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How to say I in Japanese.
1,753 thoughts on “How to say I in Japanese.”
anonymous_noob
I've been studying Japanese on and off for quite a while though I've never had conversations in Japanese. As a guy, I think I would use watashi for strangers and boku for friends. As for this lesson, I thought it was very well explained–especially at the beginning when you broke down the usage of 'I' to be dependent upon 3 different things. A very nice summary and overview!
@Kristal I recommend boku with acquaintance friends (that are around your age), and ore with decently close friends. Some people think that using "watashi" for everything is best since it is the "safe" option from offending others. But to Japanese, nothing screams to them louder that you don't know Japanese that well if you can't adjust your use of the Japanese language to the appropriate social context. So using "watashi" with friends isn't recommended. On top of that, I've been told before by some Japanese people that they find it "cute" when foreigners speak overly casual (usually by accident) rather then when they are overly formal.
Well, not necessary "not recommended" at all. You can use わたし with friends too depending on the situation and what kind of friends you have. Using it all the time do is the safest. It is better to be not acurate than taking the risk of being rude… and "cute", if you have not the level to decide correctly wether use it or not, you better go with politeness. In that case it is never "too much".
We need to use watashi for formal conversation and Boku in informal conversation . Ore can be used in situations where you are speaking with your very close friends who will not get hurt .
Never had any confidence in my ability to read japanese well but I read and comprehended it in an instant, guess I'm happy that I found a more consistent way of learning than an app on my phone.
I would totally go for "ore", because it's more practical and fasttest to say "ore wa" than "boku wa" or "watashi wa", i kinda pronounce it like "Re-wa"
Watashi has a nice sound to it. I would use however Boku since I am a beginner and Watashi for formal langauge when I have a more advanced understanding of speaking japanese.
I think i will be using "watashi" sometimes and "boku" all the time and "ore" for my friends here in my place. But what if i use the girls way of saying "I" in Japanese like "uchi" would it be a bother?
I found this video really helpful. I am currently taking Japanese One at school and while boku was briefly mentioned, we only used watashi. The other options were never mentioned at school. In this video, everything was explained very clearly, not too fast and not too slow. I would probably use watashi in all cases though, just because I am used to it a lot more than anything else.
OK, so you explained pretty well when to use these words and how to pronounce them. This is great. What I still don't know, though, is what these words actually <em>mean</em> in Japanese (what particular <em>ideas</em> they cause in your head). And I noticed they are quite "structured", therefore their particular syllables must mean something, right? For example, "atashi", "watashi", "washi", "watakushi", "wai" – they all seem to have some syllables in common, just some other syllables thrown in in the middle or at the beginning. What do these syllables mean separately and when one combines them into these words?
Also, what does "desu ka" mean and why is it used only in formal context? Why is the trailing "u" in "desu" silent?
'u' is usually silent in 'desu'. Whenever you say 'desu' it's keigo, or formal/polite Japanese. Japanese society is quite hierarchical so people use different degrees of formal/politeness to acknowledge different social statues.
I would atashi aswell considering i am in highschool
Anonymous
In vampire knight, an anime on of the guys used a type of "I" that was considered rude. Do you have any idea what it could have been and/or examples of rude ways to say "I".
I completely agree! I've been slowly teaching myself Japanese for the past two or three years and I would use Watashi. Seeing as it can be used politely and in formal situations, I would most likely use it when talking with strangers or when in a professional Space. It seems to be a very versatile phrase and I personally believe that as a man, I can use it in many situations.
Um, eh, sorry, but is using "boku" for girl very bad(rude?)? I just really dont like "uchi" or "atashi" and dont want to use "watashi" in non-keigo situations
I'm another Maria who would really like to use "boku". I can understand how it'd be really strange, but like, what if I was only to use it in really casual settings with close friends of the same age? Still unusual? (If so, I guess I'll get used to atashi……)
Kirk
Wait, but why is it okay if you're writing a song? I'm pretty sure I've heard a women refer to herself as Boku in a StereoPony song.
