How to say “to me” in Japanese
Japanese people would say “watashi ni”. It is the Japanese phrase for ‘to me’. In this blog post, I will explain this phrase in detail based on the components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. Let’s get started!Contents
- Definition and meaning of “watashi ni”
- Components of “watashi ni”
- Example #1: how to say “to me” in Japanese
- Example #2: another usage of “watashi ni”
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “watashi ni”
First of all, let me start with the definition and meaning of “watashi ni”.- watashi ni – 私に (わたしに) : a Japanese phrase for ‘to me’. Depending on the situation and context, it can also mean ‘for me’, ‘towards me’, or some such.
Components of “watashi ni”
Below are the words used in the phrase, “watashi ni”.Definition and meaning of “watashi”
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. A speaker, or a writer, uses this pronoun to refer to himself or herself in a sentence. It tends to be used in formal situations. This pronoun can also be found in other phrases like “watashi mo” and “watashi no“.
However, we need to be careful with the fact that the Japanese language has some more options which can be used in the same way as “watashi” is. For example, Japanese men tend to use “ore” instead of “watashi” in more casual situations. So, they don’t always use “watashi” to refer to themselves. But, “watashi” is still the most widely-used one in formal situations, regardless of the gender of the speaker.
Definition and meaning of “ni”
“Ni” is a very widely-used particle and, for that reason, often raises the question among Japanese learners: “what does ni mean in Japanese?” I will explain it in detail in comparison with the English preposition, “to”.- ni – に : a case particle put after a noun to indicate a particular place to which someone or something goes. Based on this concept, it can also be used to indicate a particular place or person to which an action is heading.
From the two components explained above, we can understand that the Japanese phrase, “watashi ni”, corresponds very well to the English one, “to me”.
Next, then, let me explain how to use this phrase through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “to me” in Japanese
kare wa watashi ni okane wo kure mashi ta – 彼は私にお金をくれました (かれはわたしにおかねをくれました)
He gave money to me.
He gave money to me.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case maker or topic maker. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “kare”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
- okane – お金 (おかね) : a noun meaning ‘money’ in Japanese. Learn more about “okane“.
- wo – を : a case particle put after a noun to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is put after the noun, “okane”, to express what “kare” gave “watashi”. It is written as “wo”, but its actual pronunciation is “o”.
- kure – くれ : one conjugation of the verb, “kureru”, which means ‘to give’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word.
- mashi – まし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb put after a verb to make it polite. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “kure”, to make it sound polite.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb put after a verb, adjective, auxiliary verb, or phrase to make its past tense. In the example, it is put after the verb phrase, “kure mashi”, to make its past tense, “kure mashi ta”, which means ‘to have given’ in a polite way.
Example #2: another usage of “watashi ni”
raishuu watashi ni houkoku shi te kudasai – 来週私に報告して下さい (らいしゅうわたしにほうこくしてください)
Please report it to me next week.
Please report it to me next week.
- raishuu – 来週 (らいしゅう) : a noun meaning ‘next week’ in Japanese. It can also be used as an adverb and inserted almost anywhere in a sentence to say “next week”. In the example, it is used as an adverb. Learn more about “raishuu“.
- houkoku shi – 報告し (ほうこくし) : one conjugation of the verb, “houkoku suru”, which means ‘to report’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle put after a verb or adjective to make its te form. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected well with the auxiliary verb, “kudasai”.
- kudasai – 下さい (ください) : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “kudasaru”, which is put after a verb to make a request in a polite way. It is often translated into English as “please”. In the example, it is put after the te-formed verb to make the request, “houkoku shi te kudasai”, which means ‘please report’ in Japanese. Learn more about “kudasai“.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the phrase, “watashi ni”, in detail based on the components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.- watashi ni – 私に (わたしに) : a Japanese phrase for ‘to me’. Depending on the situation and context, it can also mean ‘for me’, ‘towards me’, or some such.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. A speaker, or a writer, uses this pronoun to refer to himself or herself in a sentence. It tends to be used in formal situations.
- ni – に : a case particle put after a noun to indicate a particular place to which someone or something goes. Based on this concept, it can also be used to indicate a particular place or person to which an action is heading.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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