How to Say ‘There is / It is there.’ in Japanese
あります。
ari masu
[ah-ree mahss]
💬 Usage Tip: [あります] is used for where things are: [右にあります] = "it's on the right / there." For directions, Japanese often says "it exists there" where English would just say "it's there."
Phrase Breakdown
あり
ari
[ah-ree]
exist; there is; have
あり comes from ある and is used for the existence of things or places, not people.
近くに店がありました。
There was a shop nearby.
ます
masu
[mahss]
polite verb ending
ます is attached to a verb stem to make it polite in non-past form.
水を飲みます。
I drink water.
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