ネイティブスピーカー
neitibu supīkā[ne̞ːtʲibɯ̟ sɨ̥pʲiːka̠ː]
The English phrase "native speaker" can be translated into Japanese as ネイティブスピーカー (neitibu supīkā). If unsure, use ネイティブスピーカー. Wiktionary also lists 母語話者 (bogowasha) and ネイティブ (neitibu).
Meaning: person who grew up with a particular language as their mother tongue (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ネイティブスピーカー | neitibu supīkā | [ne̞ːtʲibɯ̟ sɨ̥pʲiːka̠ː] (narrow) |
| 母語話者 | bogowasha | [bo̞ɡo̞β̞a̠ɕa̠] (narrow) |
| ネイティブ | neitibu | [ne̞ːtʲibɯ̟] (narrow) |
| ネイティブ話者 | neitibu washa |
The term refers to a person who grew up with a particular language as their mother tongue. You may also encounter the phrase ネイティブ並み, which is used to describe someone whose proficiency is comparable to that of a native speaker.
Which one should you use?
While ネイティブスピーカー is a loanword used in daily life, 母語話者 is a more formal, academic term used in linguistics or official contexts. In casual conversation, people often use the shortened form ネイティブ instead of the full loanword ネイティブスピーカー.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ネイティブスピーカー is used in formal contexts. For academic settings, 母語話者 (mother tongue speaker) is the appropriate choice. In informal or casual conversations, the abbreviation ネイティブ is commonly used.
How do you pronounce it?
neitibu supīkā
Did you know?
- While 母語 means 'mother tongue', Japanese also uses 第一言語 for 'first language' in academic contexts to avoid the gendered connotation of 'mother'.
- In Japanese, the loanword ネイティブ is often used as a noun to describe a person, whereas in English, 'native' is more commonly used as an adjective in this context.
- Because ネイティブ is a loanword, it is written in katakana, which visually alerts Japanese readers that the word is an imported concept from English.
Examples in context
- イギリス英語のネイティブです。I am a native speaker of British English.This sentence is useful for stating your native language is British English using ネイティブ.Tatoeba #11634484 by small_snow, translation #11539435 by sundown
- ネイティブが僕のミスを直してくれた。A native speaker corrected my mistakes.This sentence shows how a native speaker was used in the context of correcting mistakes with ネイティブ.Tatoeba #10481805 by small_snow, translation #10476996 by Ooneykcall
- トムはネイティブ並みにフランス語を話す。Tom speaks French like a native speaker.This sentence describes someone speaking a language at a level comparable to a native speaker using ネイティブ.Tatoeba #3474816 by arnab, translation #2451274 by CK
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are discussing their English studies.
- 健太 Kentaネイティブスピーカーの先生に教わりたいな。neiteibu supīkā no sensei ni osowaritai na.I want to be taught by a native speaker teacher.
- 陽葵 Himariいい考えだね。どこで探すの？ii kangae da ne. doko de sagasu no?That's a good idea. Where will you look?
- 健太 Kentaオンラインの掲示板で探してみるよ。onrain no keijiban de sagashite miru yo.I'll try looking on online message boards.
- 陽葵 Himariいい先生が見つかるといいね。ii sensei ga mitsukaru to ii ne.I hope you find a good teacher.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “native speaker” translations and entries ネイティブスピーカー, 母語話者, ネイティブ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