Thank you for the introductory lesson. Watashi or atashi is fine with me for keigo or non-keigo 🙂 I haven't heard how uchi is being used or maybe I'm not yet aware of this term prior to seeing this video.
The formal one I would use 私(watashi), like to write a letter or something official but, i might also use 僕(Boku) since I'm a guy.
The casual one I probably use both 俺(Ore)/僕(Boku) from time to time.
I've some questions for yuta-san too!
Do Japanese people still using the old words like 自分(jibun) or 吾輩(wagahai) to call them self?(the last one I was expected to be hear from old people, but do young people still you the 1st one nowadays?) and is it impolite to call strange people あなた, and how should I called them to be more polite?
When I was in Japanese 121 I learned watashi was the safe bet when in doubt so I think in most situations I will use watashi, but if I was talking to friends I would most likely use boku.
is it safe to say that would be my best bet?
You would use watashi when speaking formally, and using boku if you are speaking to friends or close acquaintances. You can also use boku when speaking formally.
I'm pretty sure this is how you say it as a male.
I hope I'm posting this correctly, I'm new to this site
I find it a bit difficult finding out what to use. I'm a transgender male who hasn't gotten into transitioning yet, and it is quite hard for me to pass as male most of the time because of my high pitched voice. I'm not sure if I should just use "Watashi" or if I could use "Boku"…
I would use watashi for both situations. it seems easier for women since its more common for them to use watashi in formal or informal situations :). great first lesson!
From this lesson, I learned that Japanese does seem a lot more complicated than English. But I am still determined to learn it!
So what I've learned is we should use Boku for informal conversations but it is possible to use boku for formal conversations as long as you add "desu" or "desu-ka".
When I started learning Japanese, my teacher told me to try to avoid to talk about "I" as much as possible. (As it would be impolite to always talk about oneself 😉 )
Just use the Watashi to present yourself, then leave it out as much as possible.
I have always been using 私 …
hmm well since watashi is accepted for both formal and informal situasions, and im a guy. i would try to use Watashi first, and see how it goes. if someone else told me i had to use something else, i would read up on that word and see if its correct. and then switch if it is correct.
As I'm a women, I use watashi in both situations (formal and informal).
My japanese roommate usually using uchi, when she is talking about herself. First time when I heard it I was confused. I thought i should use uchi too, because when I'm always saying "watashi" it sound weird probably. But now I know it's normal. Thank You! ありがとうございました。
I wold use Watashi in every situation since I'm a girl.
Also, I thought "Taeme" meant YOU! Because of anime XD
Great lesson
My first lesson with Yuta XD
I would say "私' for formal situations and '僕' for friends. But I would like to see how does '俺' work with friends, after all that the most used in manga, anime and some histories, など,
and that is acceptable but it kinda brings this manly, gangster sense in it.
i would follow the norm and use watashi when needed to be extremely polite to strangers and boku. but i feel that using boku in a very polite way to strangers is viable too as im sure that not a lot of Japanese citizens/people would be offended by it
same as anonymous_noob "watashi" for stranger or first meeting, as well as relationship start to get closer and gain confidence then it will be time to use "boku".
Not sure if I'm replying in the correct area, but here goes. Formal I would say "watashi", informal I would go with "boku". If the mood or formality of the situation changed I would (hopefully) adjust accordingly.
I would probably stay formal. Don't have to worry about mistakes that way and avoid embarrassment. Also i like to come across as very formal. I believe its the best way to be respectful and maintain honor.
Watashi when being formal and Boku when informal… but i will probably just stick to boku.
Trying to keep it simple here… that was alot of info.. just for I.
Well, as my first Yuta video since signing up, I have barely any idea of the contextual bits of this video. But today, I did learn how to say "I" in Japanese.
