This means 'is' or 'was'. It is the casual way to say 〜です and 〜でした.
Noun + だPrimary
Noun + だったPrimary
な-Adjective + だ
な-Adjective + だった
This means 'is' or 'was'. It is the casual way to say 〜です and 〜でした.
昨日の試験、すごく簡単だった。
Yesterday's exam was really easy.
昔はここ、全然静かじゃなかったんだ。
This place wasn't quiet at all in the past.
彼は医者だが、専門は内科ではない。
He is a doctor, but his specialty is not internal medicine.
このゲーム、グラフィックは綺麗だけど、操作が複雑だ。
This game's graphics are beautiful, but the controls are complex.
This is different from "desu" and "deshita". Those are polite. You use them with people you do not know well. You also use them with people older than you. "Da" is casual. You use it with friends and family. Using "da" in polite talk can sound rude.
Watch out: Do not add "da" to i-adjectives. For example, saying "takai da" is wrong. I-adjectives already mean "is [adjective]". Just say "takai" for "is expensive".
Don't use this when asking a question. For example, say "元気なの?" not "元気だの?". You cannot drop だ in the middle of a sentence. You also cannot drop it in the past tense.
Use this when you want to state a fact strongly. It sounds like you are very sure. Men use it more often when speaking. In books, it is a normal way to end sentences.
Track your mastery
Kumi's KMT system tracks your mastery across kanji, vocabulary, grammar, and reading. Create a free account to use it on 220,000+ concepts.