彼女は先生です
kanojo wa sensei desu
In Japanese, the phrase for 'she is a teacher' is 彼女は先生です (kanojo wa sensei desu).
This phrase is used to state that a female person's profession is teaching. The word 先生 (sensei) means 'teacher' and can refer to teachers, instructors or doctors. In Japanese culture, 先生 is often used as a standalone title or name when addressing the person directly, rather than using their name plus a title.
What does it mean word for word?
彼女 (kanojo) literally means 'she'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
彼女は先生です is the polite way to say 'she is a teacher' because it uses the polite copula です. For an informal or plain version, you can use 彼女は先生だ by replacing です with だ.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai region, you may hear Kanojo wa sensee yan to express 'she is a teacher'. In the Tohoku dialect, ya replaces desu or da.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word です (desu) is a polite copula used to end a sentence, functioning like 'is' in this context.
How do you pronounce it?
kanojo wa sensei desu
Did you know?
- While 彼女 (kanojo) means 'she', it is also the standard Japanese word for 'girlfriend'.
- If you were to use the word 先生 to describe yourself, it would be seen as incredibly arrogant or even delusional. Unlike the English 'teacher' which can be a neutral description of one's self, using 'sensei' for oneself implies you are a master or authority.
- The word 先生 (sensei) is also used to address authors, lawyers, and members of parliament.
Examples in context
- 彼女は先生です。She is a teacher.This sentence is useful for stating that she is a teacher.Tatoeba #88248 by bunbuku, translation #315459 by lukaszpp
- あ、彼女は先生です。A, kanojo wa sensei desu.Oh, she is a teacher.
Example conversation
Daisho and Himari are talking about a neighbor.
- 陽葵 Himariあの方は何をしていますか。Ano kata wa nani o shite imasu ka.What does that person do?
- 大翔 Hiroto彼女は先生です。Kanojo wa sensei desu.She is a teacher.
- 陽葵 Himariそうですか。優しい方ですね。Sō desu ka. Yasashii kata desu ne.I see. She is a kind person.
- 大翔 Hirotoはい、とても親切です。Hai, totemo shinsetsu desu.Yes, she is very kind.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