Finally starting to watch the vids you've sent me, really nice explanations! This seems like the best way to learn to speak, i had started out learning hiragana and after seeing the kanji video it seems like ill never be able to be literate [unless i dedicate a lot of time to practice] so learning how japanese people actually speak their language is probably more useful. Thanks for these vids, Yuta, ありがとうございます!
Simple enough, because I am male, in a formal situation I would use the word 'watashi' and in an informal situation I would use the words 'boku' or 'ore'. Ah, also for added politeness I would probably use 'watashi desu-ka'. Which is neat, I had not questioned what it meant but it felt like it was used to signify a question after hearing my first words from my grandma, 'ikaga desu-ka' (are you okay? (I'm probably not right but woo)) and catching it in subtitled anime.
From my understandings, you can use "watashi" in both situations if female. If male you can use "boku" or "ore" in both situations, as long as you include "desu" or "desu ka". Am I correct?
I usually tend to go with watashi at first greeting, then switch to boku or ore once I know a person, even if we arent that close yet. Friends will do.
I had heard of the phrase washi, jibun and uchi, however I had assumed that these were older phrases for a more older general, especially washi.
Since I was raised to be polite with practically everyone (especially strangers, foreigners and elder family members); I would most likely use "watashi" to in a formal situation and "ore" in an informal situation, like with friends.
Because I am still very new to Japanese, I would use watashi, just to avoid seeming rude using a confident form even though my Japanese is bad. As my Japanese gets to a better level, I suppose I will use boku for informal. I think I'd only use boku for formal once I am rather fluent.
My younger sister has learned a bit of Japanese here in California, so she did explain to be a little on the factor of Watashi. Yuta-san has clarified this further. Personally I'd use Boku, similar to Yuta-san( Yuta-san or Aoki-san?), since the use of watashi can be used in both feminine and keigo it can be mentally confusing to me at times. I also want to get this right since I aim to teach english as an ALT. I do have a random question that bugs me. When is a good time to switch from using the last name+ honorific to first name+ honorific?
i think boku would be the easy one to use unless i was talking to my wives father then i would use the more formal but thats me ( her dad is a little formal )
Hi Yuta!
Thank you so much for your lesson !
I'm little being confused about using of "watashi" in Japanese, so it helps a lot
Keep going your great works 🙂
Nhi
Hey Yuta,
Your video is unavailable for others to view because of its privacy settings, it seems.
Also, this topic might be a little too basic, but I guess it doesn't hurt to see what you have to say on it. Keep up the good work, I like your videos anyways.
Sorry for the late reply.
I'm trying to watch it from this page, yes. (http://www.yutaaoki.com/blog/how-to-say-i-in-japanese)
Maybe it's something to do with regional settings, or IP blocks like certain Youtube videos also do?
I tried to watch it and it wouldn't start, I'm sure its not internet problems because streaming works fine with me. It seems like the root of the problem is something else. Please and thank you 🙂
Using the Safari browser on an iPad Air 2 I got the dreaded "can't play video because of security settings" message. Holding down the refresh symbol in the address bar (the circular arrow chasing itself) pops up a menu and picking "request desktop site" fixed the problem. Fwiw.
I know you only briefly went over the other versions of "I" but as a mainly anime watcher I was wondering as to why they would use those other versions of "I". Other than that great video, thanks for the help.
To me boku doesn't sound as nice, so I prefer to use watashi in any situation as a male. Have never spoken to a Japanese though so maybe that will change in the future.
I learned watashi first so it sounds more natural for me to use that then the other 2. But like how someone commented, I would use watashi for strangers and boku for friends.
So I normally only use 俺 in most situations. But say I want to make a good impression on my girlfriends parents the first time I meet them, I'd naturally use keigo. Is it acceptable to use 俺 or should I always go for 私 ?
私 won't be rude but could be too formal. 僕 is a safe choice. 俺 might be possible but it will depend on the context. It will also depend on how well you speak Japanese. It's actually easier if you don't speak it too well because then they will forgive you for subtle problems like this one.
Hi there,
Thank you a lot for the video, this topic has always been kind of confusing to me. Now I've got it clear!
