Formal Written Style in Japanese

In Brief

Formal Japanese prose often uses である体, a consistent written style in which noun and な-adjective predicates end in である rather than です. Verbs and い-adjectives normally use their plain forms, while expressions such as における (“in,” “at,” or “within”) and に関して (“regarding”) help create the precise, impersonal tone common in reports, essays, and academic writing.

Overview

At C1, writing natural Japanese is no longer only a matter of making each sentence grammatical. You also need to choose a register—a level and style of language appropriate to the text—and maintain it. Academic papers, analytical essays, formal reports, encyclopedic explanations, and some newspaper prose often use である体 (“the である style”). It contrasts with です・ます体, the polite style familiar from conversation and general correspondence.

The label である体 can be slightly misleading: not every sentence ends in である. である is a copula (a linking expression corresponding roughly to “is”) used after nouns and な-adjectives. Verbs and い-adjectives keep their ordinary plain forms: 増加する “increases,” 重要である “is important,” and 少ない “is few/low.” These forms together create a consistent non-polite written style.

English does not mark this contrast with a special copula. An English report can sound formal through vocabulary and sentence structure while still using ordinary “is.” In Japanese, the choice among です, だ, and である is itself a visible signal of register. Formal vocabulary alone does not compensate for inconsistent endings.

How It Works

The core predicate patterns

A predicate is the part of a sentence that says what the subject is, does, or is like. The correct ending depends on the predicate type.

Predicate type	Present/affirmative	Present/negative	Past/affirmative	Past/negative
Noun	学生である	学生ではない	学生であった	学生ではなかった
な-adjective	重要である	重要ではない	重要であった	重要ではなかった
い-adjective	高い	高くない	高かった	高くなかった
Verb	増加する	増加しない	増加した	増加しなかった

The first two rows take である because nouns and な-adjectives need a copula. An い-adjective or verb does not take である after its complete plain form.

• 本調査の目的は原因を明らかにすることである。
  The purpose of this study is to clarify the cause.
• この差は統計的に有意ではない。
  This difference is not statistically significant.
• 回答者の割合は低い。
  The proportion of respondents is low.
• 利用者数は昨年から増加した。
  The number of users increased from last year.

である, だ, and です

All three can act as copulas, but they do not have the same stylistic effect.

Ending	Typical effect	Common settings
です	Polite and reader-facing	Conversation, email, presentations, public guidance
だ	Direct plain style; can feel conversational or assertive	Speech, notes, informal commentary, some journalism
である	Formal, expository, and explicitly written	Essays, reports, academic and reference prose

In formal exposition, である often sounds more deliberate and less conversational than だ. It is not automatically “more respectful”: respect toward a reader or listener is usually conveyed through polite language and honorifics. である primarily marks the style of the prose.

Negative and past forms

The central set is:

• である — is
• ではない — is not
• であった — was
• ではなかった — was not

でない also occurs as a compact formal negative, especially inside a longer sentence: 十分でない場合 (“when it is not sufficient”). ではない makes the contrast or negation more explicit. Both are possible, but a document should avoid needless variation.

In careful modern prose, では may also appear as じゃ in speech, but じゃない is generally too conversational for a formal report. Similarly, だった is the ordinary plain past, whereas であった better sustains である体.

Writing whole sentences in である体

Consistency is measured across predicate types, not by attaching である everywhere.

Polite style	Formal written style
結果は明確です。	結果は明確である。
問題はありません。	問題はない。
数値が増加しました。	数値が増加した。
その割合は高いです。	その割合は高い。

Notice 問題はない, not necessarily 問題ではない. The first means that no problem exists; the second commonly rejects an identification or assumption (“it is not a problem”). Formal style does not erase this difference in meaning.

において and における

Noun + において marks the setting, field, occasion, or abstract domain in which something happens. It is a formal counterpart to several uses of で, but it is not a universal replacement for で.

• 日本において少子化が進んでいる。
  The birth rate is declining in Japan.
• 会議において新方針が承認された。
  The new policy was approved at the meeting.

