- \n
- Watashi<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Watakushi<\/a> <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Atashi<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Boku<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Ore<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Uchi<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Jibun<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- First-name Basis<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Family Role<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Titles<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
About Watashi, Boku, Ore \u2014 and A Million Other Japanese First-person Pronouns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If English is your native language, here’s a did-you-know: a lot of languages have multiple first-person pronouns, like Vietnamese, Indonesian and Korean. Between all of these, Japan has the most first-person pronouns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How and when you refer to yourself depends on the person you’re talking to, situation and context. In other words, it depends on how you want to present yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, if you use watashi (\u308f\u305f\u3057), it’s considered formal \u2014 polite, even. On the other hand, try using ore (\u4ffa) in front of your boss and you might risk losing your job in Japan<\/span><\/a> (or, better yet, being told to voluntarily quit from the company<\/span><\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is why you’ll notice most Japanese people bouncing from one pronoun to another when they’re with their close friends, family or colleagues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You’ll notice a lot of them have their go-to pronouns, too. When it comes to gender differences in spoken Japanese, men and women tend to favor different pronouns.<\/mark> Social standing also affects how people refer to themselves, as well as how they refer to other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, 72% of Japanese men will use “ore” (\u4ffa) with their friends. When they’re talking to a stranger, more than 60% of them will use “boku” (\u50d5). On the other hand, to an unknown visitor, 75% of Japanese women will use “watashi”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, watashi, boku and ore aren’t the only first-person pronouns in Japanese, because they don’t include all the phonetic strains and regional differences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ever heard of ‘”ora” (\u304a\u3089)? It’s an informal Japanese personal pronoun from the Kanto dialect, similar to “oira” (\u304a\u3044\u3089). The impression you’ll get when you use this is that of a “country bumpkin” \u2014 someone from a very rural area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We’ll go over other ways to say “I” in Japanese as we dive deeper into the article. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Japanese Language Doesn’t Need First-Person Pronouns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Unlike most languages, Japanese grammar doesn’t require you to include first-person pronouns<\/span>, so you can omit the watashi, boku or ore. This is because it doesn’t even need a subject<\/em> in a sentence, to begin with. Let’s take a look at an English and Japanese example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u9280\u884c\u3078\u884c\u3063\u3066\u304d\u307e\u3059\u3002
<\/mark>Ginkou e ittekimasu. <\/strong>
I’m going to the bank (and returning again). <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nYou’ll notice that, in the Japanese example, the typical watashi (\u308f\u305f\u3057) is omitted. The textbook example should have been, “\u308f\u305f\u3057\u306f\u9280\u884c\u3078\u884c\u3063\u3066\u304d\u307e\u3059<\/mark>” \u2014 which would have made more sense of the English translation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here, the literal translation is “Going to the bank.” In this context, we know that the person saying that is referring to themself, so you don’t need to put an extra “I” for clarity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A great rule of the thumb is this: When the meaning is still clear, you can remove pronouns that mean “I” or “you” in Japanese. As a comparison, let’s use the same example sentence from above and tweak the context a little bit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A: \u8ab0\u304c\u9280\u884c\u306b\u3044\u307e\u3059\u304b\uff1f
<\/mark>A: Dare ga ginkou ni imasuka?
<\/strong>A: Who is in(at) the bank?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nB:\u9280\u884c\u3078\u884c\u3063\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\u304c\u3001\u5bb6\u306b\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002
<\/mark>B: Ginkou e itteimasuga, ie ni imasu.
<\/strong>B: Going to the bank, in the house. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nIn the dialogue above, it’s not clear who <\/em>is going to the bank and who <\/em>is in the house. In this case, you’ll need to include the pronouns. A better answer should be like the one below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
B:\u79c1<\/strong>\u9280\u884c\u3078\u884c\u3063\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\u304c\u3001\u304a\u5144\u3055\u3093<\/strong>\u306f\u5bb6\u306b\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002
<\/mark>B: Watashi wa ginkou e itteimasuga, onii-san wa ie ni imasu.
<\/strong>B: I’m going to the bank, but (my) brother is in the house. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nOn the other hand, there are verbs that imply the subject and object of the sentence. In English, we use “to give” and “to receive” regardless of who is giving and who is talking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Japanese, there are two verbs for expressing \u2018to give\u2019: \u3042\u3052\u308b (Ageru), \u304f\u308c\u308b (Kureru); while \u2018to receive\u2019 is indicated by \u3082\u3089\u3046. K<\/em>ureru<\/em> (\u304f\u308c\u308b) means to “give something from someone to me” (in other words, “receive”), while ageru<\/em> (\u3042\u3052\u308b) means “me giving something to someone else”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This rule makes pronouns unnecessary because the subject (giver) and receiver is already insinuated. . <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For now, let’s have a look at the different characteristics of watashi, boku and ore. Once your level in Japanese has improved, it may be a good idea to try and change the first-person pronoun you are using.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This can change depending on your character, the setting, or even your conversation partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"watashi](\"https:\/\/cotoacademy.com\/ja\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/Coto-Blog-featured-image-2-2-1024x536.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWatashi: \u79c1 (\u308f\u305f\u3057)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It’s the safest choice when you’re a beginner. In formal situations, it’s the safest choice and doesn’t carry any gender nuances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In casual speech, however, \u308f\u305f\u3057 can give off a “feminine” feel, and it’s typically only used by women<\/mark>. When men use it in a casual context \u2014 when talking with a friend or family \u2014 it’ll sound stiff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A polite way to refer to yourself, \u79c1 (\u308f\u305f\u3057) is the most general expression that is used by both women and men everywhere from formal occasions to business and public situations. If you are not really close to the person you are talking to, this word would be your best bet to avoid any offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as most Japanese typically avoid referring to themselves, they’d usually just drop the “watashi” from their sentences. Take a look at the example below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u79c1\u306f<\/s>\u548c\u83d3\u5b50\u304c\u597d\u304d \u2192 \u548c\u83d3\u5b50\u304c\u597d\u304d\u3002
<\/mark>Watashi wa<\/s> wagashi ga suki \u2192 Wagashi ga suki.
