before the explanatory ん: 俺はプリンが好きなんだ. Yousuke says Jumbo’s own tastes are beside the point.
Example 2 of 2: Bothersome to try new things with 億劫
At dusk, Hanae takes the bus to the grocery store to buy ingredients for dinner. There she encounters Hiroto, doing the same on his way home from work. Hiroto says he rode his motorcycle today and can give Hanae a lift home. She refuses, as she’s never ridden on a motorcycle before.
Hiroto offers Hanae a ride home on his motorcycle, and she has never ridden one. 億劫だ, “it’s a hassle”, becomes 億劫なんだよ when it explains her refusal.
Exclamations and Verdicts
A noun plus だ can be a whole sentence. 火事だ！ means “Fire!”, and 嘘だ！ means “That’s a lie!”. The speaker names the situation and asserts it in one breath.
Example 1 of 8: Misunderstanding an incriminating situation with 誤解
Since Hiyori is resting on a bed inside, Junpei takes a plate from the barbecue to her room. As he walks in, he finds Hiyori and Yuushin in what looks like a compromising position.
淳平:
「…お前ら昼間っから （カギかけろよなー）」
“You guys, in the middle of the day… (At least lock the door!)”
結心:
「ち ちがう 誤解だ！！（そい寝だから！！）」
“N—No! You've got it wrong!! (We were just lying down together!)”
Junpei brings Hiyori a plate from the barbecue and finds her and Yuushin on the bed together. He mutters that they could at least lock the door. Yuushin shouts 誤解だ！！, “it’s a misunderstanding!!” His follow-up uses だ too. そい寝 is lying down next to someone, and だから gives it as the reason. They were only lying side by side.
Uchimaki and Colette tag along with Usami to the school library. 本だらけ, “nothing but books”, works as a noun, and だ with two exclamation points makes it an outburst. Usami tells them both to be quiet.
A shop owner tells the Colors he has built a bomb. ドカン is the sound of an explosion, and ドカンだ turns it into a verdict: if they don’t defuse it, the town goes boom.
Sacchan’s mother has an overstock of bananas at her fruit shop, so she gives them to Sacchan and her friends to sell around the neighborhood. Later, Sacchan returns having sold all the bananas.
Sacchan and her friends sold every banana from her mother’s fruit shop. Her mother hands over the money with ごほうびだ, “it’s a reward”. A single noun plus だ makes the whole announcement.
Example 5 of 8: Finishing clubhouse insulation with 完成
Planning for winter temperature drops, Yui and her friends use cardboard and masking tape to cover all the openings in their clubhouse. The final step is to close the door and see how it works.
Yui and her friends have taped cardboard over every opening in their clubhouse for winter. The last step is closing the door with everyone inside. 完成だ, “it’s done”, is the verdict waiting for Yui to step in.
Simon and Nicola stop at a pub for dinner. Their dinner conversation turns to Simon explaining the various temperaments of different tribes in the demon world.
サイモン:
「あのウロコがあって牙が鋭いのがガブール族さ」
“Those ones with scales and sharp fangs are the Gabool tribe.”
Simon is telling Nicola about the tempers of the demon world’s tribes, and two Gabool demons start fighting nearby. 俺のだ！！ is “it’s mine!!” 俺の, “mine”, works as a noun, so it takes だ.
Cocoa has made bread shaped like Tippy. Rize gives the verdict: 看板メニューはこれで決定だな, “that settles our signature menu item”. 決定, “decision”, is a noun, and だな makes it a satisfied remark.
Example 8 of 8: Understanding my resolve as a man with 理解
Sakurako tells Takeru not to go to the shogi club as he’ll get in the way of Ayumu being with Urushi. However, as a new member of shogi club, and as a man, Takeru feels it’s his duty to show up. On his way to the shogi club room, he encounters Ayumu who implores him to come to the shogi club room.
Takeru thinks Ayumu understands his duty, as a man, to show up at the shogi club. Ayumu doesn’t: いや全然だ, “no, not at all”. 全然 usually comes before a negative verb, but here it stands alone with だ as a flat verdict.
The One Who… with 〜のは〜だ
To save the important part for last, Japanese turns the rest of the sentence into a noun with の, then ends with the new information and だ.
Saeko’s father has forbidden her to go to a Christmas party with the boy she likes, and she’s in tears. Her mother accuses him of making Saeko cry again. こっち, “this side”, means himself. Ending on こっちだ puts the weight on who’s really suffering, at least as he sees it.
