Module 6.1 Dialogue

Title

Ms. Suzuki introduces herself after Mr. Tanaka asks for her name


Language Script and Translation
Japanese
 1 田中: はじめまして。田中です。お名前は何ですか。 

2 鈴木: 私は 鈴木です。よろしくお願いします。 

3 田中: よろしくお願いします。 

*Click on the kanji with a dotted line to read its furigana
Romanization
 1 Tanaka: Hajimemashite. Tanaka desu. Onamae wa nan desuka?

2 Suzuki: Watashi wa Suzuki desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

3 Tanaka: Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
English translation
 1 Tanaka: How do you do! I am Tanaka. What is your name?

2 Suzuki: I am Suzuki. Nice to meet you.

3 Tanaka: Nice to meet you!

Vocabulary

 Audio Japanese Romanization Kanji English
なん nan 何 what
か ka question word (particle)
なんですか nan desu ka 何ですか what is it?
わたし watashi 私 I

Grammar Notes

1. X は Y です (X wa Y desu)

This sentence pattern can be translated as “As for X, it is Y” or “X = Y”.  

私はBです。
Watashi wa B desu.
“I am B.” or  “My name is B.”
私 = B

In Japanese,  私 (watashi), the subject of the sentence, is often omitted and not mentioned in a sentence. For example,

Bです。
B desu.
“I am B.” or  “My name is B.”

Note: は (written as “wa”, but pronounced as “ha”) is a “topic marker” particle.

 

2. お名前は何ですか (onamae wa nan desuka?)

“お名前は何ですか (onamae wa nan desuka?)” is using the X は Y です (X wa Y desu) sentence pattern.

This sentence means “What is your name?” Literally, it means “As for your name, what is it?” or “Regarding your name, what is it?”

X is お名前 (name).

Y is 何 (what).

Literally, it means “Your name = what?”

か, a particle functioning as a question marker, is added to the end of a sentence to ask a question.

When answering the question, Tanaka, for example,  would say

田中です。(Tanaka desu.)

or 田中と申します。(Tanaka to moushimasu.)

 

definition

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Step-by-Step Japanese 1 Copyright © by MYsensei. All Rights Reserved.

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