私、僕 ~ formal
僕、俺、私(for women)、あたし、うち ~ informal
Very informative! =) first-person in Japanese had always kinda confused me up until now. But I have this other question, though: I know "boku" is supposed to be used by males, but I've heard women use it too? If you're a tomboy-ish female, is it acceptable to use "boku"?
Thanks!
"Watashi.
But now would I use this even if I am teaching or at my job? I don't want to seem stupid, but I am learning Japanese before I go to move to Japan to teach.
As Maximillian pointed out, 僕 sounds "childish", so 私 is my safest choice and 俺 for more informal conversations. Unfortunately i'm not old enough to use 儂 and not important/from 19th century to use 我. 😛
Context is imperative to determining what form in Japanese to speak. I love how you reinforced the concept. I learned that to sound like a native Japanese speaker, in informal context I can be omitted b/c it is obvious one is speaking about themselves; and in formal or polite context I would use watashi. However, I would love to use boku whenever I can. 🙂 Thank you for this valuable lesson 🙂
I think 'Boku' seems to be more comfortable because : 1) It is shorter than watashi.
2) I think that the way how i pronounce 'wa' really different from natural Japanese. So someone will able to mix it up with 'atashi' :D.
Negatives: 1) Complicated character for 'boku'. 2) I heard now it`s sounds childish and some girls uses 'Boku' too. Yup, even except the Souseiseki :D.
And I`m really interested using ways of "Jibun'. As I know it`s uses as special form like 'Jibun de' for 'by me'. Is there more ways to use it?
thanks for this, really simple but also very helpful 🙂
I know you mentioned that it's good to recognize that last set you used and I was curious, if they're not ways that people normally say I, why are they commonly used in anime/manga?
And lastly, would it be weird if a girl used ore or boku? Like casually?
おはようございます, I have a question. I've seen girls in anime saying 僕 (mostly) and even a girl (not that feminine ok) saying 俺 so I would like to ask : would it be wrong or ridiculous for a girl to say 僕/俺 ?
My first response was "Watashi," I suppose because I have heard it a lot in Japanese films, but when you brought up "Boku" that sort of jarred my memory. "Ore" as a "masculine-sounding" reference reminds me of a character in Urusei Yatsura named Ryuunosuke, who is a girl, but was brought-up by her father to be his "son." She's one of my favorite manga/anime characters.
Thank You Yuta, this lesson helps me alot to understand more about how to express in formal and informal situations.
Personally I prefer to use watashi in formal and boku in informal situations.
I'm a 19 year old boy, I mainly talk casual between friends (including Japanese friends, so I use ぼく), でも、sometimes I use 私 when I want to show sincerity, or if I want to apologize to a friend to show that I am serious. 🙂
Hey yuta, i want to learn Hiragana and Katakana, do you know a few books how i can learn it? Also this is my first time here and really love this vid, great job! Cant wait for more ^^
If you have an iPhone check out Dr. Moku's Hiragana and the Katakana app. I think there is/will be a Kana app too. I learned my Hiragana in just a few days!
I'm thankful that I can use Watashi in both situations. I think it's helpful that Thai was my first language too because it helps me to understand some of the Japanese phrasing concepts. I appreciate the lessons and your hard work. Thank you very much.
That was really helpful! Thank you! I kind of knew a bit about it, but a reminding it's always helpful.
Since I'm a woman I'll stick to watashi ^^ no problems there.
As a first step, this is really helpful. I've been watching Anime since I could remember and I noticed sometime when the character talks about himself/herself is they use "watashi" .
Now I'm more knowledgeable with the "keigo" and "non-keigo" so I may practice to use them in specific situations.
Thanks Yuta!
PS: Just subscribed to your YouTube channel and newsletter.
I would use Watashi for formal (when talking to strangers or people older than me etc.) and I would use Boku for informal, with my friends, younger people.. Thanks for this great gift Yuta! This is really going to help me with my studies!