Before another noun, use the attributive form (a form that directly modifies a noun) における:

• 日本における教育の現状 — the current state of education in Japan
• 現代社会における情報の役割 — the role of information in modern society

Use ordinary で for concrete everyday actions when no elevated framing is needed: 図書館で本を読んだ is natural, while 図書館において本を読んだ sounds unnecessarily official unless the library is being treated as the site of a study or event.

に関して and に関する

Noun + に関して introduces the topic or object under discussion: “regarding,” “concerning,” or “with respect to.” It often takes は, も, or の:

• この問題に関して調査を行った。 — We conducted a study concerning this issue.
• 安全性に関しては、追加の検証が必要である。 — As for safety, further verification is necessary.
• 契約に関しての質問 — a question concerning the contract

Before a noun, に関する is usually the more compact and polished choice:

• 環境政策に関する報告書 — a report on environmental policy

Do not confuse this with について, the neutral and highly versatile “about.” に関して is more formal and often frames a defined issue, but it is not inherently more accurate. Repeating it in every sentence makes prose heavy.

Examples in Context

Japanese	English	Note
これは重要な問題である。	This is an important issue.	Noun predicate in である style
その主張は正しくない。	That claim is not correct.	い-adjective; no である needed
本研究の対象は大学生であった。	The participants in this study were university students.	Past noun predicate
初期の説明は十分ではなかった。	The initial explanation was not sufficient.	Past negative な-adjective
調査の結果、二つの要因が確認された。	As a result of the investigation, two factors were identified.	Plain past verb in formal prose
この傾向は今後も続くと考えられる。	This trend is expected to continue.	Impersonal academic phrasing
日本における教育の現状を分析する。	We analyze the current state of education in Japan.	における modifies 教育の現状
国際会議において新たな基準が採択された。	A new standard was adopted at the international conference.	Formal setting marked by において
この件に関して、説明いたします。	Regarding this matter, I will explain.	に関して can also occur in polite business speech
個人情報の取扱いに関しては、別紙を参照されたい。	Regarding the handling of personal data, please refer to the attachment.	Formal topic framing and written request
気候変動に関する報告書が公表された。	A report on climate change was published.	に関する directly modifies 報告書
データが不十分であるため、結論を出すことはできない。	Because the data are insufficient, no conclusion can be drawn.	である before ため
重要なのは、結果そのものではなく、その解釈である。	What matters is not the result itself, but its interpretation.	Balanced formal contrast

Common Mistakes

Adding である after every predicate

• Wrong: 利用者数が増加するである。
• Right: 利用者数が増加する。
• Why: 増加する is already a complete verb. である follows nouns and な-adjective stems, not a finite verb (a verb already marked for tense or polarity).

Treating い-adjectives like な-adjectives

• Wrong: この割合は高いである。
• Right: この割合は高い。
• Why: An い-adjective has its own ending. Compare 高い with the な-adjective 重要である.

Mixing styles without a reason

• Wrong: 本研究の目的は実態を明らかにすることである。次に、結果を説明します。
• Right: 本研究の目的は実態を明らかにすることである。次に、結果を説明する。
• Why: A sudden move from である体 to です・ます体 sounds unedited unless there is a deliberate change of voice, such as a quotation or direct instruction.

Replacing every で with において

• Unnatural: 自宅において昼食を食べた。
• Natural: 自宅で昼食を食べた。
• Why: において presents a place or domain as a formal setting. For an ordinary physical location and everyday action, で is normally better.

Using における as a complete adverbial phrase

• Wrong: 会議における、新案が承認された。
• Right: 会議において、新案が承認された。
• Also right: 会議における決定を公表した。
• Why: において connects to the predicate; における must modify a following noun.

Assuming “formal” always means である

• Poor choice in a courteous email: ご依頼の資料を送付する。
• Better: ご依頼の資料を送付いたします。
• Why: である体 is formal exposition, not the default style for politely addressing a customer, professor, or colleague. Courtesy often calls for です・ます and honorific language instead.

