👤➡️🈂️

How to Say ‘I am Tanaka.’ in Japanese

わたしはたなかです。

watashi wa tanaka desu

[wah-tah-shee wa tah-NAH-kah dess]

💬 Usage Tip: The は here is said (wa), not (ha), and です usually sounds like (des). Swap in your own name: わたしはスミスです "I am Smith."

🇯🇵 In Japan: Japanese people normally introduce themselves by family name, so たなか here is a surname.

Phrase Breakdown

わたしは

watashi wa

I (as for me)

'わたし' means 'I'. The topic particle 'は' is written 'ha' but pronounced 'wa': wa-ta-shi-wa.

Example

わたしはがくせいです。

I am a student.

Words in this phrase

わたし

watashi

[wah-tah-shee]

I; me (polite/neutral)

Pronoun meaning “I/me.” In contact swapping, it often appears in phrases like “my LINE” or “my account.”

Example

わたしのLINEを追加してね。

Add my LINE, okay?

は

[wa]

topic marker

Marks the proposed time as the topic; pronounced wa.

Example

四時半は大丈夫です。

4:30 is okay.

たなかです。

tanaka desu

am Tanaka

'たなか' (Tanaka) is a common family name; 'です' means 'am/is'. Say ta-na-ka-des, with the 'u' in 'desu' softened.

Example

こちらはたなかです。

This is Tanaka.

Words in this phrase

たなか

tanaka

[tah-NAH-kah]

Tanaka (surname)

A very common Japanese family name, used here as the speaker's name.

Example

たなかさんはせんせいです。

Mr. Tanaka is a teacher.

です

desu

[dess]

is; am; are

A polite copula often used at the end of sentences.

Example

これはペンです。

This is a pen.

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