私の娘
watashi no musume
In Japanese, "my daughter" is said as 私の娘 (watashi no musume).
This phrase is used to refer to a female child of the speaker.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the first-person pronoun watashi, the possessive particle no and the word for daughter musume.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
私の娘 is a formal way to say "my daughter".
How does it change in a sentence?
In many contexts, the possessive watashi no can be omitted if it is already clear from the context that you are talking about your own daughter.
How do you pronounce it?
watashi no musume
Did you know?
- If you were to refer to someone else's daughter with high respect, you would use the honorific prefix お (o) to create お嬢さん (ojousan), a term that carries a much more polite and respectful nuance than simply saying 'daughter'.
- While musume means 'daughter', it is also used as a general term for 'young woman' or 'maiden'. In certain contexts, referring to a stranger as musume can sound like a description of her youth rather than her family role.
- In very formal or humble speech, saying watashi no can sound too assertive. Parents often omit the possessive and simply say musume.
Examples in context
- 彼女は私の娘だ。She's my daughter.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of 私の娘.Tatoeba #8435581 by Shigure, translation #724401 by CM
- この子は私の娘です。This is my daughter.Tatoeba #2213085 by bunbuku, translation #61484 by CK
- 私の娘はたった４歳だ。My daughter is only four.Tatoeba #8761859 by small_snow, translation #8761775 by Amastan
- Watashi no musume wa totemo yasashii hito desu. (私の娘はとても優しい人です。)My daughter is a very kind person.
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two acquaintances are talking about their children at a park.
- 美咲 Misaki私の娘も、あそこで遊んでいます。Watashi no musume mo, asoko de asonde imasu.My daughter is also playing over there.
- 蓮 Ren本当ですね。とても元気な女の子ですね。Hontou desu ne. Totemo genki na onnanoko desu ne.That's true. She is a very energetic girl.
- 美咲 Misakiはい、いつも走り回っています。Hai, itsumo hashi mawatte imasu.Yes, she is always running around.
- 蓮 Ren可愛いですね。Kawaii desu ne.She is cute.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
