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Definition 2024


U+3060, だ
HIRAGANA LETTER DA
Composition: [U+305F] + [U+3099]

[U+305F]
Hiragana
[U+3061]
See also: and Appendix:Variations of "da"

Japanese

Stroke order

Syllable

(romaji da)

  1. The hiragana syllable (da). Its equivalent in katakana is (da).
See also

Etymology 2

Contraction of ある (de aru)

Verb

(romaji da)

  1. A particle used when a sentence has a nominal as its predicate, usually but not always equal to the English verb "to be".
     (わたし) (がく) (せい)です
    watashi wa gakusei desu
    I am a student.
     () (ぶつ) (しょう) (どく)
    obutsu wa shōdoku da
    The filth should be disinfected.
    おかわり
    okawari da
    (Of a second helping) one more please.
Usage notes

This word is an enclitic just like other particles. It is classified as 助動詞 (jodōshi) in traditional Japanese grammar, because of its particle-like phonological behavior.

Synonyms
  • である
  • (Kansai dialect)
  • じゃ (Some western dialects. Also used in archaic speech in fictional characters)
Conjugation
See also