What to call each other
Conversation phrases, Stage 1chunk 68 of 68Greetings, thanks and sorry
Lets you settle names and casual speech when you first meet.
- nante yobeba ii?what should I call you?
- ... tte yondecall me...
- tameguchi de ii yoyou can talk casually with me
Mix-ups ... tte yonde (call me ...) is not yonde (read it).
nante yobeba ii?
polite nan to oyobi sureba ii desu ka?
what should I call you?
Asked on first meeting to settle a name or nickname; answer with '... tte yonde'.
The polite version uses humble o-yobi suru, which suits anyone senior to you.
kore kara yoroshiku. nante yobeba ii?
Nice to meet you. What should I call you?
これからよろしく。なんて呼べばいい？
hajimemashite. nan to oyobi sureba ii desu ka?
Nice to meet you. How should I address you?
はじめまして。何とお呼びすればいいですか？
Written なんて呼べばいい？ · なんてよべばいい？ · 何とお呼びすればいいですか？Who you say it and hear itHeard 25× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
... tte yonde
polite ... tte yonde kudasai
call me...
Tells someone the name or nickname you want; the answer to 'nante yobeba ii?'.
Whether to add -san, -chan or -kun is usually left to the other person.
tomo tte yonde. minna sou yonderu kara.
Call me Tomo. Everyone does.
トモって呼んで。みんなそう呼んでるから。
watashi no koto wa mai tte yonde kudasai.
Please call me Mai.
私のことはマイって呼んでください。
Written 〜って呼んで · 〜ってよんで · 〜って呼んでくださいWho you say itHeard 113× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
tameguchi de ii yo
polite tameguchi de ii desu yo
you can talk casually with me
Invites someone to drop desu/masu; often said on finding out you're the same age.
Tameguchi = casual talk between equals. With someone older, wait for this cue before dropping desu/masu.
onaidoshi da shi, tameguchi de ii yo.
We're the same age, so you can talk casually.
同い年だし、タメ口でいいよ。
onaidoshi desu kara, tameguchi de ii desu yo.
We're the same age, so feel free to talk casually.
同い年ですから、タメ口でいいですよ。
Written タメ口でいいよ · ためぐちでいいよ · タメ口でいいですよWho you say it and hear itHeard too rare in film subtitles to count