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Chances are you already know that watashi means ‘I’ in Japanese.
We hate to break it you but… there are more than 10 other ways to say ‘I‘. Yikes!
We’ve decided to help you out by writing an entire article on how to say I in Japanese.
Just like Japanese honorifics, deciding how to say ‘I‘ depends on things such as the situation, status, gender and age of the speaker. With so many different ways to say ‘I’, you can bring your personality into conversations because each word has its own unique feeling.
To help you master how to say I in Japanese, we have included guidelines for the formality, gender and frequency of each word.
Table Of Contents
Watashi
Atashi
Uchi
Boku
Ore
Jibun
Watakushi
Watashi
私 / わたし
Formality: Formal or casual
Gender: Neutral
Frequency: Common
Watashi is the standard word for ‘I‘ so it gets the biggest explanation. It can be used by men and women of any age and in any situation.
It’s one of the first words you learn for the Japanese self-introduction known as jikoshoukai (自己紹介 / じこしょうかい). Watashi can mean both ‘I‘ and ‘my‘.
For example:
私 / わたし as ‘I‘
Example 1:
Hajimemash*te. Watashi wa Antonio desu.
初めまして。私はアントニオです
。
はじめまして。わたしはアントニオです。
Nice to meet you. I am Antonio.
Example 2:
Watashi wa Italia jin desu.
私はイタリア人です。
わたしはイタリアじんです。
I am Italian.
私 / わたし as ‘my‘
When used with no (の), the Japanese particle that shows possession, watashi means ‘my’.
In everyday conversation, it’s not necessary to use watashi every time you want to say ‘I‘. Native Japanese speakers don’t use it a lot because it can sound repetitive and people easily understand from the context when you are talking about yourself!
For example:
Kyou, watashi wa roku ji ni okimash*ta.
今日、私は6時に起きました。
きょう、わたしはろくじにおきました。
Today, I woke up at 6.
If we remove watashi from this sentence, it has the exact same meaning.
Kyou wa roku ji ni okimash*ta.
今日は6時に起きました。
きょうはろくじにおきました。
Today, (I) woke up at 6.
In formal situations, it’s better to use watashi but in casual situations it’s considered feminine. For this reason, men prefer other ways of saying I in Japanese.
Want to learn how to read Japanese? Download your free hiragana and katakana workbook here!
Atashi
あたし
Formality: Casual
Gender: Female
Frequency: Common
Atashi is an informal version of watashi used by females. Atashi is only written in hiragana. It has a gentle, softer sound which is considered feminine and is commonly used among young women and girls.
Uchi
内 / うち
Formality: Very casual
Gender: Female / Neutral
Frequency: Very common
Uchi originally comes from Kansai (Osaka’s region) and is an informal way to say ‘I‘ and ‘My‘. It’s used by women in casual chit-chat and is popular among female school students.
Normally, uchi is written in hiragana (うち) but the kanji (内) means inside. When it’s written with the character 内, it can mean my home/our company/our organization.
うち as ‘I’
Uchi wa saafin ga suki desu.
うちはサーフィンが好きです。
うちはサーフィンがすきです。
I like surfing.
うち as ‘my‘
Again, with the possessive particle no (の), you can use uchi to say ‘my’.
Uchi no neko ga kawaii desu.
うちの猫が可愛いです。
うちのねこがかわいいです。
My cat is cute.
Men can use uchi too, especially in casual conversation but in general it’s considered feminine.
Boku
僕 / ぼく
Formality: Informal and casual
Gender: Male (occasionally female)
Frequency: Very common
Boku is the go-to ‘I‘ and ‘my‘ word for boys and men of all ages. It’s more casual than watashi and has a mild but masculine feeling.
You could call boku ‘the nice guy’s word‘. Even though boku is informal, men sometimes use it in the workplace. However, watashi is always the most appropriate in a formal situation.
For men in casual conversation, the choice between using boku,watashi and ore (see below) is based on one’s own personal preference.
Sometimes, girls use boku in anime and song lyrics but it’s considered an artistic use of the word.
Ore
俺 / おれ
Formality: Very casual
Gender: Male
Frequency: Common
Ore is the stronger and rougher brother of boku. It’s an informal way of saying ‘I‘ used by men and sometimes sounds a little heavy.
Actually, ore gets its bad reputation from the way it’s used by characters in anime where it can command authority and masculinity.
For example:
Ore wa ningen wo yameru zo!
俺は人間をやめるぞ!
おれはにんげんをやめるぞ!
I am done with mankind!
On the other hand, with close friends and family its very common for men to choose ore:
Ore wa butaniku ha amari suki janai.
俺は豚肉があまり好きじゃない。
おれはぶたにくがあまりすきじゃない。
I don’t really like pork.
Ore is not appropriate for business situations and we don’t recommend using it with strangers or people of a higher status.
