Dictionary / Japanese / What is your name?
How to Say "What is your name?" in Japanese
お名前は何ですか
onamae wa nan desu ka
Literally: As for your name, what is it?
お
(polite prefix)
名前
name
は
as for (said wa)
何
what (said nan here)
ですか
is it? (polite question)
Polite or casual
Politeお名前を伺ってもよろしいですか (onamae o ukagatte mo yoroshii desu ka)
Casual名前は何？ (namae wa nani?) / 名前は？ (namae wa?)
お名前は何ですか is polite. It works with new classmates, colleagues and people you meet for the first time. In shops, hotels and offices, staff use the more formal お名前を伺ってもよろしいですか, may I ask your name? With children and close friends, 名前は何？ or just 名前は？ is normal. A natural way to ask is to give your own name first, then ask お名前は？
Correct
お名前は何ですか
What people say wrong
あなたの名前は何ですか
What is your name? Correct grammar, but it sounds blunt, like a form or a textbook.
The mistake to avoid. Learners translate word for word and start with あなたの (anata no), your. The sentence is grammatical, but Japanese usually leaves out "you" when it is clear who you mean, and あなた said to someone you have just met can sound distant or blunt. Drop it, and put お in front of 名前. That お shows respect for the other person, so never use it for your own name. Two sounds catch people out: は here is said wa, not ha, and 何 is said nan before です.
In context
すみません、お名前は何ですか。
Sumimasen, onamae wa nan desu ka.
Excuse me, what is your name?
私はエマです。お名前は？
Watashi wa Ema desu. Onamae wa?
I'm Emma. And your name?
名前は何？
Namae wa nani?
What's your name? (casual, for example to a child)