Learn How to Introduce Yourself in Japanese

Learn How to Introduce Yourself in Japanese Introducing Yourself in Japanese: How to Start a Conversation Chapters Things You Need to Know about Japanese Society Starting a Conversation: What's Your Name in Japanese How to Say Hello My Name is in Japanese More Useful Phrases to Introduce Yourself in Japanese A Simple Conversation The Top 10 Expressions for Introducing Yourself in Japanese“We start ageing when we stop learning” - Japanese ProverbThis proverb perfectly illustrates how important learning is in our everyday lives. Our lives need to be full of learning and it doesn’t matter whether we learn music, languages, or maths.Learning a language or a musical instrument is stimulating and it allows us to learn more about the world and get out of our usual comfort zones.  So with that in mind, why not choose to move away from Western culture by learning Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, or even Japanese?Whether you take Japanese classes in order to travel to Japan or just to read mangas, there are a few facts about learning Japanese that you need to get to grips with.Firstly, knowing how to introduce yourself and start conversations is hugely important in any language, especially Japanese.  In fact, in Japanese culture, there’s a strict system of etiquette that you need to be aware of, too.Learning to introduce yourself can be seen as a positive sign that shows willingness to integrate yourself into Japanese culture as well as showing that you’re interested in the Japanese language.If you want to be comfortable when it comes to speaking, you should learn a few important Japanese words and phrases in order to introduce yourself. Getting private Japanese tutorials is a great place to start and plenty of other students have already started taking classes in order to achieve this goal.You’ll also have to learn how to read the Japanese writing systems of kanji, hiragana, and katakana as well as learning the necessary expressions to tell people who you are and ask about them, too.Luckily for you, this article covers exactly how to do all this!???? DoitsujinFrench: ? ???? FuransujinEnglish: ????? IgirisujinChinese: ??? Chugokujin,Spanish: ????? Supeinjin,Italian: ????? ItariajinPop quiz: How would you say “I’m Spanish”?What does “Watashi wa igirisujin desu” mean?If you're an astronaut, you'll just have to look up the Japanese word yourself. (Source: pixabay.com)Of course, you’ll need more than just a few words to be able to find a job in Japan. However, these expressions are perfect for anyone who’s planning a trip to the land of the rising sun.  If you want to say how old you are, you’re going to need to learn how to count in Japanese.Talking about Your JobOnce you’ve told people your name and how old you are, it’s very common to asking people about what they do.Why? Because asking what somebody does shows that you’re interested in them.?????????Watashi wa shibunksha desu.Translation: I’m a journalist.Other jobs:  JobKanjiKanaRomajiLawyer???????bengoshiDriver?????????untenshuCook????????chorishiDentist???????haishaDocto r?????ishaOffice Worker?????????kaishainHairdresser???????biyoshiStudent??????gakuseiHousewife?????shufuCivil Servant????????komuinSelf employed?????????jieigyoNurse???????kangoshiEngineer?????enjiniaPharmacist????????yakuzaishiTalking about Hobbies? ____ ??,Shumi ha ____ desuMy hobby is ____.You can also say “Suki desu” + the hobby which means “I like” with the words for hobbies like dancing or football, for example.Hobbies:Film, ??? , EigaDance, ???, DansuMusic, ????, Ongaku,Song, ??, Uta,Reading, ????, Dokusho,Walking, ???, Sanpo,Sport, ????, Supôtsu,Football, ????, Sakkâ,Ski, ???, Sukî,Swimming, ????, Suiei,Gardening, ????, Engei.With just a few expressions and words, you can now tell people what kind of things you like and you could even use the phrase “ni kyoumi ga arimasu” which means “My interest(s) is/are...”You should also consider investing in a small English-Japanese dictionary if your hobbies aren’t on the list. A Simple ConversationHajimemashite. ( Nice to meet you) Watashi no namae wa Peter desu. (My name is Peter) Watashi wa ni-juu go sai desu. (I’m 25) New York ni sunde imasu. (I live in New York) Gakusei desu. (I’m a student) Suki desu suiei. (I like swimming) Douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu. (I’m delighted to meet you).You now know enough Japanese to go for a meal with your Japanese friends. (Source:  stock.tookapic.com)You could also add “Konichiwa”, which means “Hello”, to the start of the conversation.  It should be noted that the greetings in Japanese change depending on what time of the day you’re greeting somebody.In Japanese, “Konichiwa” is generally used after 10:30am and before the evening.  In the morning, you should use “ohayô” (the most polite form) which means “good morning” or “konbawa” in the evening, which relates to “good evening” in English.  Of course, these are only greetings and not really a way of having a conversation with someone.If you’d like to go further and ask about the person you’re talking to, you can use some of the following expressions:Anata no namae wa nan desuka? What’s your name?Anata no shoukugyou wa nani desuka? What do you do?Nansai desuka? How old are you?Ogenkideska? How are you?Kimi no shumi ha nan desu ka? (What are your hobbies? What do you like to do in your free time?)You should also learn how to tell the time in Japanese. This is also useful for starting conversations.In short:Starting to learn a language isn’t easy. This is especially true when the writing system isn’t the same as the one you’re used to. The same is trues for languages like Arabic, Chinese, and Russian, which all use different writing systems to English.Life in Japan is governed by a series of rules that you should follow if you want to be thought of as well-mannered, and there are a number of thing you can do to be polite in Japan. Introducing yourself isn’t difficult to master but you should take care to follow the rules of how to be courteous. Learning to speak Japanese can take a lot of time but you can learn a few important expressions before you travel there.You can find resources to learn Japanese online that will help you find the expressions you’ll need in order to have a conversation and introduce yourself. Don’t forget that the Japanese have introducing themselves down to an art.In order to learn effectively, we recommend learning to read, write, and speak Japanese. You should also get a notepad and a dictionary in order to practice writing the characters as well as the phonetic transcription of them.You should also check out the Minna no nihongo method for learning Japanese.Make sure you take your Japanese friends somewhere nice! (Source: ? ?) The Top 10 Expressions for Introducing Yourself in JapaneseHere’s a table summarizing the Japanese expressions that you’ll need in order to introduce yourself.RômajiJapaneseEnglishHajimemashite??????Nice to meet youWatashi ha ... to moshimasu??____?????M y name is... (very polite)Watashi ha ... desu??____??I’m ...Dozo Yoroshiku Oneigaishimasu?????????????Thank you for this new relationship/friendshipKochira Kosso Oneigaishimasu???????????Equivalent to “me too”, “likewise”, or “nice to meet you too”.Watashi wa Amerika jin desu? ? ????? ??I’m AmericanKara kimashita??????I’m from...... sai desu... ???I’m ... years old.ni kyômi ga alimass????????My interests include...... ni sundeimasu... ???????I live in ...These simple Japanese expressions obviously won’t make you fluent in the language.  However, they’re useful expressions for anyone who’s just started learning the language or anyone who’s planning a trip to Japan.Once you’re there, the Japanese will appreciate a foreigner making an effort to introduce themselves in Japanese and follow the general rules of politeness observed in the country.If you’re still interested in learning Japanese, then you should definitely take a look at Japanese tutors avail able on Superprof.  A private tutor can plan their tutorials to you and soon you’ll be able to speak, read, and write Japanese.If you want to go to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, or anywhere in Japan, your first stop should be Superprof!