ニュージーランド出身です
nyūjīrando shusshin desu
To say "I am from New Zealand" in Japanese, use ニュージーランド出身です (nyūjīrando shusshin desu).
This phrase is used to state that New Zealand is the place where a person was born or grew up.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ニュージーランド出身です is composed of ニュージーランド (New Zealand), 出身 (origin/birthplace) and the polite copula です (is).
Which one should you use?
The phrase ニュージーランドから来ました (nyūjīrando kara kimashita) is a common alternative meaning "I came from New Zealand."
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form ニュージーランド出身です is a polite, standard way to introduce yourself to strangers or in professional settings due to the use of です. For a more informal and conversational tone suitable for friends or peers, you can replace です with だよ to say ニュージーランド出身だよ. In very casual settings, one might use Ore wa nyūjīrando shusshin.
How do you pronounce it?
nyūjīrando shusshin desu
Did you know?
- The word 出身 (shusshin) is used so broadly that a person can state their 'origin' as a specific university or company, not just a geographic birthplace.
- In Japanese, names of foreign countries like ニュージーランド are written in Katakana, a script used specifically for loanwords and foreign names to distinguish them from native Japanese words.
- When saying 出身です, a slight nod of the head is often accompanying the phrase to signal politeness and humility during a first meeting.
Examples in context
- ニュージーランド出身です。Nyūjīrando shusshin desu.I am from New Zealand.
- 彼はニュージーランド出身です。Kare wa Nyūjīrando shusshin desu.He is from New Zealand.
Example conversation
Two people are introducing themselves at a language exchange meetup.
- 美咲 Misakiはじめまして、美咲です。Hajimemashite, Misaki desu.Nice to meet you, I am Misaki.
- 陽太 Yotaはじめまして、陽太です。ニュージーランド出身です。Hajimemashite, Yōta desu. Nyūjīrando shusshin desu.Nice to meet you, I am Yota. I am from New Zealand.
- 美咲 Misakiそうですか！素敵ですね。Sō desu ka! Suteki desu ne.Is that so! That's lovely.
- 陽太 Yotaありがとうございます。Arigatō gozaimasu.Thank you.