Jibun
自分 / じぶん
Politeness: Formal and casual
Gender: Neutral
Frequency: Common
Jibun translates to ‘oneself‘ and has many uses. We’ll just go over how it can be used as ‘I‘ and ‘myself‘ but it’s important to note that in the Kansai region, jibun means you.
In history, jibun was the way of referring to yourself in the military and within sports teams which gives it the feeling of being less personal and part of something bigger.
Jibun is a popular choice when you want to remain neutral in how you express yourself, neither too feminine nor too masculine.
自分/じぶん as ‘I‘
Jibun wa shai desu ne.
自分はシャイですね。
じぶんはシャイですね。
I’m shy / I’m quite shy.
Jibun wa kaigai he itta koto nai.
自分は海外へ行ったことない。
じぶんはかいがいへいったことない。
I have never been abroad.
You can also use jibun + de (自分で)to say ‘myself‘ or ‘by myself‘
Jibun de tsukurimash*ta.
自分で作りました。
じぶんでつくりました。
I made it myself.
Watakushi
私 / わたくし
Formality: Very formal
Gender: Neutral
Frequency: Uncommon
Watakushi is the most polite way of saying
‘I
‘ and is written with the same kanji character (私) as watashi.
Watakushi is rarely used except for speeches, official announcements, and ceremonies. People use it to humble their speech and its often used by those working in customer-service.
For example:
You are at a restaurant in Tokyo and you ask the man serving you where he is from in Japan.
He may respond like this:
Watakushi wa Hokkaido shusshin desu.
私は北海道出身です。
わたくしはほっかいどうしゅっしんです。
I’m originally from Hokkaido.
By using watakushi, the waiter shows respect to you as a customer when speaking about himself.
How to say I in Japanese
We’ve covered some of the most common ways to say I in Japanese. Believe it or not, there are tons more Japanese words for ‘I’ – but many of the others are regional words, or only used in very specific situations. If you learn all the words in this article, you’ll have mastered all the ‘I’ words you’re likely to hear in everyday life.
While it might seem confusing to have more than one word for the same thing, we hope you can see how it can also be a fun way to express your personality! You’ll soon get the hang of these new words once you start recognising them in conversations, in dramas or anime.
While you’re here, check out these related posts:
How to Say ‘You’ in Japanese (Without Starting a Fight!)
9 Ways to Say Friend in Japanese: From Acquaintance to BFF
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Francesca Rex-Horoi
Francesca is a freelance copywriter and teacher, who moved to Tokyo from New Zealand at age 24. A linguistics and ESL major, she spent 3 years teaching at an all-boys high school. Now based in France, she remains a self-confessed Japanophile who loves kanji, cooking, cats and the outdoors.
As mentioned above, the formal version of watashi is watakushi. The same can also be done with the feminine pronoun atashi. Atakushi is the more formal and polite way of using atashi. Similar to watakushi, it's uncommon to hear atakushi used during informal settings outside of anime or manga.
And here's one more word to mean "I"; "watakushi." "Watakushi" is the humble word for "I" and it is an extremely polite version of "watashi." People don't use it often in daily conversation, but it is often used in the service industry when staff member talk about themselves while talking to guests.
You can use it to call things, in some cases, あいつ (aitsu) is often used to talk about a “love interest”, and some people just considered these words as straightly rude! *Men might use these words when they're angry. So basically it's equivalent to an insult.
If you are a girl, I advise you against using "ore" as a first-person pronoun. It is for "boys," and even among "boys," it's used very informally, by boys who want to sound "macho," "tough, or "important," it can come across as very arrogant.
Boku is somewhat more casual and is only used by males, mainly non-teenagers (so kids, and adults). Ore is considered "vulgar" (vulgar in the sense of popular slang), and is extremely common among teenage boys. You wouldn't use it when speaking with people you don't know or those with a higher status than you.
Let me summarize them as follows. jibun – 自分 (じぶん) : a pronoun meaning 'I', 'myself', or 'you' in Japanese. These two kanji characters mean 'my' and 'part' respectively, so this pronoun literally means 'my part' in Japanese.
Meaning:upright, righteous. Kimi is a feminine name of Japanese origin. A variant of Kimiko, this name means “righteous” and “upright,” making a wonderful reminder to live a just, honest life.
If you are with a group of strangers and you decide suddenly to introduce yourself , you can say 'watashi wa'. But after you introduce yourself, you would continue talking without 'watashi wa' since it's obvious you're talking about yourself.
“Watashi” is the standard, gender-neutral way to say “I.” You will always find it on Japanese language textbooks and it is the best choice for all beginners. However, it is often seen as feminine, especially if you are a conversation with a group of men. In this case, you may use the term “ore.”
But generally speaking, in conversation, while women use it all the time to indicate themselves both among friends or in formal situations, men tend to use it only when they talk to superiors or in formal situations.
Bifauxnen are — from an artistic standpoint — everything that is positive about masculinity while not losing anything fundamentally female. Many characters, in fact, simply associate with traits typically praised in men; the appearance is just another path to that.
