Which one should you use?
While Watashi no namae wa Lily desu is a complete sentence, Watashi no namae wa Lily is an informal version. Additionally, males can use Boku no namae wa Lily to say "My name is Lily".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Watashi no namae wa Lily desu is a formal way to say "My name is Lily". In many social situations, simply saying リリーです is a more natural and common, polite way to introduce yourself than using the full Watashi no namae wa… construction. The informal version is Watashi no namae wa Lily.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase 私の名前はリリーです, the particle wa (は) marks 私の名前 (my name) as the topic of the sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
watashi no namae wa rirī desu
When do people say it?
When introducing yourself for the first time, it is standard practice to precede or follow your name with はじめまして (Nice to meet you). For a very formal introduction, you can say Watashi no namae wa Lily desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
Did you know?
- In Japan, your name is often less important than your social role. When introducing yourself, people frequently use their company name or job title instead of their personal name to establish their position in the social hierarchy.
- While watashi is the standard word for 'I', Japanese has dozens of other first-person pronouns that change based on the speaker's gender, age, and social status.
- When exchanging business cards during an introduction, you should hold the card with both hands and avoid covering the name of the person with your thumbs.
Examples in context
- 私の名前はリリーです。Watashi no namae wa Rirī desu.My name is Lily.
- 初めまして、私の名前はリリーです。Hajimemashite, watashi no namae wa Rirī desu.Nice to meet you, my name is Lily.
- 私の名前はリリーです。よろしくお願いします。Watashi no namae wa Rirī desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.My name is Lily. Pleased to meet you.
Example conversation
Two students meet for the first time at school.
- 健太 Kentaこんにちは！Konnichiwa!Hello!
- 結衣 Yuiこんにちは。私の名前はリリーです。Konnichiwa. Watashi no namae wa rirī desu.Hello. My name is Lily.
- 健太 Kentaリリーさんですね。よろしくお願いします。Rirī-san desu ne. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.You are Lily. Pleased to meet you.
- 結衣 Yuiこちらこそ、よろしくお願いします。Kochira koso, yoroshiku onegaishimasu.Likewise, pleased to meet you.
