How to Say “There Is” and “There Are” in Japanese: あります and います

To say that something or someone exists somewhere in Japanese, beginners need two expressions: あります (arimasu) and います (imasu). By the end of this lesson, you will know which one to use for objects, places, animals and people, and you will be able to describe what is around you.

What does it mean?

Both verbs say that something exists. あります (arimasu) means “there is,” “there are,” or “exists.” います (imasu) also means “there is” or “there are,” or that someone “is here.” The important difference is what you are talking about.

Use あります (arimasu) for things that are not alive, such as shops, books, chairs and buildings: コンビニがあります (konbini ga arimasu), “There is a convenience store,” or ほんがあります (hon ga arimasu), “There is a book.”

Use います (imasu) for people and animals: ともだちがいます (tomodachi ga imasu), “There is a friend” or “I have a friend,” and ねこがいます (neko ga imasu), “There is a cat.”

A useful beginner rule: people and animals take います (imasu); places and objects take あります (arimasu).

When would you use it?

You will use あります (arimasu) and います (imasu) whenever you describe what exists or what can be found somewhere.

Imagine someone asks what is near your hotel. You could say コンビニがあります (konbini ga arimasu): There is a convenience store. At home, you might say ねこがいます (neko ga imasu): There is a cat, or I have a cat. At school, you might say せんせいがいます (sensei ga imasu): The teacher is here.

You can also combine these expressions with simple location words: ここ (koko), here; そこ (soko), there; and あそこ (asoko), over there. For example, あそこにカフェがあります (asoko ni kafe ga arimasu) means “There is a café over there.”

Examples

Start with objects and places. Each of these lines uses あります, because nothing in it is alive:

1. コンビニがありますKonbini ga arimasu.There is a convenience store.
2. ここにトイレがありますKoko ni toire ga arimasu.There is a bathroom here.
3. あそこにカフェがありますAsoko ni kafe ga arimasu.There is a café over there.

Tell someone that a convenience store is available nearby, show where a bathroom can be found, or point out a café to a friend while walking.

Now switch to living things. The verb changes to います:

1. ねこがいますNeko ga imasu.There is a cat / I have a cat.
2. ここにせんせいがいますKoko ni sensei ga imasu.The teacher is here.
3. こうえんにこどもがいますKouen ni kodomo ga imasu.There are children in the park.

The first line says a cat is present or, with the right context, that you have one. The second is useful at school when telling someone where the teacher is, and the third describes people you can see in a park.

Location phrases work with both verbs. The choice still depends on what exists:

1. つくえのうえにほんがありますTsukue no ue ni hon ga arimasu.There is a book on the desk.
2. うちにいぬがいますUchi ni inu ga imasu.There is a dog at my house / I have a dog.

A book on the desk takes あります; a dog that lives at your home takes います.

How to make your own sentence

Start with the simplest pattern: thing + が (ga) + あります (arimasu), as in コンビニがあります (konbini ga arimasu), “There is a convenience store.” For a person or animal, use person or animal + が (ga) + います (imasu), as in いぬがいます (inu ga imasu), “There is a dog.”

To say where something is, put the place first with に: place + に (ni) + thing + が (ga) + あります (arimasu). ここにホテルがあります (koko ni hoteru ga arimasu) means “There is a hotel here.”

People and animals follow the same shape with います: place + に (ni) + person or animal + が (ga) + います (imasu). こうえんにともだちがいます (kouen ni tomodachi ga imasu) means “My friend is in the park.”

Similar expressions

あります (arimasu) vs います (imasu)

Both can express that something exists, but you choose between them based on what exists.

ほんがあります (hon ga arimasu) means “There is a book,” while ねこがいます (neko ga imasu) means “There is a cat.”

Do not use あります (arimasu) for a person simply because that person is standing still. People and animals use います (imasu).

あります (arimasu) vs です (desu)

です (desu) identifies or describes something: これはホテルです (kore wa hoteru desu), “This is a hotel.” あります (arimasu) says that something exists: ホテルがあります (hoteru ga arimasu), “There is a hotel.”

Compare これはカフェです (kore wa kafe desu), “This is a café,” with ここにカフェがあります (koko ni kafe ga arimasu), “There is a café here.”

Common mistakes

1. Using あります (arimasu) for a person

Not せんせいがあります (sensei ga arimasu), but せんせいがいます (sensei ga imasu): There is a teacher, or the teacher is here. Use います (imasu) for people.

2. Using います (imasu) for an object

Not ほんがいます (hon ga imasu), but ほんがあります (hon ga arimasu): There is a book. Use あります (arimasu) for ordinary objects.