Most, but not all, bokukko are tomboys, and not all tomboys are bokukko, as the term revolves solely around the use of the pronoun "boku". While the use of boku most often signals tomboyishness, it can sometimes signal some other situation, such as not knowing correct societal behavior, or lacking polite speech.
うるさい (urusai) may be one of the most common Japanese words people use in everyday life. It usually describes situations and things in a negative way and can even be rude at times. So be careful how you use this word! It is super useful, but it can get you into trouble too!
The Japanese language has a bulk of personal pronouns with different degree of politeness, though they are at peripheral place in the language system. They are not frequently used.
Watashi is the gender neutral personal pronoun used in formal environment such as the workplaces. Boku is a semi formal male pronoun. Can also be used formally. Ore is a rude, more “vulgar” pronoun used between family or friends.
'Ore,' meaning 'I,' is a word used only by men. There are strict rules in Japanese what can be used by men and by women; different words, different ways of expressions, etc. 'Ore' is, as mentioned earlier, such an example; it is used by men to address themselves.
Boku: Polite, Sophisticate, Humble You can use it among your friends but they may feel you are too polite. It is appropriate word to a person who you meet at the first time. Ore: Not formal, Masculinity Most of men use "ore" in the conversation with close friends, classmates and colleagues.
Wagahai (吾輩) is a classical way to say “I” that was used by older men of high social stature. You will find this in the title of Natsume Soseki's famous work, 吾輩は猫である (wagahai wa neko de aru / I am a cat).
Native speakers say “tabun” to mean 'maybe' or 'probably' in Japanese. They use it when they are uncertain if something happens or if something is true. So, not only its meanings but its usages as well are very similar to those of the English words, “maybe” and “probably”.
So let's learn the nuances for each word that mean “I” first. because わたし can give a softer impression than 私 in kanji. This 私 (watashi) is used mainly in formal speech.
Yatsugare is a way to humble yourself. But it can be interpreted like a way to humiliate yourself too. But that might be not the main reason. Real Akutagawa stories where inspired by stories of ancient times like in XII or XIII century.
Wa (和) is a Japanese cultural concept usually translated into English as "harmony". It implies a peaceful unity and conformity within a social group in which members prefer the continuation of a harmonious community over their personal interests.
Desu is a polite Japanese linking verb meaning “to be” as well other forms of the verb. Western fans of anime and manga sometimes add it to the end of sentences to sound cute and imitate Japanese.
Atashi is mainly spoken by women and sounds effeminate when used by men. Men use watashi or boku in daily conversation if people know who is being spoken about, the pronoun is dropped altogether.
In contrast, Japanese, both spoken and written, can get by with far less use of pronouns, and indeed feels no need to indicate the gender of a person in any number of sentences describing them.
Family (kazoku) is a foundational part of Japanese society. An individual's identity, reputation, obligations and responsibilities are deeply connected to their family. Japanese family structures have been influenced by Confucian ideas of filial piety and defined hierarchical social relationships over the centuries.
Saying ore in formal contexts is never appropriate, no matter your gender. With your friends, virtually anything goes, just be aware that because girls virtually never use it, it will be percieved as weird.
The word ore is a informal way to say "I" usually used by men with people they are close with. For example kids in high school would use this when talking with friends. Where as boku is the midle formality and the most common "I" for men, in day to day use.
If you use “anata” with someone who you know, it is rude. So it's better to use name plus san. You might already have known that Japanese people often leave out 'watashi', because you say, for example, “Hiroko desu.” to mean 'I'm Hiroko.” We leave out “watashi” when it's obvious.
The pronoun "anata" is the supposed neutral way to refer to someone whose name you're not aware of, and it's OK to use it to a stranger if you can't think of any other way to phrase the thing you want to ask.
あなた is neither polite nor rude. But, it could be either. あなた is, most of the time, neutral. I've seen many "warnings" towards learners that they should never use あなた.
Meaning:upright, righteous. Kimi is a feminine name of Japanese origin. A variant of Kimiko, this name means “righteous” and “upright,” making a wonderful reminder to live a just, honest life.
There are some languages that have no gender! Hungarian, Estonian, Finnish, and many other languages don't categorize any nouns as feminine or masculine and use the same word for he or she in regards to humans.
A two-child policy is a government-imposed limit of two children allowed per family or the payment of government subsidies only to the first two children.
Under the policy, those with more than two children will not be able to get government jobs or avail benefi ts like government housing or contest local body elections. ET Magazine takes a look at other such restrictions imposed by countries across the world and also incentives offered for people to have more kids.
When it comes to weddings in Japan, who pays what usually? The couple pays for everything (with help from the guests, as money is the traditional wedding gift in Japan). How much does a ceremony costs and how much in advance one must make reservations?
Introduction: My name is Pres. Carey Rath, I am a faithful, funny, vast, joyous, lively, brave, glamorous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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