1.
name (polite); your name
The polite form of 名前 (name), formed by adding the honorific prefix お. Used when asking about or referring to someone else's name in polite or formal situations.
お名前は？
What is your name?
お名前をお聞かせいただけますか。
Could you tell me your name?
こちらにお名前と住所をご記入ください。
Please write your name and address here.
One of the first polite expressions learners encounter. The お prefix makes 名前 honorific, so it is used to refer to the listener's or a third person's name, not one's own.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- お名前は？ — What is your name? (casual-polite)
- お名前を伺ってもよろしいですか — May I ask your name? (very polite)
- お名前をどうぞ — Your name, please
USAGE:
- At receptions, clinics, and service counters, staff will say お名前をお願いします (your name, please)
- When filling out forms, instructions may say お名前 to indicate the name field
- Do not use お名前 when giving your own name; simply say 名前 or 私の名前は～です