✨ Why Talk About Hobbies?

Talking about hobbies helps you introduce yourself and connect with others! It’s a great way to start a conversation in Japanese.

☛ Key Vocabulary for Self-Introduction

Say your Name

• English: As for me, I am Emma.
• Roman Letters: Watashi wa Ema desu.
• Japanese: わたしは エマ です。

Grammar Breakdown:

• Particle「は (wa)」: This particle marks the topic or theme of the sentence (As for ~).
• Auxiliary verbs「だ (da)」➡「です (desu)」: Polite expression of “だ” (casual form) to make the sentence polite.

Say your Nationality

• English: I am American.
• Roman Letters: Amerika-jin desu.
• Japanese: アメリカじん です。

Grammar Breakdown:

• 「人 (じん, jin)」: Means “person” or “people”.
• 「アメリカ人 (アメリカじん, Amerika jin)」: Refers to an American person.

Say your Hobby

• English: As for my hobby, it is cooking.
• Roman Letters: Watashi no shumi wa ryouri desu.
• Japanese: わたしの しゅみ は りょうり です。

Grammar Breakdown:

• 「の (no)」: Shows affiliation, content, or ownership (My hobby).
• 「は (wa)」: Topic marker.

🎯 Simple Self-Introduction

• English:
  • Nice to meet you.
  • I’m Emma.
  • I came from America. / I am American.
  • As for my hobby, it is cooking.
  • Thank you in advance (for your kindness).
• Roman Letters:
  • Hajimemashite.
  • Ema desu.
  • Amerika kara kimashita / Amerika jin desu.
  • Shumi wa ryouri desu.
  • Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
• Japanese:
  • はじめまして。
  • エマです。
  • アメリカから きました / アメリカじん です。
  • しゅみは りょうり です。
  • よろしく おねがいします。

🌟 Key Vocabulary and Phrases

Hobbies (趣味: shumi)

• Reading books: 読書(どくしょ) | Dokusho
• Sports: スポーツ(すぽーつ) | Supōtsu
• Travel: 旅行(りょこう) | Ryokou
• Cooking: 料理(りょうり) | Ryouri

Other Ways to Say “I” (私: watashi)

• Very formal: わたくし (watakushi)
• Young boys (casual): ぼく (boku)
• Male (very casual): おれ (ore)

Try filling in the blanks with your hobbies!

• Example:
  • わたし の しゅみ は りょうり です。
    • Watashi no shumi wa ryouri desu.
    • English: My hobby is cooking.
  • Other hobbies to try:
    • Reading: どくしょ (dokusho)
    • Sports: スポーツ (supōtsu)
    • Travel: りょこう (ryokou)

✨ Grammar Tips

• When talking about yourself, “わたし” (watashi) is the most common word for “I,” but you can also use other words like “ぼく” (boku) or “おれ” (ore) depending on the formality and gender.
• “は” (wa) is used to mark the topic, so the part before “は” is the topic of the sentence (e.g., “As for my hobby”).

Boost Your Japanese Fluency with Personalized Lessons!

My name is Ellie<Eri えり>, and I’m a Japanese tutor on italki. If you’re looking to practice speaking Japanese and improve your fluency, I’d love to help! Feel free to schedule a lesson with me, and let’s start speaking Japanese together. Whether you’re a beginner or advanced, I’ll tailor the lesson to your needs. Looking forward to our conversation! Apply for italki here!