Example 2 of 2: Don't reveal it with 〜てはだめだ
Example 2 of 2
Detective stories use the same shape for the big reveal. 犯人はお前だ, “the culprit is you”, saves the answer for the last word.
While telling ghost stories at night, Rize relays the tale from her childhood, of a frightened servant who felt she was being watched while walking home one night.
リゼ:
「犯人はホフク前進の練習をしていた私だ」
“I was the culprit. I was practicing crawling on my stomach.”
Rize is telling a ghost story from her childhood, about a servant who felt watched on her walk home one night. Then she reveals the culprit: it was Rize herself, practicing crawling on her stomach. 犯人は〜私だ saves the answer for the last word.
Realizing Something
だ also marks the moment something clicks. The speaker names what they’ve just recognized or remembered.
Takagi and Nishikata share an umbrella to walk home after school. Takagi says she completely forgot the term for two people sharing an umbrella. Nishika, with embarrassment, mutters that it’s あいあいがさ. When Takagi asks him to repeat it louder, he keeps quiet in his embarrassment.
Takagi and Nishikata are sharing an umbrella on the way home. Takagi claims she’s forgotten the word for two people under one umbrella, so Nishikata has to mumble it, and she asks him to say it louder. Then she “remembers”. 相合い傘だ names the word with a bare だ, “it’s aiaigasa”.
Example 2 of 3: Littering a soft drink can with ポイ捨て
Example 2 of 3
When the speaker finds out something that was true all along, Japanese often uses the past だった. English does the same in “so it was you”.
As Kenji Fudazuki ponders ways to increase his image as a delinquent, he hears a teacher asking who littered an empty soft drink can. Seeing an opportunity, Kenji takes credit for the misdeed. With this revelation, the teacher backs off and leaves quietly.
Kenji Fudazuki wants a reputation as a delinquent, so when a teacher asks who littered a soda can, he takes the blame. The students watching say 札月だったのか, “so it was Fudazuki”. As far as they know, he was the culprit all along, and they’ve only now found out. That’s why they use だった. のか adds “huh, I see”.
Example 3 of 3: Case closed at curfew time with 門限
After finding evidence of a UFO encounter, the group Colors sets out to find aliens. The case is cut short when the 5PM bell chimes, signalling that the young trio has to head home for the day.
The Colors are hunting for aliens when the 5 p.m. bell chimes. Officer Saitou realizes what it means with ああ門限か, “ah, curfew”, and gives the verdict: ゲームオーバーだな, “game over”.
The Negative with じゃない and ではない
The negative of だ is じゃない. ではない is the full form. It sounds careful or formal, and it’s the usual form in writing. Both conjugate like the ない that negates verbs.
Urushi is walking home from the grocery store when she runs into Ayumu from the shogi club. 奇遇 means “coincidence”, and 奇遇だな is a casual “what a coincidence”. Ayumu flatly says it isn’t one. He’s her junior, so he says it politely with じゃないです.
Example 2 of 3: Testing one's detective ability with 能力
Conan was grabbed by a dangerous-looking pair who turned out to be his parents in disguise. He calls their plan an evil scheme, and his father denies it: 悪巧みじゃないさ, “it’s no scheme”. じゃない negates the noun, and さ adds a breezy confidence.
Seeing Chibiusa leaving Hotaru’s house, Haruka and Michiru stop over to pick her up. Michiru asks what the two were talking about, and Chibiusa explains that it was a conversation about amulets and their mysterious protective powers. She asks if Michiru has one. Michiru says her mirror may be protective, to which Chibiusa says it must be an amulet.
みちる:
「あたしのこの手鏡はそんな可愛らしい物じゃないわね」
“This hand mirror of mine isn't something that cute.”
Chibiusa asks Michiru whether she has a protective amulet. Michiru’s hand mirror might count, but it’s no cute charm: そんな可愛らしい物じゃないわね. じゃない negates 物, “thing”.
Al has given Akari and Aika a tour of his workplace. Aika thanks him in her own way. 乗り気じゃなかった says she wasn’t keen on coming. 悪くない小旅行だった admits the little trip turned out better than she expected. The わよ at the end is feminine.
Example 2 of 5: A meal provided by the school with 給食
On Chiyo’s first day of high school, some classmates invite her to eat lunch with them. Her elementary school served lunch, so 給食だった, “it was school lunch”. That’s why a boxed lunch feels fun.
Example 3 of 5: Receiving exam results by mail with 郵送
Bocchi’s exam results will be posted online, and she asks her mother whether she went through the same wait. She did, but お母さんの時は郵送だったわよ, “in my day, they came by mail”. わよ is a feminine ending after だった.
