How to Say ‘I am Emily Smith.’ in Japanese
私は Emily Smith です。
watakushi wa ^FIRST^ ^LAST^ desu
[wah-tah-shee wah dess]
💬 Usage Tip: In Japan, people often give family name first in formal settings. You can say “[私]は ^LAST^ ^FIRST^ です” if following Japanese order.
🇯🇵 In Japan: A common interview add-on is [と申します] (extra humble) after your name, but [です] is a solid start.
Phrase Breakdown
私
watakushi
[wah-tah-shee]
I / me
Used at the start of a self-introduction. 私は + name + です is a standard pattern.
私は田中ですと名乗りました。
I introduced myself, saying “I am Tanaka.”
は
wa
[wah]
(topic marker)
は (wa) sets “I” as the topic. In interviews, this sounds neutral and polite.
私は佐藤です。
I am Sato.
です
desu
[dess]
Am / is / are (polite)
です makes the statement polite and appropriate for formal introductions.
私は鈴木ですと丁寧に言います。
I politely say, “I am Suzuki.”
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