Usage Notes

Choose the style for the genre and audience

A university assignment may require である体, but requirements vary by department, publication, and instructor. Research papers frequently use it for the main argument. A presentation script may use です・ます because it addresses listeners directly, even when the accompanying paper uses である体. Public explanations and company websites also often prefer です・ます because it feels more approachable.

Official documents are not uniform either. Regulations and legal texts may use specialized patterns such as ものとする (“shall be”) and highly compressed noun phrases. Those belong to legal and official style rather than being automatic consequences of である体.

Formal vocabulary and sentence endings are separate choices

Expressions such as において, に関して, したがって, and ～と考えられる contribute to a formal tone, but more is not always better. Clear formal Japanese often alternates them with shorter forms such as で, について, and そのため. Choose the more formal expression when it clarifies the relationship or suits the genre, not simply to make every line sound difficult.

A sentence may end in a noun-like expression

Headings, captions, notes, and news prose sometimes omit the final copula: 今後の課題 (“future issues”) or 詳細は以下のとおり (“details are as follows”). This is 体言止め, ending with a noun or noun-like expression. It can add compression or emphasis, but frequent use in an essay can make the prose fragmentary.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

である inside a larger noun phrase

The formal copula is not limited to sentence endings. NであるN means roughly “an N that is N” and is useful when the relationship must be explicit:

• 責任者である田中氏 — Mr. Tanaka, who is the person responsible
• 主要因である人口減少 — population decline, which is the principal factor

This pattern is precise but can become dense. Depending on the meaning, 責任者の田中氏 may be simpler.

Embedded clauses and the choice between である and だ

Before と考える, と述べる, or ため, formal prose often retains である:

• 制度の見直しが必要であると考える。 — I consider a review of the system necessary.
• その方法が有効であるため、採用した。 — We adopted the method because it is effective.

In less formal plain prose, 必要だと考える is also grammatical. The distinction is stylistic, not a difference in truth or basic meaning.

Managing impersonality

Japanese formal writing often avoids repeatedly stating 私 or 私たち. A writer may use an inanimate topic, a passive construction, or a conventional expression:

• 本稿では三つの事例を検討する。 — This paper examines three cases.
• 三つの問題点が指摘されている。 — Three problems have been identified.
• 以上から、次のように結論づけられる。 — From the above, the following conclusion can be drawn.

Impersonality can suit academic argument, but it should not hide who made a decision or performed an action when responsibility matters. Clear formal writing is more important than mechanically avoiding people as subjects.

Nominalization and readability

Formal Japanese frequently uses nominalization, turning an action or quality into a noun-like unit, with こと, もの, or Sino-Japanese nouns:

• 参加者が減少した。 — Participation declined / the participants decreased.
• 参加者の減少が確認された。 — A decline in participant numbers was observed.

The second is more compact and report-like, but a chain of nouns can become hard to parse. Mix noun-heavy statements with direct verbs, and make relationships explicit with particles. Sophisticated prose is controlled and readable, not merely long.

Practice Tips

1. Convert by predicate type. Take a short です・ます paragraph and underline each final predicate. Change noun and な-adjective endings to である forms, but change verbs and い-adjectives to their plain forms. This prevents the common “add である everywhere” error.
2. Build paired phrases. Practise 日本において／日本における課題 and 環境政策に関して／環境政策に関する報告書. Saying both members of each pair helps you remember which form modifies a noun.
3. Do a register-only editing pass. After drafting an essay, search for です, ます, でした, ません, だ, and だった. Check each occurrence against your chosen style rather than replacing it blindly; quotations and direct reader instructions may legitimately differ.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Copula です/だ — provides the basic copula system that である体 extends.
• Related: News and Media Style — shows how plain endings, compression, and reporting conventions work in journalism.
• Next step: Rhetorical Devices — develops deliberate stylistic effects beyond neutral exposition.
• Next step: Academic Writing Style — expands from sentence endings to argument structure, evidence, citation, and academic stance.
• Next step: Legal and Official Language — covers specialized constructions used in laws, regulations, and administrative documents.