Latest / Learn Japanese with Fexingo / Introducing Yourself in Japanese - Name Basics
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey everyone, welcome back to Learn Japanese with Fexingo. I'm Lucas. Luna: And I'm Luna. Oh, that's a nice little callback to how we started this whole series. Lucas: Right. And today we're going to build on those greetings from earlier episodes with something fundamental. Luna: Ooh, what is it? Lucas: Introducing yourself. Specifically, saying your name and asking someone else's name. Luna: Oh that's so good. That feels like the next natural step after hello and how are you. Lucas: Exactly. So we'll keep it tiny — just two phrases today. First, 'my name is...' In Japanese, that's... Lucas: 私の名前は...です. Luna: Wait — what? That's a mouthful. Lucas: Let's break it down. 'Watashi no namae wa... desu.' It literally means 'my name is...' You say your name where the dots are. Lucas: 私の名前は...です. Luna: Watashi no namae wa... desu. Lucas: Yeah. That's it. Nice and clear. Luna: Okay, so if I wanted to say 'my name is Luna,' I'd say... Luna: 私の名前はルナです. Lucas: Perfect. You nailed it. Luna: Oh wow. That feels powerful. Lucas: It is. Now, the second phrase: asking 'what is your name?' Lucas: お名前は何ですか. Luna: O-namae wa nan desu ka. Lucas: Right. 'O-namae' is a polite way to say 'name,' 'nan' means 'what,' and 'desu ka' makes it a question. Lucas: お名前は何ですか. Luna: お名前は何ですか. Lucas: Exactly. So let's put these together in a tiny scene. Imagine we just met. Luna: Okay, I'm ready. Lucas: こんにちは. Luna: こんにちは. お元気ですか. Lucas: 元気です. お名前は何ですか. Luna: 私の名前はルナです. Lucas: There you go. You used greetings from episode one and two, and our new phrases. Luna: That felt so natural. Let me try asking you. Luna: お名前は何ですか. Lucas: 私の名前はルーカスです. Luna: Ohh. Lucas. Got it. Lucas: Now, let's practice with some pretend introductions. I'll be a character. Luna: Okay, go for it. Lucas: こんにちは. 私の名前はたけしです. Luna: Oh! Hi Takeshi. 私の名前はルナです. Lucas: Nice to meet you, Luna. Your turn — you be someone else. Luna: Uhh... okay. こんにちは. 私の名前はさくらです. Lucas: Sakura, like the cherry blossoms from episode five. お名前は何ですか. Luna: Wait, you're asking me my name again? I just said it. Lucas: Right, but in a real conversation, you might ask back. So I'm modeling that. Luna: Oh, I see. 私の名前はさくらです. Lucas: Good. Let's do one more, mixing in a 'thank you' from last episode. Luna: Okay, I'm a coffee shop barista. Lucas: おはようございます. Luna: おはようございます. お名前は何ですか. Lucas: 私の名前はけんです. コーヒーをお願いします. Luna: はい. ありがとうございます. Lucas: Totally. You used 'please' and 'thank you' from episode six. Luna: This is starting to feel like a real conversation toolkit. Lucas: That's the idea. Now, quick recap. What's 'my name is' in Japanese? Luna: 私の名前は...です. Lucas: Yeah. And how do you ask 'what is your name?' Luna: お名前は何ですか. Lucas: Perfect. Let's say them together one more time. Lucas: 私の名前は...です. Luna: 私の名前は...です. Lucas: お名前は何ですか. Luna: お名前は何ですか. Lucas: There it is. You've got it. Luna: I love that. These are phrases I can actually use. Lucas: Absolutely. Practice introducing yourself to a mirror, or try it out next time you're watching a show with Japanese characters. Luna: Oh, that's a fun idea. I'll pretend to meet someone in an anime. Lucas: Exactly. Thanks for learning with us today on Learn Japanese with Fexingo. Luna: Yeah. See you next time, everyone. Keep practicing these till we chat again. Lucas: さようなら. Luna: またね.