.:: Lesson 2: Who is it? ::.

First, we should establish who you are. If you want to say "I am Sally." You would say: Watashi wa Sally desu. Watashi means 'I.' Wa is a particle which marks the subject of a sentence. It roughly means 'as for' so, the sentence translates to "As for me, I'm Sally." You can also just say "Sally desu." which just means 'I am Sally.' Men and boys can also use the form "Boku wa ___ desu." Boku also means I, but is used by males only.The word 'you' in Japanese is anata, but be careful not to use it unless you're very familiar with someone as it is slightly personal. It's better to just use the person's name when referring to them.



Watashi wa Hana desu. - I am Hana.
Watashi wa Smith desu. - I am Mr./Ms Smith.
Boku wa John desu. - I am John.


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If you want to ask someone's name, you say "Onamae wa nan desu ka?" Namae means 'name'. The 'o' is added to make it honorific (used only for other people, not yourself). Remember from lesson one that 'nan desu ka 'means what is it?' So the sentence literally means "As for your honorific name, what is it?" To tellsomeone your name, you can use the above replies or you can say 'Namae wa Hana desu.' or 'Watashi no namae wa hana desu.' The shorter form is usually used in less formal situations. The particle 'no' in this case is similar to the English " 's ". It indicates ownership. Watashi no namae means "my name". Anata no namae would be 'your name.


1. Onamae wa nan desu ka?(What's your name?)
Watashi no namae wa Heather desu. (My name is Heather.)


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To ask "Who is it?" you say "Dare desu ka?" Dare means 'who.' To ask "Whose is it?" you say "Dare no desu ka?"

1. Dare desu ka? - Who is it?
2. Dare no desu ka? - Whose is it?

.:: To indicate ownership of an object, the possessive 'no' particle is used. ::.

------ Examples: ------

1. Dare no inu desu ka?(Whose dog is it?)
Watashi no inu desu. (It's my dog.)

2. Dare no neko desu ka? (Whose cat is it?)
Watashi no desu. (It's mine.)

3. Anata no desu ka? (Is this yours?)
Iie, Mike-san no desu. (No, it's Mike's.)

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