I'm a guy so I'll be using Watashi since I've kinda hear it alot in anime… Boku is also quite familiar for me since I hear it always…. but anyways I'll wither use these 2 (might use boku often depending on the person I'mtalking too)
Interesting. I was told by a friend to always use 俺 and that in when she was living in Japan, only people who wanted to look "gangsta" used 僕 so I shouldn't use it at all. Just use 俺 as standard and use 私 for particularly formal occasions, so that's what I've been doing for the last 3 months. Here's hoping I wasn't giving off a bad impression.
Thank you Yuta San. I am glad I found you. It is an interesting way to learn Japanese. I am getting my wife and friends to sign up too. I have always use 私 to be on safe side. My problem is I become tongue tied when having a conversation in Japanese especially with people of higher status. I can't speak comfortably cos of the fear in using wrong words and difficulty in understanding when the speaker goes too fast.
Anyway, I will try my best. Thanks again.
Thank you Yuta San!
It was really helpful,because I was too confused to select which one to use. But I think I'm gonna use 私 for both formal and informal.
I'm going to use Watashi with formal and informal. I'm not a girl, or feminine, but I'm the submissive one in my relationship. And I'm gay so…… That's my decision.
At first got a bit confused with so many things but could manage to understand.
I'm used to use Watashi because was the first thing i learned but will try to work on Boku too.
Thank you, Yuta!
I really appreciate your attitude to foreigners who are interested in Japan and its culture and I am looking forward to your next videos! And as for me, I was always using "watashi" 🙂
This is a really odd question, but I don't suppose transgenderism is a frequent thing in Japan.
Do you know how a transgender might speak in Japanese? Would a mtf use watashi in informal situations, or would they still use boku?
I would probably use Watashi for formal situations and uchi for informal because uchi has less syllables. I'd get tired going Watashi Watashi Watashi all the time, I'd probably just get rid of the I at the end altogether.
I used to always use "Atashi" since my favorite singer "Kyary Pamyu Pamyu" uses it alot in her songs, but I didn't know I shouldn't have used it this much, I must've sounded annoying to some people, oh well ^^;;
Because I am a woman, I would have to use watashi, though to be honest, I actually really like boku, it fits more with my personality. Thanks for the lesson. 😀
Hi !
I'm a woman so I'll use "watashi" in formal situation, and maybe "atashi" with my friends, because it's really cute in manga… *o*
Your video is very good, and your english too. I'm French but I understand it easly.
ありがとう ございます!
It's really interesting that you can say I in so many ways, and to be honest, I had been confused by that, when watching anime and was wondering why I could never sort out what people use. I did know that it was different for women and men, but I heard people say watashi, boku and ore, but never understood this distinction.
I think that I will use watashi in formal situations, if I would ever be in one, and boku in informal situations.
Well i would use watashi because i'm a woman and it's easier. If i was a man It might be a little embarrasing if i use the informal way in a formal conversation or letter.
This is a really good video thank you very much!
I'm a woman so i use watashi but i think atashi is not that hard to say it because i can say faster than watashi but i really liked this video i didnt know that there where so many forms of "i" in japanese i'm surprised 😀
I've never heard of "temae" to refer to oneself. I would use atashi, thanks for this video :).
Also, do tomboy girls in Japan use boku? I've heard tomboy girls in movies and in anime refer to themselves with that word.
I'm a tomboyish girl and I used "boku" pretty often in class. My teacher didn't seem to mind, but fellow classmates seemed confused by it lol. Is it even acceptable in Japanese culture for females to use "boku"?
I am female, and I prefer to use 私 (わたし) in both formal and informal instances. I took Japanese in high school for all four years, covering about five years of Japanese, and in the process, I learned about these other ways. I will use わたくし in really formal situations, like a job interview.
