You have seen the polite patterns for a first meeting: 私はマリアです, 私はアメリカから来ました, お名前は何ですか, and どこから来ましたか. This page turns those patterns into speaking practice. You will say your own name and origin aloud, ask the other person, and handle follow-up turns where the conversation does not go exactly as planned. The goal is not to memorise new grammar but to make these phrases automatic enough that you can use them when you actually meet someone.
Preparation before you speak
Decide on your real details before you start. Choose the name you want to use, the country or city you will say after から来ました, and one extra sentence such as 私は学生です or 私は会社員です. Say each sentence aloud slowly: 私はマリアです, 私はアメリカから来ました, 私は学生です. Then practise the two questions: お名前は何ですか and どこから来ましたか. Keep はじめまして at the start and よろしくお願いします at the end. If you stumble, repeat the same sentence rather than switching to English. The point is to hear your own voice producing the polite forms without reading.
Handling the harder turn
The real challenge is when the other person answers your question and the conversation continues. After you ask どこから来ましたか, you may hear a place name you did not expect. Do not panic or switch to English. Use そうですか to acknowledge what you heard, then respond with your own information: 私はアメリカから来ました. If you do not catch the place, you can repeat the question or say もう一度お願いします. If the other person asks you something you did not prepare for, it is fine to give a short answer and then ask them the same question back. The pattern A は B です and the question ending か give you a reliable frame even when the topic changes.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
私はマリアです。
I am Maria.
wa-ta-shi wa ma-ri-a desu
私はアメリカから来ました。
I came from America. / I am from America.
wa-ta-shi wa a-me-ri-ka ka-ra ki-ma-shi-ta
お名前は何ですか。
What is your name?
o-na-ma-e wa nan desu ka
どこから来ましたか。
Where are you from? / Where did you come from?
do-ko ka-ra ki-ma-shi-ta ka
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
はじめまして。私はマリアです。
Nice to meet you. I am Maria.はじめまして。私はケンです。
Nice to meet you. I am Ken.ケンさんはどこから来ましたか。
Ken, where are you from?私は日本から来ました。東京から来ました。
I am from Japan. I came from Tokyo.そうですか。私はアメリカから来ました。
I see. I am from America.そうですか。よろしくお願いします。
I see. Nice to meet you.Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
First meeting at a language exchange
You are at a small language exchange in your city. A person sits down across from you and says はじめまして. You have not met before. You want to introduce yourself politely and ask their name.
Your task: Say aloud: はじめまして。私はマリアです。私はアメリカから来ました。私は学生です。よろしくお願いします。 Then ask: お名前は何ですか。 Make sure your name, origin, and one extra detail are all clear.
The unexpected answer
You are practising with a partner who plays someone from a city you did not expect. You ask どこから来ましたか, and they answer 大阪から来ました。あなたは？ You need to respond naturally and keep the conversation going.
Your task: Say aloud: そうですか。私はカナダから来ました。 Then ask one follow-up question, such as ご出身はどちらですか or 私は学生です。あなたは？ If you do not know the follow-up word, use もう一度お願いします and repeat the question.
Introducing yourself after a mistaken assumption
You are at a group event. Someone has just introduced themselves and asks you where you are from. They then guess wrong and assume you are from Tokyo. You are actually from Canada and a student.
Your task: Say aloud: はじめまして。私はマリアです。カナダから来ました。学生です。よろしくお願いします。 When they ask マリアさんは東京から来ましたか, answer clearly: いいえ、東京から来ません。カナダから来ました。 Make clear which information is correct.
Common questions
Do I need to say 私は every time?
No. In casual conversation 私は is often dropped, but for beginners it is fine to keep it for clarity. If you are answering a direct question, just your name plus です is enough.
What if I do not understand the other person's answer?
You can say もう一度お願いします to ask them to repeat. You can also repeat your own question どこから来ましたか. Staying in Japanese, even with a short phrase, is better practice than switching to English.
Is どこから来ましたか the same as asking where someone is from originally?
It can mean either where they are from originally or where they came from just now, depending on context. For a clearer origin question, you can also use ご出身はどちらですか, which is more formal.
Sources and further reading
- japanese: introduce yourselfChecked September 2026
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