行く:　いく　vs.　ゆく

This question is about 行く, which can be pronounced いく (iku) or ゆく (yuku). A preliminary Google search indicated that the two actually have the same meaning but that ゆく is archaic. I'd like verification of this, though, from The Folks Who Know, and any other useful information as well. Are they truly identical? How do you know which reading to use when reading? (I have the same question about 私―when reading, when is it わたし and when is it わたくし?) ありがとう。

Read it iku unless marked otherwise, same for watashi. I'm not sure that yuku is archaic, but it's used less than iku. Otherwise they're exactly the same when used with that kanji.

Watakushi is more formal than watashi; otherwise they're the same as well.

わかりました。 However, is the rule for 私 the same too--read it as わたし unless indicated otherwise. (I'm imagining reading a quote from someone. If you just find the text online, how can one know if the original speaker intended one or the other?) ありがとう。

Read it as watashi. If it's supposed to be read as watakushi, atashi, or any other version there will be furigana.

There are a small number of relatively advanced set expressions that only take 'yuku.' The only time it is really practical for a beginner is in reading transportation schedules and using it in the sense of 'bound for'

To take a simple example, (Tokyo yuki ha nan ban sen deshouka? = What track number is the one for Tokyo ?). In that case, iki works just as well, it's just that 'yuki' is more common in my experience (and the one most guidebooks use). Just as a heads up. Otherwise, as Glenn, said, read the kanji as 'iku.'

As for ﾅｽ窶? it is used as a matter of personal discretion in most public discourse, but if this is a business-related discussion with clients or other very formal conversation with a lot of keigo and kenjougo, it is going to be watakushi.

J44xm said:

わかりました。 However, is the rule for 私 the same too--read it as わたし unless indicated otherwise. (I'm imagining reading a quote from someone. If you just find the text online, how can one know if the original speaker intended one or the other?) ありがとう。

Click to expand...

Another way of telling whether 私 should be read as watashi or watakushi would be to look at the written style of the article in which the kanji 私 appears. If the article is written in hard Japanese expressions (katai hyougen), namely written grammatical forms that you wouldn't see pretty much anywhere else other than the JLPT 1 , then chances are you will have to pronounce it watakushi. But watashi otherwise.

That makes sense. Thanks to all for the help!