存在します（そんざいします、sonzaishimasu）
- to exist

The Japanese word 存在します (そんざいします) means "to exist," "to be present," or "to exist." It indicates the presence or being of something, whether it's a physical object, an abstract concept, or a living being. It is a formal verb and is generally used in more formal settings. It is a polite form of the verb "to exist."

⚫︎この部屋には椅子が三つ存在します。 Translation: There are three chairs in this room. ⚫︎神は存在しますか？ Translation: Does God exist? ⚫︎問題はまだ存在します。 Translation: The problem still exists.

⚫︎You would use 存在します when you want to state that something is present or exists. ⚫︎It's common in formal situations, such as business meetings, formal writing, or when speaking to someone you respect. ⚫︎It is often used when speaking about something that is a fact, or considered a fact. ⚫︎For less formal situations, you can use the plain form 存在する or the more common あります (for inanimate objects) or います (for animate beings).

⚫︎This word is typically written as 存在します in kanji, with the reading in hiragana being そんざいします. ⚫︎The kanji is 存在. ⚫︎Variations in okurigana (the suffix hiragana) are not common. The stem is 存在. ⚫︎The plain form is 存在する. The casual form of the verb would be 存在する or ある.

⚫︎ある (for inanimate objects) ⚫︎いる (for animate beings) ⚫︎存在する (more formal, plain form) ⚫︎現れる (to appear, to come into existence - slightly different nuance)

⚫︎ない (does not exist, is not present) ⚫︎消滅する (to disappear, to become extinct)

この国には、美しい自然が存在します。 ・Translation: Beautiful nature exists in this country. ・Explanation: The sentence states the presence of beautiful nature in the country.

私たちの社会には、様々な問題が存在します。 ・Translation: Various problems exist in our society. ・Explanation: The sentence points out the existence of different issues within the society.

⚫︎存在 is a noun in Japanese that means "existence" or "presence". ⚫︎The verb します is a polite form of the verb "to do." ⚫︎Therefore, 存在します literally means "to do existence," conveying the idea of something existing.