3. Forgetting that animals use います (imasu)

Not いぬがあります (inu ga arimasu), but いぬがいます (inu ga imasu): There is a dog. Animals are grouped with people for this pattern.

4. Confusing “This is…” with “There is…”

これはコンビニです (kore wa konbini desu) means “This is a convenience store.” コンビニがあります (konbini ga arimasu) means “There is a convenience store.” Use です (desu) to identify something. Use あります (arimasu) to say that it exists or is available.

Practise saying it

Say these three lines aloud. Listen for which verb each one ends with:

1. コンビニがありますKonbini ga arimasu.There is a convenience store.
2. ここにトイレがありますKoko ni toire ga arimasu.There is a bathroom here.
3. ねこがいますNeko ga imasu.There is a cat.

For the substitution exercise, start with this frame:

Replace the blank with ねこ (neko), cat; いぬ (inu), dog; ともだち (tomodachi), friend; or せんせい (sensei), teacher. Then change います (imasu) to あります (arimasu) and try objects: ほん (hon), book; いす (isu), chair; or テーブル (teeburu), table.

In this short role-play, one person asks whether there is a convenience store nearby and the other points it out:

1. AこのちかくにコンビニがありますかRomaji: Kono chikaku ni konbini ga arimasu ka.Meaning: Is there a convenience store near here?
2. Bはい、ありますRomaji: Hai, arimasu.Meaning: Yes, there is.
3. AどこですかRomaji: Doko desu ka.Meaning: Where is it?
4. BあそこですRomaji: Asoko desu.Meaning: It is over there.

The answer はい、あります repeats only the verb from the question.

Now answer this personal question:

Try answering with うちに ___ があります (uchi ni ___ ga arimasu): There is a ___ in my home.

Quick quiz

1. Which do you use for a dog: あります (arimasu) or います (imasu)?
2. How do you say “There is a convenience store”?
3. Complete the sentence: ここ___トイレがあります (koko ___ toire ga arimasu).
4. Is せんせいがあります (sensei ga arimasu) correct for “There is a teacher”?
5. What is the basic difference between これはホテルです (kore wa hoteru desu) and ホテルがあります (hoteru ga arimasu)?

Answers

1. います (imasu), because a dog is an animal.
2. コンビニがあります (konbini ga arimasu): There is a convenience store.
3. に (ni): ここにトイレがあります (koko ni toire ga arimasu): There is a bathroom here.
4. No. Use せんせいがいます (sensei ga imasu): There is a teacher.
5. これはホテルです (kore wa hoteru desu) means “This is a hotel.” ホテルがあります (hoteru ga arimasu) means “There is a hotel.”

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between あります and います in Japanese?

Use あります (arimasu) for things such as objects, buildings and places, and います (imasu) for people and animals. ほんがあります (hon ga arimasu) means “There is a book”; ひとがいます (hito ga imasu) means “There is a person.”

How do you say “There is” in Japanese?

There are two common choices: あります (arimasu) for things, and います (imasu) for people and animals. Japanese does not use one expression for every situation in the same way English uses “there is.”

How do you ask “Is there a convenience store?” in Japanese?

Say コンビニがありますか (konbini ga arimasu ka): Is there a convenience store? To ask whether one is nearby, say このちかくにコンビニがありますか (kono chikaku ni konbini ga arimasu ka): Is there a convenience store near here?

Do cats and dogs use あります or います?

Use います (imasu): ねこがいます (neko ga imasu), “There is a cat,” and いぬがいます (inu ga imasu), “There is a dog.” For this beginner rule, animals are treated like people rather than objects.

Can います mean “I have”?

In some situations, yes. きょうだいがいます (kyoudai ga imasu) means “I have siblings,” and いぬがいます (inu ga imasu) means “I have a dog.”

Japanese can express having a person or animal by saying that the person or animal exists in relation to you. The surrounding conversation makes the intended meaning clear.

Why is に used with places?

In sentences such as ここにカフェがあります (koko ni kafe ga arimasu), “there is a café here,” に (ni) marks the place where the café exists. For now, remember the useful pattern: place + に (ni) + thing + が (ga) + あります / います (arimasu / imasu).

You can build the words needed for these sentences with the YapaneseAI vocabulary lessons.

Continue learning

Next, learn location words such as うえ (ue): above / on, した (shita): below / under, なか (naka): inside, and となり (tonari): next to. These let you move from saying that something exists to explaining exactly where it is.

You can also practise more beginner Japanese through the YapaneseAI learning hub.

If reading the examples is still difficult, study YapaneseAI kana lessons alongside your speaking practice.