Cocoa’s fortunes didn’t come true for Chino or Rize, so she lists her own bad luck: a rabbit fell on her, her skirt flipped up, and Syaro threw money at her. 大変だったよー, “it was rough”, is the past of 大変だ.
Example 5 of 5: Relax about what day it is with 安心
Example 5 of 5
っけ after だ asks about something the speaker has forgotten or wants to confirm. 何の日だっけ？ means “what day is it again?” The past だったっけ works the same way.
Nishikata has just come home from work, and Takagi asks if he knows what day it is. He can’t remember: あれ？何の日だっけ？ Takagi lets him off with the formal negative, 記念日とかではない, “it’s not an anniversary or anything”.
Questions Usually Drop だ
A casual yes-or-no question about a noun or a な-adjective drops だ, and the rising tone does the asking. 元気？ means “you doing okay?”, and nobody says 元気だ？. A question never ends in だか, either. か straight after a noun, as in 学生か？, sounds blunt and masculine. Polite speech says 学生ですか.
Syaro had hoped to visit the place where Rize works part time. Then she learned it’s a coffee shop, and her face fell. Cocoa guesses why. 苦手, “not good with”, is a な-adjective, and Cocoa asks with it bare. As a statement, it would be コーヒー苦手だ.
Example 2 of 3: Stewed greenbeans with 煮込む
Example 2 of 3
Questions with a question word can keep だ. 何だ？ and 誰だ？ sound gruff, and 誰だ！ is what a guard shouts into the dark.
Akari, Aika, and Alice are hosting a dinner as part of their training, and Akatsuki is a guest. これは何の料理だ？, “what dish is this?”, keeps だ with a question word, in Akatsuki’s gruff style. Akari answers politely with です.
Example 3 of 3: Want to ask a favor with 〜たい＋ことがある
Grizzly is deep into his winter hibernation when his phone starts ringing. He answers, knowing only Polar Bear would be calling him during hibernation.
Grizzly is hibernating when Polar Bear calls and asks if he’s still asleep. Grizzly’s 今何月だよ？, “what month is it, anyway?”, keeps だ with the question word, and よ makes it a grumble.
What’s This? with なんだ
なんだ, “what is”, often comes first in a casual question, ahead of the thing being asked about. なんだこれ means “what is this?” The usual order would be これはなんだ. Starting with なんだ makes the question sound like a reaction.
Example 1 of 3: Menu items like secret attacks from a comic with 〜みたい
Chino and Rize are reading the menu at Chiya’s family’s teahouse, and the dish names sound like special attacks from a comic. なんだ comes first. この漫画の必殺技みたいなメニューは, “this menu like special attacks from a comic”, trails after it like an afterthought.
Example 2 of 3: Don't make me laugh with 笑わせんな
Example 2 of 3
なんだと？, “what did you say?”, is the classic angry comeback.
Ran and Kogoro find the kidnapped Akiko and they apprehend the kidnapper. Believing the butler to have arranged the kidnapping, Kogoro accuses the kidnapper being an accomplice. The kidnapper denies working with someone, saying he encountered the child in the hotel by chance.
小五郎:
「なんだと？じゃあ、おまえはお嬢さんが監禁されていた場所から、また誘拐を！？」
“What?! So you kidnapped her all over again, from the very place where the young lady was being held captive!?”
誘拐犯:
「監禁！？笑わせんな！！あのガキ、ホテルのレストランで一人でのんびりメシ食ってたぜ…」
“Held captive?! Don't make me laugh!! That brat was eating a leisurely meal all by herself in the hotel restaurant...”
Kogoro thinks the kidnapper is working with the butler, and the kidnapper claims he found the girl by chance. なんだと？ is Kogoro’s outburst, and an angry accusation follows.
Example 3 of 3: It's not like you're a foreigner with 〜じゃあるまいし
Shin’ichi’s teenage friend Ran enters Professor Agasa’s house looking for him, unaware that he was forced to take a poison that inadvertently turned the teenager into a young child. When Ran sees the boy and asks his name, Shin’ichi recalls Agasa’s suggestion to not reveal who he is. Panicking, he gives the name “Conan”, explaining the oddness of it by saying his father is a fan of author Arthur Conan Doyle.
蘭:
「コナンねー…」
“Conan, huh?”
阿笠:
「なにがコナンだ!! 外国人じゃあるまいし」
“What's with 'Conan'!? It's not like you're a foreigner...”
