12

desu/masu form

In Japanese, you must change the way you speak according to whom you are speaking, either casually or politely. The difference appears by how you end each sentence.

Japanese language education usually begins by teaching you how to speak with sentences ending with "desu/masu". "Desu/masu" is a polite way of speaking. There are other ways to speak, more casually or with more respect, but this is what you will usually use when speaking with someone who is older than you, or whom you have met for the first time.