How to Say ‘There is / we have (polite)’ in Japanese
ございます
gozai masu
[goh-zah-ee mahss]
💬 Usage Tip: [ございます] is the polite service-style version of [あります]. You'll hear it a lot from staff: [お水ございます] or [空席がございます].
🇯🇵 In Japan: This is customer-service language, so staff may use it to sound respectful. Customers usually don't need to speak this politely themselves; [あります] is fine.
Phrase Breakdown
ござい
gozai
[goh-zah-ee]
exist; have (very polite)
The honorific/polite stem used in ございます, often heard in customer service.
お席がございません。
We do not have seats available.
ます
masu
[mahss]
polite verb ending
Makes the expression very polite as part of ございます.
個室はございます。
We do have a private room.
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