わたしは あめりかじんです
Watashi wa amerikajin desupolite, everyday
In hiragana, "I am American" is わたしは あめりかじんです (Watashi wa amerikajin desu) (watashi wa amerikajin desu). The shorter あめりかじんです (amerikajin desu) works too when it is clear who is speaking. It is also called ぼくは あめりかじんです (Boku wa amerikajin desu).
Meaning: a statement of nationality (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| わたしは あめりかじんです | Watashi wa amerikajin desu | polite, everyday |
| ぼくは あめりかじんです | Boku wa amerikajin desu | polite, male speaker |
| あめりかじんです | Amerikajin desu | polite, short |
What does it mean word for word?
わたし (watashi) is "I", は (wa) marks the topic, あめりか (amerika) is "America", じん (jin) means "person from" and です (desu) is the polite "is".
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle は is written with the character は but pronounced "wa". This is the topic marker. Many speakers leave out わたしは when the subject is obvious.
When do people say it?
Japanese normally writes foreign place names in katakana, so you will usually see アメリカ in books and signs. The hiragana form shown here is the reading for learners.
Did you know?
- The じん (jin) ending can be added to most country names to say a person from there, for example ちゅうごくじん (chūgokujin) for a Chinese person.
Examples in context
- わたしは あめりかじんです。Watashi wa amerikajin desu.I am American.
- ぼくは あめりかじんで、がくせいです。Boku wa amerikajin de, gakusei desu.I am American and a student.
- あめりかじんですか。Amerikajin desu ka.Are you American?
Example conversation
Jake meets Mari at an international event in Osaka.
- Mariはじめまして。マリです。Hajimemashite. Mari desu.Nice to meet you. I am Mari.
- Jakeはじめまして。わたしは あめりかじんです。Hajimemashite. Watashi wa amerikajin desu.Nice to meet you. I am American.
- Mariそうですか。よろしく おねがいします。Sō desu ka. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.I see. Pleased to meet you.
