Episode 3 · JLPT N5
Say Who You Are in Japanese
私は〜です
How to say who you are in Japanese with 私は〜です, how to ask a question with か, and how to say what you are not.
Did you catch it?
Listen to the conversation first, with no text, the way the video plays it. Then answer.
Listen to Yuki meeting Nami and Mori-sensei in the school corridor.
How does Nami explain that she is not a teacher?
When Mori-sensei arrives, what morning greeting is used?
The conversation
会話Play any line again, or the whole scene. Tap a word to hear only that part. Hide the English to test yourself.
- Yuki
Excuse me. Are you a teacher?
Adding か turns a statement into a question. In school settings, せんせい is used where English would say 'you'.
- Nami
No, I'm not a teacher. I'm a student.
じゃありません replaces です to negate a noun: 'am not a teacher'. がくせい です affirms 'I am a student'.
- Yuki
Oh, sorry! My name is Yuki.
ごめんなさい is a warm, personal apology ('I'm sorry!'). は marks わたしの なまえ ('my name') as the sentence topic.
- Nami
Nice to meet you. I'm Nami. I look forward to getting to know you.
- Yuki
Ah — sensei!
In Japanese, teachers are addressed directly by their title せんせい rather than by second-person pronouns like 'you'.
- Mori
Good morning. I'm Mori.
- Nami
Good morning, Mori-sensei.
When addressing an instructor by name, せんせい attaches directly as a respectful title: もりせんせい.
- Mori
Oh, are you Yuki?
- Yuki
Yes. I'm Yuki. I look forward to getting to know you.
- Mori
Likewise — I look forward to getting to know you.
Words in this scene
単語Key vocabulary introduced in this conversation. Tap any item to view its dictionary or grammar page.
The lesson
What the video teaches, to read at your own pace.
Say who you are
- ゆきです
- I'm Yuki.
The basic sentence is short. Say your name, and finish with です. ゆきです. I'm Yuki.
The people at school
- 先生
- teacher
- 学生
- student
- もり先生
- Mori, the teachername + 先生 — it replaces さん, never both
Two words for the people at school. 先生 is a teacher. 学生 is a student. A teacher is called by name and then 先生 — もり先生. That 先生 replaces さん: you never say もりさん先生.
Join two nouns
- 私の名前
- my name
の joins two nouns. The owner comes first. 私の 名前. My name.
Say what the sentence is about
- 私は学生です
- I am a student.
- 私の名前はゆきです
- My name is Yuki.
は comes after what the sentence is about. You write it with ha, but you say wa. 私は 学生です. About me: I am a student. The part before は can be longer. 私の 名前は ゆきです. About my name: it is Yuki. の joins 私 and 名前 into one part, and は comes after that whole part.
Ask a yes or no question
- 先生ですか
- Are you a teacher?
To ask a yes or no question, add か at the end. Nothing else changes. 先生ですか. Are you a teacher? And notice there is no は in front. When it is obvious who you are talking about, Japanese leaves the topic out altogether. That is ordinary, not lazy.
Say what you are not
- 先生
- teacher
- です
- polite ending
- じゃありません
- am not
To say what you are not, change the last word. です becomes じゃありません. 先生 じゃありません. I'm not a teacher.