こちらは私の家族です
kochira wa watashi no kazoku desu
The phrase "this is my family" in Japanese is こちらは私の家族です (kochira wa watashi no kazoku desu).
This phrase is used to introduce your family members to another person.
What does it mean word for word?
kochira is a polite way to say "this" when referring to people or directions. watashi no means "my". The particle no acts as a possessive marker that turns watashi (I) into watashi no (my). kazoku means "family".
Which one should you use?
While kochira is the polite way to refer to people, using kore instead makes the introduction more casual and less polite.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
こちらは私の家族です is a polite, standard way to introduce your family to others. In contrast, こっちは俺の家族だよ is an informal way to say "this is my family" and it uses the casual possessive 俺の to mean "my".
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun kazoku does not change its form for pluralization. Depending on the context, it can mean "family" or "families".
How do you pronounce it?
kochira wa watashi no kazoku desu
Did you know?
- When talking about your own family to an outsider, Japanese speakers often use humble terms like chichi for 'father' and haha for 'mother' instead of the more common otousan and okaasan.
- The word kazoku is written with characters meaning 'home' and child, reflecting a traditional view of the family unit centered around the household.
- In very formal settings, you might replace watashi with watakushi, which is a more humble version of 'I' used to show extreme respect to the person you are introducing your family to.
Examples in context
- こちらは私の家族です。Kochira wa watashi no kazoku desu.This is my family.
Example conversation
Ren introduces his family to Yui at a party.
- 蓮 Ren結衣さん、こちらは私の家族です。Yui-san, kochira wa watashi no kazoku desu.Yui, this is my family.
- 結衣 Yuiはじめまして。よろしくお願いします。Hajimemashite. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.Nice to meet you. Pleased to meet you.
- 蓮 Renみんな、結衣さんです。Minna, Yui-san desu.Everyone, this is Yui.
- 結衣 Yui皆さん、こんにちは。Minasan, konnichiwa.Hello, everyone.
