What form is あり?

Question

On the road outside my daughter's nursery is painted 保育園アリ. I guess this is a form of ある, but what's it called, and why is あり used not ある？

Answer 1

あり is a copula. It can end a sentence or be combined with other conjugate-able forms. In Modern Japanese, we can see a pre-masu form in place of TE-form where it acts like a conjunction. Sometimes these forms are also used to make things a bit more formal sounding.

Answer 2

あり is a copula. It can end a sentence or be combined with other conjugate-able forms. In Modern Japanese, we can see a pre-masu form in place of TE-form where it acts like a conjunction. Sometimes these forms are also used to make things a bit more formal sounding.