私は看護師です
watashi wa kangoshi desu
To say "I am a nurse" in Japanese, use 私は看護師です (watashi wa kangoshi desu).
This phrase is used to state that your profession is nursing. In conversation, it is common to omit the subject 私は and simply say 看護師です to remain polite and natural.
What does it mean word for word?
私 (watashi) means "I", 看護師 (kangoshi) literally means "nursing professional" and です (desu) is the copula meaning "is/am/are".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For an informal way to say the same thing, you can say Watashi wa kangoshi or use the casual copula da instead of desu.
How does it change in a sentence?
To change the sentence from the present tense to the past tense ("I was a nurse"), replace desu with deshita to form 看護師でした.
How do you pronounce it?
watashi wa kangoshi desu
Did you know?
- While 看護師 is the standard professional term, you might hear the word ナース (nāsu), which is the English loanword 'nurse' written in Katakana. This is often used in more casual or pop-culture contexts, such as in anime or manga.
- While 看護師 (kangoshi) is the gender-neutral term used today, you may still see the older term 看護婦 (kangofu) in literature or old films, which specifically referred to female nurses.
- The word 看護 (kango) in 看護師 is composed of two characters: 'kan' (to look after) and 'go' (to guard or protect). Together, they create a concept of 'care and protection' that is much more active than the simple English label of a job title.
Examples in context
- 私は看護師です。I am a nurse.This sentence is useful for stating your profession.Tatoeba #2257000 by tommy_san, translation #1864720 by gleydin
- はい、私は看護師です。Hai, watashi wa kangoshi desu.Yes, I am a nurse.
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are introducing themselves at a community gathering.
- 蓮 Ren美咲さんは、お仕事は何ですか？Misaki-san wa, oshigoto wa nan desu ka?Misaki, what is your job?
- 美咲 Misaki私は看護師です。蓮さんは？Watashi wa kangoshi desu. Ren-san wa?I am a nurse. How about you, Ren?
- 蓮 Ren私はエンジニアです。Watashi wa enjinia desu.I am an engineer.
- 美咲 Misakiそうなんですね。Sou nan desu ne.I see.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
