How to Say ‘I live in Tokyo.’ in Japanese
わたしはとうきょうにすんでいます。
watashi wa toukyou ni sun de i masu
[wah-tah-shee wah toh-kyoh nee soon deh ee mah-soo]
💬 Usage Tip: Pattern: [わたしは + place + に + すんでいます]. A clean and useful self-introduction sentence.
🇯🇵 In Japan: Where you live may come up quickly in Japanese small talk, but usually in a practical, friendly way rather than a deeply personal one.
Phrase Breakdown
わたしは
watashi wa
I / as for me
Topic marker は after わたし (I).
わたしはとうきょうにすんでいます。
I live in Tokyo.
Words in this phrase
わたし
watashi
[wah-tah-shee]
I; me
Refers to yourself politely as the topic of the sentence.
わたしはとうきょうにすんでいます。
I live in Tokyo.
は
wa
[wah]
topic marker wa
Marks わたし as the topic. Written は but pronounced wa.
わたしはがくせいです。
As for me, I am a student.
とうきょう
toukyou
[toh-kyoh]
Tokyo
The place where the speaker lives in this sentence.
とうきょうはにほんのまちです。
Tokyo is a city in Japan.
に
ni
[nee]
in; at; to
Marks the location where someone lives.
おおさかにすんでいます。
I live in Osaka.
すんでいます
sun de i masu
am living / live
Polite progressive form of すむ (to live) used for a current state.
わたしはとうきょうにすんでいます。
I live in Tokyo.
Words in this phrase
すん
sun
[soon]
live (te-form part)
This comes from すむ, to live. Here it joins with でいます to mean am living/live.
すんはすんでいますのはじめです。
すん is the beginning of すんでいます.
で
de
[deh]
te-form connector
Connects the verb part to います in the ongoing expression.
でがあるとつながります。
With で, it connects.
い
i
[ee]
be; ongoing part
Part of います, which shows a continuing state.
いはいますのなかにあります。
い is inside います.
ます
masu
[mah-soo]
polite ending
Makes the sentence polite as part of います.
ますでていねいなぶんになります。
With ます, it becomes a polite sentence.
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