彼は
kare wa
The English phrase "he is" is expressed in Japanese as 彼は (kare wa).
彼は is used to identify a male person as the subject of a sentence. In Japanese, the verb "to be" (is/am/are) is often omitted in casual speech or implied by the context and the sentence-ending particle/noun, making 彼は a common way to start a sentence about a man.
How do you pronounce it?
kare wa
Did you know?
- The pronoun 彼 (kare) is used for 'he', but it also doubles as the Japanese word for 'boyfriend'. Using it in a sentence can sometimes create ambiguity about whether you are talking about a man or a romantic partner.
- The word 彼 was not always a pronoun for 'he'. In classical Japanese, it was used as a general demonstrative meaning 'that person' regardless of gender.
- The kanji 彼 is also used in the word 彼岸 'higan', which refers to the 'other shore' or the land of the dead in Buddhist tradition.
Examples in context
- 彼は名医だ。He is a good doctor.This sentence is useful for identifying someone as a good doctor.Tatoeba #99659 by bunbuku, translation #304039 by CK
- 彼は天才だ。He is a genius.This sentence is useful for identifying someone as a genius.Tatoeba #101933 by bunbuku, translation #301761 by CK
- 彼は早口だ。He is a fast speaker.This sentence is useful for describing someone as a fast speaker.Tatoeba #102852 by bunbuku, translation #300842 by CK
- 彼は先生です。He is a teacher.
- 彼は医者です。He is a doctor.
- 彼は学生です。He is a student.
- 彼は芸術家だ。He is an artist.
- 彼は頑張っている。He is doing his best.
- 1126 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hiyori and Yota are talking about a new classmate.
- 陽葵 Himariあの人は誰？Ano hito wa dare?Who is that person?
- 陽太 Yota彼は転校生だよ。Kare wa tenkousei dayo.He is a transfer student.
- 陽葵 Himariそうなんだ。親切そうな人だね。Sou nanda. Shinsetsu souna hito dane.I see. He looks like a kind person.
- 陽太 Yotaうん、とても優しいよ。Un, totemo yasashii yo.Yeah, he is very kind.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
