Hello everyone! 皆さんこにちは！
Today’s phrase is a useful one when wanting to ask for someone’s name. The phrase you use is お名前は。(o-namae wa?) Try using this phrase with some of your friends. Here is an example.
- Maeda: Hajimemashite. Maeda desu. O-namae wa?
- Minako: Minako desu. Hajimemashite.
- まえだ: はじめまして。まえだです。おなまえは？
- みなこ: みなこです。はじめまして。
- 前田: はじめまして。前田です。お名前は？
- 美奈子: 美奈子です。はじめまして。
- Maeda: How do you do? I am Maeda. May I have your name?
- Minako: I am Minako. How do you do?
Notice that the question お名前は。does not end in ka. In formal Japanese, questions end in ka, but in a formal, colloquial style of speech questions are often abbreviated. お名前は。is short for お名前は何ですか。(lit. As for your name, what is it?)
You will also notice that Maeda began the conversation and Minako finished it. This is common in Japanese conversation. Being an active listener when speaking Japanese is very important.
I hope this is helpful! Remember if you have any questions on this or any other topic I cover you can always email me at colormeindie@gmail.com or leave a comment below.
Japanese 101 