By Masaki Mori
What does “jibun” mean in Japanese?
Jibun is a Japanese pronoun. Native speakers use it in three different ways: to say “I”, to say “myself”, and to say “you” in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this pronoun as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “jibun” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “jibun”
- What does “jibun” literally mean in Japanese?
- Example #1: how to say “I” in Japanese with “jibun”
- Example #2: how to say “myself” in Japanese
- Example #3: how to say “you” in Japanese with “jibun”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “jibun”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “jibun”.
- jibun – 自分 (じぶん) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’, ‘myself’, or ‘you’ in Japanese.
Native speakers use this pronoun to say either “I”, “myself”, or “you” in Japanese. So, this is a very flexible pronoun. Unfortunately, however, this does not mean that we can use it whenever we want. We need to be careful with the context and situation so that it can work well and sound natural in a sentence. Before explaining each case, I will explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
What does “jibun” literally mean in Japanese?
The kanji expression of “jibun” consists of the following two kanji characters:
- 自 : a kanji character often used to mean ‘I’, ‘my’, or ‘myself’ in Japanese. This kanji can also work as a prefix or suffix to add the meaning of ‘-self’ in Japanese.
- 分 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘part’ in Japanese. This can also be found in other words like “hanbun” and “tabun“.
These two kanji characters tell us that “jibun” literally means ‘my part’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. It is actually close to two of the three meanings, “I” and “myself”. To tell the truth, this pronoun has only these two meanings in most areas in Japan. The kanji expression is therefore still very reasonable. Only in Kansai area, this pronoun can also work to refer to the listener, to mean ‘you’ in Japanese.
When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “jibun” through the detailed kanji check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “jibun” together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “I” in Japanese with “jibun”
jibun wa ie de shigoto wo shi masu – 自分は家で仕事をします (じぶんはいえでしごとをします)
I will work at home.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “jibun” to make the subject in the sentence.
- ie – 家 (いえ) : a noun meaning ‘house’ or ‘home’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after “ie” to say where the speaker will work.
- shigoto – 仕事 (しごと) : a noun meaning ‘work’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “shigoto” to make the object in the sentence.
- shi – し : one conjugation of the verb, “suru”, which means ‘to do’ or ‘to perform’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after “shi” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “jibun”. In this example, it works together with the binding particle, “wa”, to become the subject in the sentence and means ‘I’ in Japanese. This type of “jibun” can sound natural only in formal situations where less-formal first-person pronouns like “boku” and “ore” cannot work well. It is also worth mentioning here that this type is normally used by a man to refer to himself.
Example #2: how to say “myself” in Japanese
jibun de gohan wo tsukuru – 自分でご飯を作る (じぶんでごはんをつくる)
I cook by myself.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- de – で : a case particle used to say how someone does something. In the example, this is used after “jibun” to say “by myself” in Japanese.
- gohan – ご飯 (ごはん) : a noun meaning ‘meal’ or such in Japanese.
- tsukuru – 作る (つくる) : a verb meaning ‘to make’ in Japanese. In the example, this works as a part of the commonly-used phrase, “gohan wo tsukuru”, which literally means ‘to make a meal’ in Japanese. It is often translated into English as just ‘to cook’, though.
This is another typical usage of “jibun”. This type of “jibun” often works together with the case particle, “de”, as shown in this example. The formed phrase is usually translated into English as “by myself”. Japanese native speakers quite often use this combination in daily conversations, so it’s worth knowing.
Example #3: how to say “you” in Japanese with “jibun”
jibun wa usotsuki ka – 自分は嘘つきか (じぶんはうそつきか)
Are you a lier?
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- usotsuki – 嘘つき (うそつき) : a noun meaning ‘lier’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- ka – か : a sentence-ending particle used to make a question. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the sentence to make the question. This is often used with the pitch raised.
This is a typical usage of this type of “jibun”. Again, but this “jibun” is a dialect used in Kansai area in Japan.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “jibun” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. 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. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. It is actually close to two of the three meanings, “I” and “myself”. To tell the truth, this pronoun has only these two meanings in most areas in Japan. The kanji expression is therefore still very reasonable. Only in Kansai area, this pronoun can also work to refer to the listener, to mean ‘you’ in Japanese. When we want to say “I” in formal situations, this pronoun is a good option.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