コナン:
「しかたねーだろ？ ほかに思いつかなかったんだから…」
“It couldn't be helped, all right? I couldn't think up anything else...”
Shin’ichi, shrunk into a child, blurted out “Conan” as his name. Professor Agasa explodes: なにがコナンだ!!, roughly “what kind of name is Conan!?” なにが〜だ scoffs at a word by questioning it, and 外国人じゃあるまいし adds “it’s not like you’re a foreigner”.
Dropping だ Before よ and ね
Traditional women’s speech leaves out だ before よ and ね. A male character says ダメだよ, and a female character says ダメよ. Manga still uses the difference to shape how a character sounds, though real speakers mix the two. なの, as in 好きなの, is another soft ending that skips だ.
Conan needs to investigate a bomb set to go off on the train, but being a child restricts his ability to move around and gather information. He decides he needs to reveal his true self to Ran, but when he addresses her as simply “Ran”, she corrects him to add “ねえちゃん” to her name.
蘭:
「ダメよ。年上の人呼び捨てにしちゃー。」
“That's no good. You shouldn't call older people by their given name alone.”
Conan decides to tell Ran who he really is, and he starts by calling her plain “Ran”. Ran cuts him off. A kid shouldn’t call an older person by name alone. ダメ, “no good”, is a な-adjective, and Ran drops the だ before よ.
だ Before と思う
A noun or a な-adjective keeps its だ before と思う, “I think”. In polite speech, only the end changes, to 思います. ですと思います is wrong.
Makoto and Tsukasa meet to study for an upcoming test. When Makoto spends her study time complaining about it, Tsukasa asks if she hates studying. Makoto says it’s not that she hates it so much as it’s difficult. She asks if Tsukasa likes studying, and he says it’s fun to learn new things and connect them to his everyday life.
真:
「司は頭いいから」
“That's because you're smart.”
司:
「頭良し悪しというよりきっかけだと思うよ」
“I think it's less about whether you're smart or not, and more about having the right motive.”
Makoto and Tsukasa are studying together, and Makoto says Tsukasa does well because he’s smart. Tsukasa disagrees. きっかけ is the thing that gets you started. He thinks doing well depends more on having that spark than on brains, and きっかけだと思う puts it as his opinion.
Sacchan, Yui, and Kotoha play in the snow in various ways. After running out of things to do, Sacchan comes up with an idea. They head over to Officer Saitou and greet him with snowballs in hand.
斎藤:
「やはり来たか クソガキども」
“So you came after all, you little brats.”
「だが甘いわ オレを誰だと思ってやがる」
“But you underestimate me! Just who do you think I am?”
The Colors came to pelt Officer Saitou with snowballs, and he was expecting them. オレを誰だと思ってやがる is “just who do you think I am?” The question word keeps its だ before と. The answer comes next: he grew up in snowy Aomori, 雪国青森育ちだぞ.
Example 3 of 3: Possibility of building a time machine with 可能
The teacher has handed back the tests, and now he’s talking about time travel. 可能 is a な-adjective, so it keeps だ before と: 可能だと考えています, “I believe it’s possible”.
Rising じゃない and じゃん
With a rising tone, じゃない stops being a negative. It asks the listener to agree with something obvious, like “isn’t it?” or “you know?”. The casual じゃん comes from it. In this use, both can follow verbs and い-adjectives too, as in いいじゃん, “isn’t that nice?”
Example 1 of 6: You say that, but it's not important with だって
Yui hurries to her clubhouse to tell her friends, Kotoha and Sacchan, about a big case: there’s a cat that looks like a panda. However, Sacchan doesn’t engage in the topic and Kotoha continues playing her video game.
結衣:
「もおマジメに聞いてよ 琴葉もっ」
“Geez, listen seriously. You too, Kotoha.”
さっちゃん:
「だって全然大変じゃないじゃん」
“You say that, but it's not a big deal at all, right?”
Yui runs into the clubhouse with a big case. There’s a cat that looks like a panda. Sacchan isn’t impressed. 大変じゃない is the plain negative, “not a big deal”, and じゃん after it asks Yui to admit it. Both come from だ.
Example 2 of 6: Enthusiasm in giving a bribe with ノリ気
Hinagiku wants to see behind Rindou’s mask. Since Sazanka was scolded for trying the same, Hinagiku suggests they team up to take Rindou’s mask away. Asagao opposes the proposition, but Sazanka immediately quiets her by offering a bribe for her support.
