タムです。学生です I’m Tam. I’m a student.

As in "[name/occupation] desu," "desu" comes after a noun to make a sentence. In "A wa B desu" or "A is B," A is the topic or subject and B explains that. In the key phrase, the "A wa" part, which is "watashi wa" or "I am" is omitted.

Omitting the topic or subject:
If the topic or subject is clear from the context, it’s often left out. For example, "watashi wa" or "I am" can be omitted from a self-introduction. So, just "Tamu desu" is fine. No need to say "Watashi wa Tamu desu" or "I'm Tam."

Try introducing yourself

1Which of these three choices is the correct way to say this sentence in Japanese?

Hello. I’m Thomas. I’m a company employee.

Thomas | company employee

トーマス | 会社員

Toomasu | kaishain

2Say the sentence in Japanese, using the following word(s).

Hello. I'm [name]. I'm a/an [occupation].

はじめまして。【name】です。【occupation】です。

Hajimemashite. 【name】 desu. 【occupation】 desu.

Erin | teacher

エリン | 教師　　

Erin | kyooshi

3Say the sentence in Japanese, using the following word(s).

Hello. I'm [name]. I'm a/an [occupation].

はじめまして。【name】です。【occupation】です。

Hajimemashite. 【name】 desu. 【occupation】 desu.

Singh | engineer

シン | エンジニア

Shin | enjinia

You say this to a person who'll be taking care of you. It's often used in self-introductions. If the person you're speaking to is a friend or someone younger than you, you can shorten it to just "yoroshiku."

Ai (love)