What does it mean word for word?
The phrase can be broken down into its components: Kore means "this" and refers to something near the speaker. Watashi no means "my," where watashi is "I/me" and the particle no acts as a possessive marker. And koe refers to a human or animal voice. The word desu functions as a polite copula, similar to the English verb "to be."
Which one should you use?
While the default form is これが私の声です, you may see variations such as Kore wa watashi no koe da for an informal tone or Kore wa watashi no koe desu for a formal tone. To add emphasis, you can append yo to the end, as seen in Kore wa watashi no koe da yo! (informal) or Kore wa watashi no koe desu yo! (formal).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form これが私の声です is a standard polite way to state this fact. For a more casual and masculine tone, you can use これが僕の声だよ, which replaces the standard pronoun with boku and uses the casual ending da yo. The version Kore wa watashi no koe da is also an informal way to express the statement.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle wa is used to mark the topic of the sentence, and the particle no is used to indicate possession. The word desu is the polite copula used to end a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
kore ga watashi no koe desu
Did you know?
- The word koe is used in the common expression koe wo kakeru, which literally means 'to throw a voice' but actually means to call out to someone or strike up a conversation.
- The word koe is used in the expression koe ga ookii, which literally means 'the voice is big'. Beyond physical volume, this is often used to describe someone who is bossy or has a loud personality.
- In Japanese, the word koe can also refer to a person's opinion or a 'call' for help. This means a phrase about one's 'voice' can sometimes be a metaphor for their social influence or a plea.
Examples in context
- これが私の声です。Kore ga watashi no koe desu.This is my voice.
Example conversation
Misaki and Hiroto are listening to an old audio clip.
- 美咲 Misakiこの声、誰の声かな？Kono koe, dare no koe kana?Whose voice is this?
- 大翔 Hiroto美咲さんの声じゃない？Misaki-san no koe janai?Isn't it your voice, Misaki?
- 美咲 Misakiあ、これが私の声です！A, kore ga watashi no koe desu!Oh, this is my voice!
- 大翔 Hirotoやっぱりそうだったね。Yappari sou datta ne.I thought so.