ヒナギク:
「ふーん。そっちでアサガオ買収してくれるなんて、ノリ気じゃない。」
“Hmm. If you're willing to bribe Asagao on your side, you're pretty into this, aren't you?”
「私の術で言うこときかせる手間が省けたわ。」
“Saves me the trouble using my technique to make her do as I say.”
Hinagiku has asked Sazanka to help take Rindou’s mask, and Asagao objected. Sazanka shut her up with a bribe. ノリ気じゃない looks like “not enthusiastic”, but Hinagiku means the opposite. Sazanka is keen enough to pay off the opposition. Only context and tone tell the two apart.
Example 3 of 6: Depressed over a snatched dumpling with 落ち込む
Yukari doesn’t like carrots, so she offers the ones from her lunch to Mina, who gladly accepts. Mina offers one of her dumplings in return, but Yukari is hesitant to accept because Mina did her a favor by taking the carrots. Sanae takes the opportunity to snatch the dumpling and eat it herself, claiming that neither of the other two seemed to want it. Mina mutters that she never said that.
Yukari gave Mina her carrots, and Mina offered a dumpling in return. Sanae snatched it first, and Yukari scolds her: ミナ、落ち込んじゃったじゃない, “look, Mina’s all depressed!” This じゃない points at what Sanae should be able to see. It isn’t a negative.
Example 4 of 6: Placing the chocolate while his back is turned with 〜間に
Urushi prepared chocolate to give Ayumu for Valentine’s Day but is too nervous to give it to him. After the two play shogi during their club, Ayumu turns away from Urushi as he puts the shogi table away.
うるし:
「今。歩が 後ろ向いてる間にかばんに入れればいいじゃん！！」
“Now! While Ayumu's back is turned, I can just put it into his satchel!”
Urushi has Valentine’s chocolate for Ayumu but is too nervous to hand it over. When he turns his back, she has an idea: かばんに入れればいいじゃん！！, “I can just put it in his bag!” じゃん, the clipped じゃない, sells the plan to herself.
Megu and Maya are back after summer break, and Chino is relieved they’re no taller than she is. Megu teases her for missing them, and Maya says 照れるじゃん, “you’re making me blush”. じゃん asks Chino to see it too.
Cocoa wonders why she loves Chino’s coffee when she never liked coffee before. Chino has a theory: Cocoa can’t taste the difference, わからないじゃないですか, “you can’t tell them apart, right?” じゃないですか is the polite version of rising じゃない.
Formal である
Writing uses である in place of だ. Essays, narration boxes, and signs use it, and so do characters who talk in a grand or old-fashioned way. The polite であります sounds like army talk.
Example 1 of 2: Why is it called Rabbit House with 〜のであります
Cocoa’s bunny-ear uniforms were shot down, so she asks why the café is called Rabbit House at all. Rize talks like a drill sergeant, and Cocoa plays soldier back: なんでラビットハウスなのでありますか！ であります is the polite form of である.
Example 2 of 2: According to Nostradamus with 〜によれば
Maruko learns about Nostradamus and his predictions from a classmate. She tells her family about it, leading to them watching a TV show about it that night.
アナウンサー:
「ノストラダムスの大予言によれば1999年７月に空から恐怖の大王が降りてきて」
“According to Nostradamus's great prophecy, in July 1999 a great king of terror will descend from the sky,”
Maruko’s family is watching a TV special about Nostradamus, and the announcer recites the prophecy. 人類は滅亡するという事であります, “humanity will perish”, ends in であります. The stiff, grand ending suits a dramatic broadcast.
At a special event, the expected host doesn’t show for dinner. After finishing their meals, the guests continue to wait until past midnight. As most guests decide to retire to their rooms for the night, Heiji finds himself yawning.
The host of a special dinner never showed, and the guests waited past midnight. Heiji, from Osaka, finally gives up: 限界や, “I’m at my limit”. Standard Japanese would say 限界だ. あかん, “no good”, is Kansai too.
Example 2 of 2: Drawing a conclusion about a murder with 結論
Conan and Heiji end up staying at the same mansion when a murder occurs. They decide to put their heads together to try and determine who the culprit is.
コナン:
「とにかく秀臣さんが見つかるまで、結論は出せねーな…」
“Anyway, I guess we can't come to a conclusion until we find Hideomi...”
Conan and Heiji are working through a murder at a mansion, and Conan says they can’t conclude anything until Hideomi turns up. Heiji agrees with せやな, Kansai for そうだな, “that’s right”.
