1.1.10 Meeting New Friends

• tell their name and ask someone's name

• ask someone where they are from

• tell their nationality

Academic Vocabulary:
use of honorific o (お),
use of topic particle wa (は )

Lesson Overview

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Particle は (wa)

Pronunciation: The particle は is pronounced as "wa," not "ha."

Function: The particle wa (は) has no meaning in English. Instead, は is a topic marker particle. It indicates the topic of the sentence, showing what the sentence is about. It is placed after the word that represents the topic of the sentence.

​Example :
O namae wa?

• O namae (おなまえ): Your name

• wa (は): Topic marker

• Translation: "(What is) your name?"

• Explanation:

  "O namae" is the topic being asked about.

​Example :
Watashi wa Tika desu.

• Watashi (わたし): I

• wa (は): Topic marker

• Tika (ティカ): Tika

• desu (です): Is/am/are (polite form)

• Translation: "I am Tika."

• Explanation: "Watashi" (I) is the topic, and the sentence states who "I" am.

Asking Someone's Name

おはよう！おなまえ は？Ohayou! O namae wa?

〇〇です
(your name) desu

Different Ways of Asking :

Casual :
おなまえ は？　O namae wa?
Your name?

Polite :
おなまえ は なん です か？　O namae wa nan desu ka?
What is your name?

Different Ways of Answering :

Polite :
ティカ です　　Tika desu
It is Tika

わたし は ティカ です　Watashi wa Tika desu
I am Tika

わたし の なまえ は ティカ です　Watashi no namae wa Tika desu
My name is Tika

​Adding "o" before "namae" makes it polite and shows respect. So, "o namae" is a polite way to ask someone's name.

Particle  から (kara)

Function: The particle から (kara) means "from." It indicates the starting point of an action or the origin of someone or something. It is placed after the word that represents the origin or starting point.

​Origin

​から
kara

​Example :
アメリカからきました (Amerika kara kimashita)

• アメリカ (Amerika): America

• から (kara): From

• きました (kimashita): Came (past tense of "come : kimasu")

• Translation: "I came from America."

• Explanation: "Kara" is placed after "Amerika" to indicate the speaker's origin is the United States of America.

Asking Someone's Origin

マリさん は どこ から きましたか？Mari-san wa doko kara kimashita ka?

(?) Question :
どこ から きました か？　Doko kara kimashita ka?
Where did you come from?

(!) Answer :
にほん から きました　　Nihon kara kimashita
I came from Japan

NOTE:
You can add the country of your origin, the state you come from, or your city.

United States of America - アメリカ (Amerika)
Mexico - メキシコ (Mekishiko)

Puerto Rico - プエルトリコ (Puerutoriko)

Africa - アフリカ (Afurika)

France - フランス (Furansu)

Italy - イタリア (Itaria)

​Adding "-san" after someone's name makes it polite and shows respect.

〇〇 から きました
(your origin) kara kimashita

Asking Someone's Nationality

〇〇じん ですか？
(someone's nationality) jin desu ka?

Question :
にほん じん です か　Nihon jin desu ka?
Are you Japanese?

Answer :
はい、にほん じん です　　Hai, nihon jin desu
Yes, I am Japanese

NOTE:
The suffix じん (jin) is added after the name of the country to indicate someone from that country. It means "person" or "people."

Attach じん (jin) to the end of a country name to describe someone's nationality.

はい、〇〇 じん です
Hai, (your nationality) jin desu

Additional Note

If you want to describe your specific ethnic descent and nationality, you can use this grammar pattern: 〇〇けい 〇〇じん 　..... kei .... jin .

Explanation:

• Attach けい (kei) with the nationality or ethnic group to indicate descent of and your nationality with じん (jin) to form the term.

• Use です (desu) at the end to make the sentence polite.

Example:

Ravi's family is originally from India, but he was born and raised in the United States and holds American nationality.
Ravi says :

わたし は インド けい アメリカ じん です　(Watashi wa Indo kei Amerika jin desu) to describe his ethnic descent and nationality.
Translation: "I am Indian-American."

Drag and Drop

Storyline: Samiya is a person of African descent, born and raised in the United States of America. Complete Samiya's self-introduction in Japanese below:


Watashi wa ​

Placeholder

desu.

​

Placeholder

kara kimashita.

​

Placeholder

kei ​

Placeholder

jin desu

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Samiya Kendal

Furorida

Afurika

Amerika

かいわ　Kaiwa　Conversation

George : おはようございます！はじめまして、わたしはジョージです。
よろしくおねがいします。おなまえは？
Ohayou gozaimasu! Hajimemashite, watashi wa Jyooji desu.
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. O namae wa?

Kenta：おはようございます！よろしくおねがいします。
けんたです。 ジョージさんはどこからきましたか？
Ohayou gozaimasu! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
Kenta desu. Jyooji-san wa doko kara kimashita ka?

George : わたしはペンシルバニアからきました！
Watashi wa penshirubania kara kimashita!

Kenta : へえ！アメリカじんですか？
Hee! Amerika jin desu ka?

George : はい、メキシコけいアメリカじんです
Hai, Mekishiko kei Amerika jin desu.

Open Ended

Create sentences introducing your name and origin, including your nationality. Use the grammar pattern you just learned in class.

Audio Response

Please read the self-introduction sentences you've written in Japanese and record them here. Take your time and focus on pronouncing the Japanese sentences as accurately as possible.

Open Audio Recorder

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