My Name Is...

In this lesson, we'll learn how to introduce ourselves and say our name. Let's take a look at this sentence:

わたしは Y です。
I am Y.

Does this look familiar? It should, because it's the basic "X は Y です" format. X is わたし (watashi = I), and Y is your name. By using this sentence, you are saying "I am (name)." Let's look at another sentence:

わたしのなまえは Y です。
My name is Y.

It still uses the same format, except X is わたしのなまえ (watashi no namae = my name). の is a particle that denotes ownership and is like the equivalent of apostrophe S ('s), or "of." The possessive of me is my or mine, which is why わたし itself means "I" and わたしの means "my" or "mine." We'll learn more about particles later.

わたし is used by both males and females, but only males (usually young boys) use ぼく (boku). It would be strange to hear a girl use ぼく. For now, this should be enough information to tell someone your name.

Now that you know how to say your name, go ahead and practice!