私の国籍
watashi no kokuseki
The Japanese phrase for "my nationality" is 私の国籍 (watashi no kokuseki).
While 私の国籍 refers to the legal status of one's citizenship, there are other common ways to express your nationality in conversation. You can say Watashi wa [country name] jin desu. to formally state "I am [nationality]." To express your identity in a more specific way, you can use the pattern Watashi wa [country name] no [folk name] desu, which means "I am [folk name] from [country name]."
What does it mean word for word?
The term 国籍 (kokuseki) literally means "nationality" or "citizenship."
Is it said differently in some regions?
The phrase Watashi wa [country name] no [folk name] desu. can be used to express that you are a specific folk group from a certain country in certain regions.
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify a person's nationality, you can add the suffix jin after a country name to mean "person" or "nationality."
How do you pronounce it?
watashi no kokuseki
Did you know?
- While 国籍 (kokuseki) means 'nationality', Japanese law does not recognize dual citizenship. If a person acquires a second nationality, they are generally expected to renounce the first.
- When talking about their nationality, Japanese people rarely use the word 私 (watashi) because the subject is usually omitted if it is obvious who is speaking.
- While adding jin to a country name is standard, using the term 出身 (shusshin) is often a more natural way to describe where you are 'from' in social settings.
Examples in context
- 私の国籍は日本です。Watashi no kokuseki wa Nihon desu.My nationality is Japanese.
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are filling out registration forms at a library.
- 蓮 Renここには何を書けばいいですか？Koko ni wa nani o kakeba ii desu ka?What should I write here?
- 美咲 Misakiそこにあなたの国籍を書いてください。Soko ni anata no kokuseki o kaite kudasai.Please write your nationality there.
- 蓮 Renわかりました。私の国籍は日本です。Wakarimashita. Watashi no kokuseki wa Nihon desu.I understand. My nationality is Japanese.
- 美咲 Misakiはい、それで大丈夫です。Hai, sore de daijōbu desu.Yes, that is correct.
