彼女の名前は
kanojo no namae wa
The Japanese phrase for "her name is" is 彼女の名前は (kanojo no namae wa).
The phrase 彼女の名前は is used to introduce the name of a female person.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 彼女 (kanojo, her), の (no, possessive particle), 名前 (namae, name) and は (wa, topic marker).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Ending the phrase with the topic marker は without a following verb is common in very casual, elliptical speech. For a polite, complete sentence suitable for most social situations, you should add です to the end of the phrase to form 彼女の名前は…です.
How do you pronounce it?
kanojo no namae wa
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers may mistakenly use 彼女 to mean 'she' in a way that sounds overly formal or slightly unnatural in Japanese, as Japanese often omits pronouns once the subject is known.
Did you know?
- If you use 彼女 to refer to a woman in a professional setting, it can sound like you are referring to a romantic partner or a 'girlfriend'. This is because 彼女 is a common way to say 'girlfriend' in Japanese.
- The phrase 彼女の名前は is more common in translated Western literature and movies than in indigenous Japanese speech, where the subject is typically implied.
- In Japanese culture, it is often considered more polite to introduce someone by their role, such as 'the doctor' or 'the manager', rather than using 'her name is' to introduce them.
Examples in context
- 彼女の名前はルシフェラ。Her name is Lucifera.This sentence is useful for introducing the name of a person using 彼女の名前は.Tatoeba #14024033 by Shiomizukidesu, translation #309791 by Barbiche0
- 彼女の名前は山田です。Her name is Yamada.
- 彼女の名前は分かりません。Kanojo no namae wa wakarimasen.I don't know her name.
Example conversation
Yota and Misaki are looking at a photo of a friend.
- 陽太 Yotaこの人は誰ですか？Kono hito wa dare desu ka?Who is this person?
- 美咲 Misaki彼女の名前はさくらです。Kanojo no namae wa Sakura desu.Her name is Sakura.
- 陽太 Yotaいい名前ですね。Ii namae desu ne.That is a nice name.
- 美咲 Misakiそうですね。Sou desu ne.It is, isn't it?
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
