The many ways to say “subject”
One of the unique features of the Japanese language is the multiple words that can be chosen when one wants to say ” I “. Each of these words has a different connotation, reflecting the speaker’s conception of himself or herself and his or her relationship with the listener.
In this issue, we introduce a collection of ” I ” words.
Common forms
There are various ways to say ” I ” in Japanese, but these are the ones we actually use regularly.
わたし
私 watashi
私 watashi is the standard, gender-free way to say “ I ” and is the first one learners are introduced to. If you don’t know which I-word to use, this is your best bet.
However, saying “me too” in Japanese can give a very effeminate impression when used in casual situations. Men should be careful to say “me too” or use other ” I ” words.
わたくし
私 watakushi
私 watashi / direct style ＝ 私 watakushi / distal style
わたし
Yes, the kanji is the same as ” 私 watashi “. In fact.
わたし わたくし
” 私 watashi ” is a shortened form of ” 私 watakushi”.
ぼく
僕 boku
” 僕 boku ” is a soft, masculine ‘person’ word that can be described as a soft, masculine ‘person’. When I use this term, I feel humbled before the speaker.
”僕 boku ” is a word used mainly by men, but young and boyish girls also use it. I have also heard women use ” 僕 boku ” in lyrics.
お れ
俺 ore
If ” 僕 boku ” is the “person” of a “soft guy,” then ” 俺 ore ” is a ” hard guy”. This is a term used by tough guys, so it is rarely used in its polite verb form.
It’s not polite by any stretch of the imagination, but it would also be wrong to say it’s a ” rude ” word. It can actually convey a sense of intimacy, ” I’m a close friend and you don’t have to worry about politeness”. This is probably the most common “personification” among groups of men (except in business and other formal settings).
アタシ atashi
わたし
This is an informal effeminate form of 私 watashi. It has a kind of “cute” nuance to it. Because kanji are generally seen as masculine, this word has no kanji form. It is written in either hiragana or katakana. (Well, the word does come from 私 watashi so you might see it listed with 私 watashi in a dictionary).
こちら kochira /こっち kocchi
“こちら kochira ” and ” こっち kocchi ” are the same word (” こっち kocchi ” is an abbreviation), but their degree of formality is quite different. This one is very polite and is often used in business situations, especially on the phone. It is also an ambiguous word that can be used directly to mean ” we ” due to its etymological meaning of “こちら kochira ” .
” こっち kocchi ” is much more informal and frequently used among friends. It’s also handy for its neutrality, meaning that when you use it you’re not making a statement about your social position relative to the listener ( you are–however–still making a statement about social distance ).
われ われわれ
我 ware /我々 wareware
Used more commonly in it’s “ we ” form 我々wareware , 我 ware by itself and meaning just “I” is pretty uncommon, but not unheard of.
わし washi
This is yet a further shortening of the word watashi. It is reserved for use by old men or men who for some reason have acquired a very slurred speech style.
こ じん めい
個人名 kojinmei Personal name
While we don’t do this in English, in Japanese it’s possible to use your own personal name when saying “I.” Basically, you can speak in third person perspective. This manner of speaking is somewhat frowned upon as being childish, however, so be careful should you decide to use it. (it’s probably best if you simply don’t use this method altogether, just know that you might hear somebody else talking like this someday.)
Thank you for reading! ありがとう。 Namu Shinnyo ■
