私は
watashi wa
The phrase "I am" in Japanese is expressed as 私は (watashi wa).
私は is used to introduce oneself or state a quality about oneself. In natural Japanese conversation, 私は is frequently omitted entirely if the context makes it clear that you are talking about yourself.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 私 (watashi) literally means "I" or "me".
How do you pronounce it?
watashi wa
Did you know?
- The word うち (uchi), meaning 'house' or 'inside', is often used as a replacement for 私は by women and people from the Kansai region.
- Historically, there were dozens of ways to say 'I' depending on whether the speaker was a samurai, a monk or a court lady.
- The particle は in 私は is often pronounced as 'wa' instead of 'ha', even though it is written with the character for 'ha' in the Japanese writing system.
Examples in context
- 私は幸せだ。I am happy.This sentence is useful for expressing a state of being using 私は.Tatoeba #157160 by tommy_san, translation #436371 by lukaszpp
- 私は猫です。I am a cat.This sentence is useful for identifying oneself using 私は.Tatoeba #3456487 by e4zh1nmcz, translation #2068388 by shekitten
- 私は背が高い。I am tall.This sentence is useful for describing a physical attribute using 私は.Tatoeba #154632 by bunbuku, translation #436275 by lukaszpp
- 451 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people meeting at a social gathering.
- 陽太 Yotaはじめまして。私は陽太です。Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Youta desu.Nice to meet you. I am Youta.
- 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美咲さんは学生ですか？Misaki-san wa gakusei desu ka?Are you a student, Misaki?
- 美咲 Misakiはい、大学生です。Hai, daigakusei desu.Yes, I am a college student.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
