Starting to use '俺'

[Mirai Naza-kun]

As some of you know, I use '僕' a lot. However, I may be polite, but I'm more boastful than polite. I don't really think I'm 'all that and a bag of chips', but for some '俺' feels more natural for me. However, I want to avoid offending anyone. Is it offending to use '俺'? If not, I will use it. If it is, I'll try to use '僕'

 

[Damicci]

俺 is more used amongst friends from my understanding. Not with superiors, parents, senpai and the like.
It's usually good to use watashi or boku.

 

[Mike Cash]

Use whatever the heck you want and don't worry about it. At this stage of the game, your Japanese sentences are going to be so rife with errors that a little thing like first person pronoun choice just really does not matter.

This question ranks #2 behind "Is gaijin racist?" for the all-time most over-discussed and most over-agonized-over Japan(ese) question.

Seriously, at this stage of the game just go with whatever you want. The various vagaries of which word to use when and where are something you will pick up along the way.

And 俺 is not loaded with all the BS that Ernest Lerner is so eager to tell you that it is, anyway. You will notice that practically 100% of the advice you will get about the use of 俺 comes from the following:

1. My girlfriend says....
2. My textbook says....
3. I heard....
4. I read on the internet that....
5. (Get the picture?)

You're not at any time going to in any way give OFFENSE to anyone whomsoever by using 俺. Put your energies and your worries elsewhere.

 

[Elizabeth]

First use whatever the people around you are using. The only super offensive and words guaranteed to annoy both here and in Japan are when someone announces their presence as more boastful than humble or polite.

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

"俺" have no problem by conversation between friends.

However, "俺様" lowers one's dignity.

 

[Mirai Naza-kun]

Thank you, minnasan.

I will use 'ore(too lazy to get NJSTAR out)' when not trying to polite. But, I won't overuse it.

 

[Elizabeth]

Thank you, minnasan.
I will use 'ore(too lazy to get NJSTAR out)' when not trying to polite. But, I won't overuse it.

Either minna or minasan is correct.

The few guys who call themselves ore here it seems are trying to be friendly and talking with other members as friends (usually with casual style Japanese) which has less to do with arrogance or personality. You might ask them, though, it's just my impression....

 

[leonmarino]

I for some reason have started using "俺ちゃん" sometimes..