私は学生です
watashi wa gakusei desu
In Japanese, "I am a student" is said as 私は学生です (watashi wa gakusei desu).
This phrase is used to state that your current occupation or status is that of a student. In natural Japanese conversation, the subject watashi wa is often omitted if it is clear from the context that you are talking about yourself, leaving just 学生です.
What does it mean word for word?
The sentence is built from the pronoun watashi (I), the topic marker wa, the noun gakusei (student) and the polite copula desu (am).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
私は学生です is a formal way to say "I am a student." For a more casual approach, males may use Ore wa gakusei da, where ore is a masculine pronoun and da is the casual form of desu. Males in informal contexts may also use the pronoun boku, and replacing watashi with boku makes the sentence sound more casual, as seen in 僕は学生です.
How does it change in a sentence?
To change the sentence to the past tense, replace desu with deshita to say "was a student" (学生でした). To make the sentence negative, replace desu with dewa arimasen to say "am not a student" (学生ではありません).
How do you pronounce it?
watashi wa gakusei desu
Did you know?
- While 'student' is a general term, a person specifically studying for a difficult entrance exam might call themselves a ronin, which literally means 'person without a master'.
- In many Japanese schools, students refer to themselves using their own names instead of pronouns like watashi, which might sound strange to English speakers.
- The word gakusei uses the kanji for 'study' and 'life', suggesting a student is someone whose very life is centered around the act of learning.
Examples in context
- 私は学生です。I am a student.Tatoeba #157843 by arnab, translation #252287 by CK
- 私は学生ですが、兄は会社員です。I am a student, but my older brother is a company employee.Tatoeba #10989337 by small_snow, translation #12143697 by end
Example conversation
Two acquaintances meet at a local cafe.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太さんは、お仕事は何ですか？Yota-san wa, oshigoto wa nan desu ka?Yota, what is your job?
- 陽太 Yota私は学生です。Watashi wa gakusei desu.I am a student.
- 美咲 Misakiそうなんですね。勉強、頑張ってくださいね。Sou nan desu ne. Benkyou, ganbatte kudasai ne.I see. Good luck with your studies.
- 陽太 Yotaありがとうございます。Arigatou gozaimasu.Thank you very much.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
