What does it mean word for word?
The term 出身 (shusshin) literally means one's place of origin or hometown.
Which one should you use?
The phrase オーストラリア出身です focuses on your origin. In contrast, Oosutoraria kara kimashita is another common way to express that you came from Australia.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form オーストラリア出身です is a polite and standard way to introduce your origin to others because of the desu at the end. For a more formal way to say "I come from Australia", you can use Watashi wa Orusutaria kara kimashita. For an informal situation, such as saying "Hey, I'm from Australia", you can use Ora, Orusutaria no shusshin da yo.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Japanese, the subject "I" (Watashi wa) is often omitted in a sentence when it is clear from the context that you are talking about yourself.
How do you pronounce it?
Oosutoraria shusshin desu
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the word 出身 is derived from the characters for 'exit' and 'birth'. It conceptually describes the point from which a person emerged into the world.
- While 出身 (shusshin) translates to 'origin', it is also used to describe the university someone graduated from. A person might say they are 東大出身 to mean they are a graduate of the University of Tokyo.
- When stating your origin, if you use the phrase から来ました (kara kimashita) instead of 出身です (shusshin desu), you could be describing where you just arrived from, such as a flight from Sydney, rather than where you were born.
Examples in context
- 私はオーストラリア出身です。I come from Australia.This example shows how to use the form オーストラリア出身です to state your origin.Tatoeba #161299 by mookeee, translation #253219 by CK
- 彼はオーストラリア出身です。Kare wa Ōsutoraria shusshin desu.He comes from Australia.
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are introducing themselves at a party.
- 蓮 Renはじめまして、蓮です。hajimemashite, ren desu.Nice to meet you, I'm Ren.
- 美咲 Misaki美咲です。どこから来ましたか？misaki desu. doko kara kimashita ka?I'm Misaki. Where are you from?
- 蓮 Ren私はオーストラリア出身です。watashi wa oosutoraria shussin desu.I come from Australia.
- 美咲 Misakiそうなんですね！いいですね。sou nan desu ne! ii desu ne.I see! That's great.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