<\/strong>I like Japanese traditional sweets. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAs explained before, as long as it’s clear the sentence refers to yourself, you don’t need to state that “you” <\/em>like sweets \u2014 we know you’re talking about yourself, after all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Watakushi: \u308f\u305f\u304f\u3057<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You’ll hear this word straight out of historical anime, used by noblemen and women. \u308f\u305f\u304f\u3057, or watakushi, is the more polite version of \u308f\u305f\u3057 \u2014 the most formal Japanese first-person pronoun, even.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, it’s so outdated that it’s not a part of modern textbooks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unless you’re working in a very uptight (or conservative) working environment in Japan, we don’t recommend you to use \u308f\u305f\u304f\u3057. It may be the most “civilized” choice \u2014 it sounds sophisticated \u2014 but if you use it in semi-formal situations, you’ll ironically sound stiff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u3067\u3059\u304c\u3001\u308f\u305f\u304f\u3057<\/strong>\u305f\u3061\u306e\u601d\u3044\u306f\u8cb4\u65cf\u306b\u306f\u8003\u3048\u306a\u306e\u304b\u3082\u3057\u308c\u307e\u305b\u3093\u3002
<\/mark>Desu ga, watakushi tachi no omoi wa kizoku ni wa kangaena no kamo shiremasen.
<\/strong>However, our thoughts may be that of an aristocrat. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nOne of the only times we hear someone use \u308f\u305f\u304f\u3057 is in official announcements, like when politicians hit the street for their campaigns or when a big public figure apologizes due to a scandal. In other words, if you’re not saying sorry or dwelling in super-serious businesses, you can forget about \u308f\u305f\u304f\u3057 entirely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Atashi: \u3042\u305f\u3057<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u3042\u305f\u3057 is not really a new type of pronoun. It’s a shortened, more feminine pronoun that strains from \u308f\u305f\u3057, so it’s not used in written language. Instead, you’ll only hear it in conversations, among younger women and children, who generally have trouble pronouncing “w” from \u308f\u305f\u3057. Because of this, \u3042\u305f\u3057 sounds cute and endearing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like \u308f\u305f\u3057, there’s a feminine pronoun that strains from \u308f\u305f\u304f\u3057 too: \u3042\u305f\u304f\u3057. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Boku: \u307c\u304f (\u50d5)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Boku is an expression used by mostly men. Originating from words like geboku (manservant) and kouboku (public servant), this word’s popularity began to spread among the younger generation as they’d use this to refer to themselves in a humble manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although technically \u307c\u304f is used to address someone equal or lower to you, you can think of boku as a gentler, semi-formal pronoun alternative. This is why it’s one of the first first-person pronouns Japanese boys learn and commonly use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u50d5<\/strong>\u3082\u308f\u304b\u3093\u306a\u3044\u3002
<\/mark>Boku mo wakannai.
<\/strong>I don’t know too. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nBoku is perceived as humble, but can also carry an undertone of “feeling young” when used by males of older age. You’ll hear this used on boys among their coworkers, senpai or, yes, bosses. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
In formal situations, most men use either \u79c1 or \u50d5. Even though it’s a common choice for adult men, you may come off as sounding childish and immature \u2014 a “mama’s boy”, even. Most young boys use boku in classrooms, but later on, as they get older and more comfortable, they’ll use \u304a\u308c. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, it is more commonly used in close relationships or as a softer alternative to the word “ore” (see below; it sounds more modest, reserved and polite. Because of this, you’ll notice more girls use boku (\u307c\u304f) too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Boku for Young Boys<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
However, boku can also be used as a second-person pronoun for young boys<\/span>. It’s a way to refer to a boy you don’t know. You’re basically calling him from his perspective, so the term can come across as endearing and affectionate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u50d5<\/strong>\u306f\u4f55\u6b73\u3067\u3059\u304b?
<\/mark>Boku wa nansai desu ka?
<\/strong>Boku (small boy), how old are you?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nYou’ll notice parents calling their young son by this pronoun, too, adding the suffix ‘chan’<\/span><\/a> after ‘boku’ (boku-chan). One of our host families once said that they do this to avoid their children using their first names when they want to say “I” \u2014 something that a lot of children do. To this, they train their kid to associate themself with “boku” (instead of their real name).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u50d5\u3061\u3083\u3093<\/strong>\u3001\u4f55\u3092\u98df\u3079\u308b\uff1f
<\/mark>Boku-chan, nani o taberu?
<\/strong>Boku-chan, what do you want to eat?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n - Watakushi<\/a> <\/li>\n\n\n\n