On the use of an adjective before ‘です’

Students of Japanese may have at some point wondered, as have I, what the difference between ないです and ありません is. Ask a Japanese, and you will get a vague explanation about how the former is less formal than the latter, and how there is no difference in their meaning. That explanation is valid—but it is …

Do keiyōdōshi exist?

Keiyōdōshi (形容動詞 – ‘adjectival verbs’) are a class of declinable words such 静か and 堂々 that take the auxiliary verbs だ, なり, and たり. The classification is widely accepted in Japan and is recognised by highly reputable dictionaries such as Daijirin and the current Kōjien. It was not, however, accepted by Shinmura Izuru (新村出), the …