Pronouns

Melchior · 6 May 2006

I would appreciate some advice on what I should use to refer to myself and others, I do think it's interesting how I have these choices with Japanese, but I might just stick to わたし and あなた. I want to sound polite and casual, not too rough or too formal.

おれ and おまえ are rough and masculine I believe, don't want that.

ぼく is polite but would I sound like a school boy?

I don't know what きみ is supposed to imply.

If あんた is just a more relaxed form of あなた, then I would prefer to use あんた.

Of course, I know it mostly depends one who I'm talking to.

MeAndroo · 6 May 2006

Just speaking personally, I always felt わたし was a bit too stiff for me to use on a casual basis. おれ and ぼく are perfectly fine to use in most everyday situations, and ぼく doesn't make you sound like a schoolboy.

If you find yourself at a loss with what pronouns to refer to a person you're speaking to, you can always use their name.

Melchior · 6 May 2006

MeAndroo said:
Just speaking personally, I always felt わたし was a bit too stiff for me to use on a casual basis. おれ and ぼく are perfectly fine to use in most everyday situations, and ぼく doesn't make you sound like a schoolboy.

Ah, so I guess ぼく is a good one to go with. I was just under the impression that it sounded juvenile.

MeAndroo said:
If you find yourself at a loss with what pronouns to refer to a person you're speaking to, you can always use their name.

That's a good idea, it doesn't come to mind seeing as how that would sound very strange in English. But the Japanese do that don't they?
Although I've only heard little girls using the listeners name when directly speaking to someone.

MeAndroo · 6 May 2006

Don't forget that people are able to glean plenty from context. If you're talking about that person, you need not constantly refer to them as you might by saying "you" in English.

Ex.
"What do you think you're going to do tonight?"
"こんやはどうする？"
If it's just you and another person, the need for 2nd-person pronouns may drop significantly.

A link for further info

KrazyKat · 6 May 2006

I think あんた Sounds feminine.

Elizabeth · 6 May 2006

KrazyKat said:
I think あんた Sounds feminine.

It sounds to me like the おまえ equivalent for girls....for tough and slightly defamatory women.
As a general rule, outside of family members if you know the person's name,
use it.

Glenn · 6 May 2006

Yeah, like Elizabeth said, using the person's name is best. You can also use their title, if you know it, like sushiya-san, kachou-san, sensei, etc.

nhk9 · 6 May 2006

It kinda depends on who you are talking to (and whether or not you feel comfortable using one over the other).

If you talk with your fellow rock band members, it's more natural to use ore instead of the more reserved boku or watashi.

If you talk with your fellow classmates boku is used frequently (provided that you are under 45 years old)

Watashi is used when talking to people you've just met, or that you wanted to show some sort of politeness. For example, you would use this when talking to the reception (of a company) etc.

Watakushi is generally used for business or conferences. I find this to be quite stiff.

I generally use "boku", and it seems to be ok. It really depends on whether or not you use tameguchi. If you use tameguchi and use watashi, you would sound too bakateinei.

Melchior · 6 May 2006

So... what about きみ?

nhk9 said:
I generally use "boku", and it seems to be ok. It really depends on whether or not you use tameguchi. If you use tameguchi and use watashi, you would sound too bakateinei.

Tameguchi...?

nhk9 · 6 May 2006

I'd only use kimi when I have known the person for sometime (and only toward peers of superiors)

tameguchi is the opposite of keigo really. it is the language that you use when talking to peers. look up for 'tame' in koujien

nice gaijin · 6 May 2006

tameguchi means casual speak; tame is a slang term for people the same age as you. I think nhk is saying that if you always use more formal terms around friends, they'll think you're being too serious and are keeping them at a distance.

君 kimi means "you," but I get a feeling of "talking down" when I hear it. As mentioned above, the best way to address someone is to use their name (this takes some getting used to for native English speakers)

Mike Cash · 6 May 2006

In Japanese, context is everything. Nobody is exclusively 私、僕、or 俺, etc all the time.

Glenn · 6 May 2006

Indeed, you could also be お父さん、お母さん、兄ちゃん、姉ちゃん、おじさん、おばさん, etc.

nice gaijin · 6 May 2006

hmm, I think mike means that no one will always refer to themselves using the same pronoun, it depends on the situation.

Glenn · 6 May 2006

And I meant that no one will always use a "pronoun," it depends on the situation.

Mike Cash · 6 May 2006

Japanese is interesting in that it has so very many pronouns and sometimes strives so mightily to avoid using them.

cheapshot · 6 May 2006

stick to 俺 and 僕

Mike Cash · 6 May 2006

yorkii said:
stick to 俺 and 僕

And when in doubt as to which to choose, try to notice which the folks around you are using in the same situation. Sometimes you're one, sometimes you're the other. Sometimes you're something else.

Elizabeth · 6 May 2006

Mike Cash said:
And when in doubt as to which to choose, try to notice which the folks around you are using in the same situation. Sometimes you're one, sometimes you're the other. Sometimes you're something else.

そうなんですね。それは yorkii さんの個人的な意見であるだけです。
たいてい、使う相手や状況によりますね。

nhk9 · 9 May 2006

Just to add one thing... I have noticed that some younger people like to use 'sochira' or the more colloquial 'sotchi' in replacement of 'kimi'. That maybe the pronoun you are looking for...

Pronouns

後輩

先輩

後輩

先輩

先輩

先輩

一切皆苦

先輩

後輩

先輩

Resident Realist

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

一切皆苦

Resident Realist

一切皆苦

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

後輩

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

先輩

先輩

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