Lesson 3: Introducing Yourself

Expressions

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I'm from ...
I'm from Brazil.	Burajiru kara kimashita.
South Korea	Kankoku kara kimashita.
China	Chūgoku kara kimashita.
Australia	Ōsutoraria kara kimashita.
U. S. A.	Amerika kara kimashita.
kara: from kimashita: came
See Nations page for other countries.

Nationality
I am Japanese.	Watashi wa Nihon-jin desu.
Is Ms. Wang Australian?	Wan-san wa Ōsutoraria-jin desuka?
He is not American	Kare wa Amerika-jin dewa arimasen.
What nationality is she?	Kanojo wa Nani-jin desuka?
watashi: I / anata: you / kare: he / kanojo: she Country name + jin = nationality Nihon-jin: Japanese Nani-jin desuka?: What nationality?

Profession
We are also students.	Watashi tachi mo gakusei desu.
Are they also engineers?	Kare ra mo enjinia desuka?
Are you (all) also officeworkers?	Anata tachi mo kaishain desuka?
watashi tachi: we / anata tachi: you (all) / kare ra: they (men) / kanojo tachi: they (women) mo: also (comes after the subject instead of "wa") gakusei: student kaishain: office worker enjinia: engineer Hai, so desu.: Yes, it is so. Iie, chigai masu.: No, it isn't so.

Name
His name is Paul.	kare no namae wa Pōru desu.
What is (your) name?	Onamae wa nan desuka?
What is her name?	Kanojo no namae wa nan desuka?
What is (your) job?	Oshigoto wa nan desuka?
What is Ms.Wang's job?	Wan-san no shigoto wa nan desuka?
noun + no = possessive watashi no: my / anata no: your / kare no: his / kanojo no: her namae: name shigoto: job onamae wa nandesuka?: What is (your) name? oshigoto wa nandesuka?: What is (your) job? "o" (prefix to make the word polite) is usually attached when you ask name or job directly to the person.

Who?
Who is that person?	Ano hito wa dare desuka?
Who are those people?	Ano hito tachi wa dare desuka?
Who is her boyfriend?	Kanojo no boifurendo wa dare desuka?
hito: person / hito tachi: people kono (hito): this (person) / sono (hito): that (person) / ano (hito): that (person) dare: who tomodachi: friend kazoku: family bōifurendo: boyfriend / gārufurendo: girlfriend

Whose?
Whose pen is this?	Kore wa dare no pen desuka?
Whose friend is he?	Kare wa dare no tomodachi desuka?
It's not his family's book.	Sore wa kare no kazoku no hon dewa arimasen.
pen: pen hon: book dare no: whose

Basic Rules

Articles and Nouns

Japanese language does not have articles (a, an, the).

You can assume that nouns don't change the form. Basically, there is no plural form, and no gender (feminine, masculine, neuter etc.).

In English, "apple" can be "an apple", "apples" or "the apple". In Japanese, it is just "apple". To mention how many, you say "one apple", "two apple" or "many apple"...

Verbs

Verbs don't change the form depending on the person or the number of the subject.

In English, "I am", "he or she is" and "we, you or they are", and also "I speak" and "he or she speaks". There is no such changes in Japanese.

But they do change the form for other purposes such as tense (past, present, present progressive, etc.). You will learn more in the following lessons.

Communication Tips

Business Card

If you are a business person, you definately should bring your business card (with the Japanese translation on the back side if possible). It is a must-have item in Japan. Even many of collage students have it.

People exchange their business cards at the first meetings - not only for the business, but also for the personal relationships. The following are some tips to give a good impression to your potential clients.

When you hand your card, the card should be readable from the receiver (upside down from yourself).

Receive the card with both hands. Treat it as a valuable thing, and don't put it into your pocket right away without a glance.

While business meetings, people usually put client's cards on the table so that you know who is sitting on which seat.

Drill Exercise