彼の名前は
kare no namae wa
The Japanese phrase for "his name is" is 彼の名前は (kare no namae wa).
This phrase is used to introduce the name of a male person. It functions as the topic of a sentence and is typically followed by a person's name and a verb such as です (is) or だ (is, informal).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the pronoun 彼 (he), the possessive particle の ('s), the noun 名前 (name) and the topic marker は ([topic marker]).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To say "His name is ~" politely, you would use 彼の名前は〜です. To say it informally, you would use 彼の名前は〜だ. It is worth noting that in very polite Japanese social contexts, referring to a third party using the pronoun 彼 can sometimes feel overly direct or slightly distancing compared to using the person's name or their professional title.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase acts as the subject or topic of the sentence. It is typically followed by the name of the person and a concluding verb to complete the thought.
How do you pronounce it?
kare no namae wa
Did you know?
- In Japanese, using the word 彼 (he) to refer to someone can sometimes sound like you are talking about a boyfriend or a lover rather than just a male acquaintance.
- There is a specific word 名乗り (nanori) that refers to the act of announcing one's name. In samurai culture, this was a formal ritual performed before a battle to identify oneself to an opponent.
- The pronoun 彼 (he) was not originally used as a personal pronoun in ancient Japanese. It was adopted into its current grammatical role during the modernization of the language to better translate Western texts.
Examples in context
- 彼の名前はトムだと思う。I believe his name is Tom.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase 彼の名前は.Tatoeba #8580380 by small_snow, translation #2294019 by CK
- 彼の名前は太郎ですHis name is Tarō.
- 彼の名前はケンです。Kare no namae wa Ken desu.His name is Ken.
- 彼の名前は分かりません。Kare no namae wa wakarimasen.I don't know his name.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Hiroto are looking at a photo of a mutual friend.
- 結衣 Yuiこの人は誰ですか？Kono hito wa dare desu ka?Who is this person?
- 大翔 Hiroto彼の名前は佐藤さんです。Kare no namae wa Satō-san desu.His name is Mr. Sato.
- 結衣 Yui佐藤さんですね。知っています。Satō-san desu ne. Shitte imasu.Mr. Sato, right? I know him.
- 大翔 Hirotoいいですね。とても親切な人ですよ。Ii desu ne. Totemo shinsetsu na hito desu yo.That's good. He is a very kind person.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
