Anime

Let’s learn Japanese with Taki & Mitsuha’s quote from Your Name (君の名は, Kimi no Na wa).

Video

Taki & Mitsuha’s Quote

Japanese: 君の名前は…
Romaji: kimi no namae wa…
English: Your name is…

Analysis

君 means “you” which is used when a person speaks to the second person in a lower status such as a teacher to a student, or someone equal such as friends or couples. Although you often hear it in songs, manga or anime, you hardly hear it in a real conversation as it sounds a bit cheesy and old-fashioned.

名前 means “name”.

The の particle is used to connect two nouns where the first noun modifies the second. In this case it is used as a possessor so the first noun possesses the second noun which makes 君の名前 mean “your name”.

The は particle in a question shows what comes before is the topic you want to know about. So the rest of the sentence is often omitted because you can guess what’s being asked.

Actually, in this scene the last part is omitted for all the sentences. But you can guess each part with the particles and the context. So Taki says 俺、君をどこかで – the verb used with を in this situation could be 見た which means “I saw you somewhere” or it could be 知っている which means “I know you from somewhere” but I would choose 知っている as the two have a stronger connection than just “having seen each other before”. And for Mitsuha, 私も – the particle も means “too or also” so It would be 私も君をどこかで知っている meaning “I also know you from somewhere”.

As you can see, Japanese people tend to leave sentences unfinished. This is because Japan has a guess culture which is also called a high-context culture that relies mainly on non-verbal, implicit communication. So there are many things you have to guess from the context, personal relationships, traditions, and so on. Also, less talking or indirectness is considered an admirable quality in communication in Japan. So if Taki and Mitsuha said whole sentences, they would have sounded too direct and frank without any humbleness which many Japanese people tend not to prefer.

Examples

の (possessor)

私わたしの彼かれは会社かいしゃの寮りょうに住すんでいる。

watashi no kare wa kaisha no ryō ni sunde iru.

My boyfriend is living in his company’s dormitory.

私わたしの家いえは駅えきからちょっと遠とおい。

watashi no ie wa eki kara chotto tōi.

My house is a bit far from the station.

これは誰だれのペンですか？ – あ、私わたしのです。

kore wa dare no pen desu ka? – a, watashi no desu.

Whose pen is this? – Oh, it’s mine.

は (used to ask about the topic without a predicate)

Your cake is missing from the fridge so you ask your mother:

私わたしのケーキは（どこ）？

watashi no kēki wa (doko)?

(Where is) my cake?

You got the test result from school so your mother asks you:

テストの結果けっかは（どうだった）？

tesuto no kekka wa (dō datta)?

(How was) the result of the test?

You find a boy crying alone so you ask him:

お母かあさんは（どうしたの）？

okāsan wa (dōshita no)?

(What happened to) your mum?

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