This article will give you all of the knowledge you need on the Japanese word shusshin, including its Japanese definition and translation, example sentences, related expressions and more!
Contents
What does shusshin mean?
Shusshin means place of origin or homeland in Japanese. It’s an important word that is used to talk about where people come from.
出身はどこですか？
Shusshin wa doko desu ka?
しゅっしんはどこですか？
Where are you from?
Note that, in Japanese, the word for “you” is not always necessary. Let’s look at the different ways to answer this question below.
As a foreigner, you can simply state your country of origin + no-shusshin + desu.
Again, the word for “I” is optional.
イギリスの出身です。
Igirisu no shusshin desu.
いぎりすのしゅっしんです。
I’m from England.
Japanese people will typically respond with their hometown or home prefecture.
私は大阪の出身です。
Watashi wa oosaka no shusshin desu.
わたしはおおさかのしゅっしんです。
I’m from Osaka.
僕は宮城県の出身です。
Boku wa miyagi ken no shusshin desu.
ぼくははみやぎけんのしゅっしんです。
I’m from Miyagi Prefecture.
People usually ask this question to someone they just met, so you will often hear a more polite version:
ご出身はどちらですか？
Goshusshin wa dochira desu ka?
ごしゅっしんはどちらですか？
Where are you from? (polite)
Note the go- in front of shusshin, which is an honorific prefix. The difference between shusshin and go-shusshin is basically just one of politeness.
Doko (where) also becomes dochira in more formal Japanese.
Does shusshin mean your birthplace or where you grew up?
Shusshin generally refers to where you grew up or spent the most time. For some people, this could be the same place as where they were born, but this is of course not always the case.
ロンドンで生まれたけど、育ったのはバーミンガム。
Rondon de umareta kedo, sodatta no wa baaminguhamu.
ろんどんでうまれたけど、そだったのはバーミンガム。
I was born in London, but grew up in Birmingham.
Other uses of shusshin
Japanese people also use shusshin to refer to the school someone graduated from. This is especially true if the school a famous one.
彼女は東京大学出身です。
Kanojo wa toukyou daigaku shusshin desu.
かのじょはとうきょうだいがくしゅっしんです。
She is a graduate of Tokyo University.
In business settings, shusshin is sometimes used to talk about where someone started their career or spent their formative years training.
彼はパナソニック出身の優秀なエンジニアです。
Kare wa panasonikku shusshin no yuushuu na enjinia desu.
かれはぱなそにっくしゅっしんのゆうしゅうなえんじにあです。
He is a talented engineer who came here from Panasonic.
More casual ways to ask where someone is from
Japanese students and young people often drop the formalities to others close to their own age. You might therefore hear either of these questions instead:
どこ出身？
Doko shusshin?
どこしゅっしん？
Where are you from?
どこから来たの？
Doko kara kita no?
どこからきたの？
Where are you from?
To answer informally, you can just state your country or hometown without the desu.
Rohan's favorite resource for learning Japanese is JapanesePod101, one of the best tools for getting started with the language. Sign up for a free lifetime account here.
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