信じます（しんじます、shinjimasu）
- to believe

The Japanese word 信じます, read しんじます, means "to believe," "to trust," or "to have faith in" something or someone. It implies accepting something as true or reliable, even without concrete proof or evidence. The nuance can range from believing in a person's words, to believing in a concept or idea, or even believing in a higher power. 信じます is the polite, ます-form of the verb 信じる (しんじる).

⚫︎彼を信じます。 Translation: I believe him. ⚫︎あなたの言うことを信じます。 Translation: I believe what you say. ⚫︎将来を信じます。 Translation: I believe in the future.

⚫︎You would use 信じます when expressing your belief, trust, or faith in someone or something. ⚫︎It's suitable for various contexts, from personal relationships to more abstract beliefs. ⚫︎The subject of the sentence (who is believing) is often implied or clear from context. ⚫︎You can use it in both formal and informal situations, though the specific level of politeness will depend on the overall sentence structure and other words used.

⚫︎The base form, 信じる, is written in kanji as 信じる. ⚫︎The polite, ます-form, 信じます, is written in kanji 信 and hiragana じます. ⚫︎There are no variations in okurigana (the suffix hiragana) for the ます-form.

⚫︎信用する (しんようする) - to trust, to have confidence in ⚫︎信頼する (しんらいする) - to trust, to rely on ⚫︎確信する (かくしんする) - to believe firmly, to be convinced ⚫︎Depending on the context, you might also use words expressing faith, such as 信ずる (しんずる) which is a more formal way of saying 信じます.

⚫︎疑う (うたがう) - to doubt ⚫︎不信感を持つ (ふしんかんをもつ) - to feel distrust ⚫︎信じない (しんじない) - to not believe (negative form)

私は彼の言葉を信じます。彼はいつも正直です。 ・Translation: I believe his words. He is always honest. ・Explanation: This sentence expresses belief in someone's honesty and words.

私はこの計画が成功すると信じます。 ・Translation: I believe that this plan will succeed. ・Explanation: This sentence expresses belief in the success of a plan.

The word 信じる (しんじる) is composed of the kanji 信 (しん) which means "trust," "faith," or "believe," and the verb suffix じる, which is a common conjugation. The kanji 信 itself is a combination of two radicals: 人 (person) and 言 (word/speech), representing the idea of believing in someone's words or a person's trustworthiness.