である: Written Language (Part One)

Introduction

Welcome to another BIG lesson. This is one of those lessons that's really going to level up your understanding of Japanese. Some might argue that it's a bit early in your journey to spring this particular topic on you, but I think you're ready. No, I know you're ready. But I do hope you're prepared, and not feeling like having a super casual laid-back day or anything...

Literary style in Japanese

We've talked a fair bit about casual vs. formal Japanese so far, and I've even mentioned at several intervals that some formal expressions are most often found in so-called "written language", as opposed to "spoken language". So if you've been wondering exactly what constitutes "written language", you're in luck.