There is no word in Japanese that directly translates to the English verb ‘to be,’ but if we want to say that one thing is another thing, the easiest way to do it is to use the ‘XはYです’ construction. Later on in our studies, it will be important to think of the particle ‘は’ and the copula (basically a word that connects one word to another) ‘です’ in different ways, but for now you can think of them as, in combination, meaning ‘is’ or ‘are.’
In Japanese, there are not separate words for ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.’ or ‘Ms.’; instead, we use the catch-all ‘さん.’ Note that we use this word in everyday Japanese much more often than we use ‘Mr.,’ ‘Mrs.,’ or ‘Ms.’ in English. A general rule of thumb is that you should always refer to someone with the suffix ‘さん’ if you don’t know them personally or if you want to show them respect and be polite. Note that there are exceptions to this, like when referring to your teacher, whom you should always refer to as ‘last name/surname + せんせい.’
To express that ‘Ms. Ogawa is Japanese,’ we write:
おがわさんはにほんじんです。
ogawa-san ha (wa) nihonjin desu.

To express that ‘Ms. Ogawa is Japanese,’ we write:
おがわさんはにほんじんです。
ogawa-san ha (wa) nihonjin desu.

There is no word in Japanese that directly translates to the English verb ‘to be,’ but if we want to say that one thing is another thing, the easiest way to do it is to use the ‘XはYです’ construction. Later on in our studies, it will be important to think of the particle ‘は’ and the copula (basically a word that connects one word to another) ‘です’ in different ways, but for now you can think of them as, in combination, meaning ‘is’ or ‘are.’
In Japanese, there are not separate words for ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.’ or ‘Ms.’; instead, we use the catch-all ‘さん.’ Note that we use this word in everyday Japanese much more often than we use ‘Mr.,’ ‘Mrs.,’ or ‘Ms.’ in English. A general rule of thumb is that you should always refer to someone with the suffix ‘さん’ if you don’t know them personally or if you want to show them respect and be polite. Note that there are exceptions to this, like when referring to your teacher, whom you should always refer to as ‘last name/surname + せんせい.’
Japanese does not have grammatical articles (like the words ‘a’ or ‘the’), so we don’t need to worry about them when translating sentences. Later on, we will learn ways to differentiate between a particular noun and a general noun.
To express that ‘Mr. Takeda is a teacher,’ we write:
たけださんはせんせいです。
takeda-san ha (wa) sensei desu.

To express that ‘Mr. Takeda is a teacher,’ we write:
たけださんはせんせいです。
takeda-san ha (wa) sensei desu.

There is no word in Japanese that directly translates to the English verb ‘to be,’ but if we want to say that one thing is another thing, the easiest way to do it is to use the ‘XはYです’ construction. Later on in our studies, it will be important to think of the particle ‘は’ and the copula (basically a word that connects one word to another) ‘です’ in different ways, but for now you can think of them as, in combination, meaning ‘is’ or ‘are.’
There are many different ways to say ‘I’ or ‘me’ in Japanese, but for now, we will use the most basic word, ‘わたし.’
Japanese does not have grammatical articles (like the words ‘a’ or ‘the’), so we don’t need to worry about them when translating sentences. Later on, we will learn ways to differentiate between a particular noun and a general noun.
To express that ‘I am an international student,’ we write:
わたしはりゅうがくせいです。
watashi ha (wa) ryuugakusei desu.

To express that ‘I am an international student,’ we write:
わたしはりゅうがくせいです。
watashi ha (wa) ryuugakusei desu.

There is no word in Japanese that directly translates to the English verb ‘to be,’ but if we want to say that one thing is another thing, the easiest way to do it is to use the ‘XはYです’ construction. Later on in our studies, it will be important to think of the particle ‘は’ and the copula (basically a word that connects one word to another) ‘です’ in different ways, but for now you can think of them as, in combination, meaning ‘is’ or ‘are.’
Japanese does not have grammatical articles (like the words ‘a’ or ‘the’), so we don’t need to worry about them when translating sentences. Later on, we will learn ways to differentiate between a particular noun and a general noun.
For this question, we’ll assume that ‘Haruna’ is a friend or family member, so we won’t use the honorific ‘さん.’
To express that ‘Haruna is a first-year student,’ we write:
はるなはいちねんせいです。
haruna ha (wa) ichinensei desu.

To express that ‘Haruna is a first-year student,’ we write:
はるなはいちねんせいです。
haruna ha (wa) ichinensei desu.

There is no word in Japanese that directly translates to the English verb ‘to be,’ but if we want to say that one thing is another thing, the easiest way to do it is to use the ‘XはYです’ construction. Later on in our studies, it will be important to think of the particle ‘は’ and the copula (basically a word that connects one word to another) ‘です’ in different ways, but for now you can think of them as, in combination, meaning ‘is’ or ‘are.’
In Japanese, there are not separate words for ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.’ or ‘Ms.’; instead, we use the catch-all ‘さん.’ Note that we use this word in everyday Japanese much more often than we use ‘Mr.,’ ‘Mrs.,’ or ‘Ms.’ in English. A general rule of thumb is that you should always refer to someone with the suffix ‘さん’ if you don’t know them personally or if you want to show them respect and be polite. Note that there are exceptions to this, like when referring to your teacher, whom you should always refer to as ‘last name/surname + せんせい.’
To express that ‘Ms. Yamamoto is 25 years old,’ we write:
やまもとさんはにじゅうごさいです。
yamamoto-san ha (wa) nijyuugo-sai desu.

To express that ‘Ms. Yamamoto is 25 years old,’ we write:
やまもとさんはにじゅうごさいです。
yamamoto-san ha (wa) nijyuugo-sai desu.

There is no word in Japanese that directly translates to the English verb ‘to be,’ but if we want to say that one thing is another thing, the easiest way to do it is to use the ‘XはYです’ construction. Later on in our studies, it will be important to think of the particle ‘は’ and the copula (basically a word that connects one word to another) ‘です’ in different ways, but for now you can think of them as, in combination, meaning ‘is’ or ‘are.’
Unlike English, Japanese does not have specific words for ‘my,’ ‘your,’ or ‘theirs’; instead, we use the appropriate pronoun or name and ‘の.’ There are many different ways to say ‘I’ or ‘me’ in Japanese, but for now, we will use the most basic word, ‘わたし.’
In English, we often refer to languages just by the adjective that describes them (like the first clause of this sentence). We do not do this in Japanese.
To express that ‘My major is Japanese,’ we write:
わたしのせんこうはにほんごです。
watashi no senkou ha (wa) nihongo desu.

To express that ‘My major is Japanese,’ we write:
わたしのせんこうはにほんごです。
watashi no senkou ha (wa) nihongo desu.