これは日本語で何と言いますか？
kore wa nihongo de nan to iimasu ka?
The English phrase "how do you say this in japanese?" is translated into Japanese as これは日本語で何と言いますか？ (kore wa nihongo de nan to iimasu ka?)
This phrase is a question used to ask for the translation of a specific word or phrase into Japanese. To ask about a specific object you are pointing at, use kore (this). To ask about a word you have written down, you might replace kore with kono kotoba (this word).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase breaks down literally as 'this (kore) [topic marker] (wa) Japanese (nihongo) in (de) what (nan) [quotation particle] (to) say (iimasu) [question marker] (ka)?'
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For more casual situations, such as speaking with friends, peers or classmates, you can use the informal versions これ日本語で何って言うの？ or 日本語では、何て言うの？ If you wish to ask for guidance or instruction very politely, you can use ご教示頂けますか？, which means "Could you please teach me?"
How does it change in a sentence?
In this phrase, the particle で (de) is used to indicate the medium or language in which the expression is made.
How do you pronounce it?
kore wa nihongo de nan to iimasu ka?
Did you know?
- When asking this phrase, many Japanese learners use the word sensei (teacher) after the listener's name to show respect. Even if you are not in a classroom, calling someone 'Teacher' is a common way to acknowledge their expertise in the language.
- In Japan, if you use the very polite version ご教示頂けますか？ (gokyouji itadakemasu ka), you are using language typically reserved for business emails or formal letters. Using it in a casual street conversation might make the listener feel confused or overly pressured.
- The word 日本語 (nihongo) contains the character 語 (go), which is used as a suffix for almost all languages in Japanese, such as 英語 (eigo) for English.
Examples in context
- ご教示頂けますか？ (Gokyoji itadakemasu ka?)Could you please teach me?
- これ日本語で何って言うの？ (Kore nihongo de nante iu no?)What is this called in Japanese?
- 日本語では、何て言うの？ (Nihongo de wa, nante iu no?)What do you call this in Japanese?
- これは日本語で何と言いますか？Kore wa Nihongo de nan to iimasu ka?How do you say this in Japanese?
- すみません、これは日本語で何と言いますか？Sumimasen, kore wa Nihongo de nan to iimasu ka?Excuse me, how do you say this in Japanese?
Example conversation
Misaki is asking Hiroto about a word in a textbook.
- 美咲 Misaki大翔さん、これは日本語で何と言いますか？Hiroto-san, kore wa Nihongo de nan to iimasu ka?Hiroto, how do you say this in Japanese?
- 大翔 Hirotoそれは「猫」と言います。Sore wa "neko" to iimasu.That is called "neko".
- 美咲 Misakiなるほど、ありがとうございます。Naruhodo, arigatou gozaimasu.I see, thank you.
- 大翔 Hirotoいえいえ、どういたしまして。Iie iie, douitashimashite.No problem, you're welcome.
