Pronouns
Like nouns, pronouns can refer to people, things, concepts, and places. In Japanese, the use of pronouns, especially when referring to oneself and speaking in the first person, vary between gender, formality, dialect and region.
Pronouns to Refer to Yourself
The way you refer to yourself in Japanese depends on your gender. It can also depend on how honorific you want your speech to be.
| Pronoun | Meaning | Gender | Polite | Honorific |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watashi 私/わたし |
I / Me | Neutral, female | Watakushi 私/わたくし |
Ware 我 |
| Atashi あたし |
I / Me | Female | Atakushi あたくし |
Atakushi あたくし |
| Uchi うち |
I / Me | Neutral (more commonly used by females) |
– | – |
| Boku 僕 |
I / Me | Male | – | – |
| Ore 俺 |
I / Me | Male | – | – |
| Jibun 自分 |
Myself | Neutral | – | – |
| Watashitachi 私たち |
We / Us | Neutral | Ware ware 我々 |
Ware ware 我々 |
| Bokura 僕ら |
We / Us | Male | – | – |
| Orera 俺ら |
We / Us | Male | – | – |
Pronouns to Refer to Others
The pronouns used to refer to other people don’t depend on the speaker’s gender or the subject’s.
| Pronoun | Meaning | Level of Formality |
|---|---|---|
| Anata あなた |
You | Polite |
| Kimi 君/きみ |
You | Casual |
| Anta あんた |
You | Very casual |
| Omae お前/おまえ |
You | Very casual, can be rude |
| Anatatachi あなた達/あなたたち |
You (plural) | Polite |
| Kimitachi/Kimira 君たち/君ら |
You (plural) | Casual |
| Antatachi/Antara あんた達/あんたら |
You (plural) | Very casual |
| Omaetachi/Omaera お前たち/お前ら |
You (plural) | Very casual, can be rude |
| Kare 彼 |
He, him | Polite |
| Kanojo 彼女 |
She, her | Polite |
| Ano kata あの方 |
That person, they (singular) | Very polite |
| Ano hito あの人 |
That person, they (singular) | Casual, can be polite depending on tone |
| Aitsu あいつ/アイツ |
That person, they (singular) | Very casual, can be rude |
| Karetachi/Karera 彼たち/彼ら |
They (male) | Karetachi is polite; karera is casual |
| Kanojotachi/kanojora 彼女たち/彼女ら |
They (female) | Kanojotachi is polite; kanojora is casual |
Impersonal (Demonstrative) Pronouns
Impersonal pronouns usually are independent from the level of formality. These pronouns also don’t change depending on gender.
| Pronoun | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Kore これ |
This, it |
| Sore それ |
That, it |
| Are あれ |
That (refers to something that is distanced from the speaker), it |
| Koko ここ |
Here |
| Soko そこ |
There |
| Asoko あそこ |
Over there |
When to Use Pronouns (Statistically)
Japanese first-person pronouns by speakers and situations according to Yuko Saegusa, Concerning the First Personal Pronoun of Native Japanese Speakers (2009)
Female Speaker:
| Situation | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| To friends | uchi 39% | atashi 30% | watashi 22% |
| In the family | atashi 28% | First name 27% | uchi 18% |
| In a class | watashi 89% | atashi 7% | jibun 3% |
| To an unknown visitor | watashi 81% | atashi 10% | jibun 6% |
| To the class teacher | watashi 77% | atashi 17% | jibun 7% |
Male Speaker:
| Situation | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| To friends | ore 87% | uchi 4% | watashi, jibun 2% each |
| In the family | ore 88% | boku, jibun 5% each | |
| In a class | watashi 48% | jibun 28% | boku 22% |
| To an unknown visitor | boku 36% | jibun 29% | watashi 22% |
| To the class teacher | jibun 38% | boku 29% | watashi 22% |