Learn the key pattern to introduce yourself
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| Let's take a closer look at Mark's response. |
| Do you remember how Mark Lee introduces himself? |
| "Nice to meet you. I'm Mark Lee. Pleased to meet you." |
| はじめまして。わたしは リー マークです。よろしく おねがいします。 |
| (Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Rī Māku desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.) |
| First is the phrase, はじめまして, meaning "Nice to meet you." は-じ-め-ま-し-て (slow version). はじめまして。 |
| This phrase is usually the first thing someone says when making a self-introduction in Japanese. はじめまして。 |
| Now, let's look at the last part of Mark's response. |
| よろしく おねがいします。This literally means, "Be good [to me], please." There is no equivalent in English since the meaning is understood from the context of the situation. In the context of meeting someone for the first time, it translates as "Pleased to meet you." よ-ろ-し-く- お-ね-が-い-し-ま-す (slow version). よろしく おねがいします。 |
| Do you remember how Mark says, |
| "I'm Mark Lee." |
| わたしは リー マークです。 |
| First is わたし, meaning "I." わ-た-し (slow version). わたし. |
| Next is the particle, は, the topic-marking particle. は. It marks わたし, "I," as the topic of the sentence. Think of it like "as for" in the expression, "as for me.…" |
| Together, it's わたしは. "As for me." わたしは. |
| Next is Mark Lee's name. Note the name order. |
| First is Mark's family name, リー, Lee. リー (slow version). リー, followed by his given name, マーク, Mark. マーク (slow version).マーク. |
| Together, it's リー マーク, "Lee Mark." リー マーク. |
| In Japanese, the order is family name first followed by given names. |
| Last is です. In this case, it's like the "am" in "I am." It's a linking verb. で-す (slow version). です. |
| All together, it's わたしは リー マークです. This literally means, "As for me, Lee Mark am," but it translates as "I'm Mark Lee." わたしは リー マークです。 |
| The pattern is |
| わたしは {NAME} です。 |
| "I'm {NAME}." |
| わたしは {NAME} です。 |
| To use this pattern, simply replace the {NAME} placeholder with your name. |
| Imagine you're Karen Lee. In Japanese, カレン リー. |
| カ-レ-ン リー (slow version). カレン リー. |
| Say, |
| "I'm Karen Lee." |
| Remember Japanese name order: family name first followed by given name. |
| Ready? |
| わたしは リー カレンです。 |
| I'm Karen Lee. |
| わたしは リー カレンです。 |
| Now, do you remember how Ken Kobayashi says, |
| "I'm Kobayashi." |
| わたしは こばやしです。 |
| "I'm Kobayashi." |
| わたしは こばやしです。 |
| The pattern is the same, but Ken Kobayashi uses only his family name. He omits his given name. |
| The pattern is |
| わたしは {FAMILY NAME} です。 |
| "I'm {FAMILY NAME}." |
| わたしは {FAMILY NAME} です。 |
| In Japan, it's common to give only one's family name in a self-introduction. |
| Let's practice this pattern with Karen Lee. |
| Drop Karen Lee's first name, and say |
| "I'm Lee." |
| Ready? |
| わたしは リーです。 (Watashi wa Rī desu.) |
| "I'm Lee." |
| わたしは リーです。 (Watashi wa Rī desu.) |
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