Hi Yuta, thanks for all of your effort. I actually have a question about your English. I notice your accent isn't standard North American. Where did you learn English? It sounds like your instructors were either British or Australian (perhaps even New Zealanders).
thanks a lot Yuta for your first lesson 🙂 you explain in a very clear and simple way.. ありがとう
Arigatō (i know only this in japanese).
i'm a female so i will use "watashi" 🙂
Hi Yuta!, thank you so much for the lesson, sorry for bad English, in reality I speak Spanish but don't worry, I understand English a lot because I study software development in Colombia and most of the helpful docs are in English so I've been learning so much.
I would use 私 in formal situations, 僕 with friends and 俺 with close friends.
Thank you for your video. I am wanting to learn to speak Japanese because I am sometimes needing to communicate with a Japanese person, and I was told many years ago that the Japanese people prefer it when a foreigner can speak to them in their language.
I have always felt like I am being disrespectful because i don't understand Japanese language. I was also told there are two main styles or dialects of Japanese language. Is this still true? Is it only in written language, or is it also in spoken language?
I look forward to seeing more of your videos. When I am in a better position financially, I will contribute to your effort.
Thank you for that video. I'm french but I'm not too bad in English so that's fine (it is really difficult to find some free videos in France so I'm glad I can find it in another language)
I Think I'll use Atashi or Watashi !
Thank you so much! I really enjoy japanese and I've wanted to learn how to speak japanese for a really long time, but my only means of doing so was through anime and I know that's the least reliable method, because of mishearings and mistranslations!
I think I'm going to use "atashi" for informal conversations, I think it sounds cute but polite!
Thank you for your hard work, with regards, from Greece!
The "Su" character (す) is sometimes shortened to just the "s" sound when す is in the middle or ending of a word (so not at the beginning of a word). Meaning です is more accurately pronounced "Des" and ます is pronounced "mas".
Well, I usually use:(watashi wa Dejair "Dejairu" desu) when talking to my wife's friends or relatives. Although she's is a Japanese, I rarely practice my japanese with her, so…my speaking skills tend to be stagnant. Good job, Yuta-san!
Thanks for the lesson! I'll use watashi for keigo an boku in non keigo, maybe if I stay in Japan for a long time in the future I'll use boku all the time
Great lesson for me, I am very new to Japanese and in my own research have been using watashi for everything, but seems as a guy I probably should have been using boku in informal sentences. I had learned the greeting "Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Mike desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.". I had picked up "I" from that sentence and didn't know there where more ways. (sorry if horribly misspelled… wait, can you misspell English word translation of Japanese?)
Looking forward to utilizing your videos with other resources in learning the Japanese language. Next year, I will be travelling to Tokyo and want to enjoy exploring the country without inconveniencing local citizens by speaking a foreign language (English). My Russian grandmother knew 5 different languages, including Chinese dialects, Mandarin and Cantonese. This was an additional motivating factor in learning another language. Thank you for the opportunity to learn through your format. Best wishes on a successful year, Yuta.
depend on the situation. if it really formal, ex. like when you meet some people with high status, such as people from government, i prefer to use watashi. But in daily conversation i will use boku. thanks Yuta.
I think I would change between boku and ore mostly, depending on what I'm tying to express and and feeling at the moment, and occasionally using watashi for when I think I need to be more formal than normally
Thank you for the clear video. I would personally use watashi in most situation and atashi with people I feel very comfortabel with. The more knowledge I gain about the grammaticale purpose of the different way's in saying I. I will use the one that would not only fit the situation and my personality but also respects the language as a hole.
I personally prefer to use "boku" most of the time. It feels more comfortable to me than "ore" or "watashi." However, "jibun" is an one I'm interested in.
Wow! you definitely help me with formal and informal use of the word "I" hopefully I get more of your videos of japanese lessons because I really want to learn the language thank you
I have not yet started to practice speaking, but when I chat with my friend, who is also learning, online we both use Boku without keigo (we've been friends for a long time).
When I start to practice speaking, I would use Watashi if I am speaking to someone I don't know (such as a new speaking partner via Skype, or at school).
When I was taking beginning Japanese, we only learned keigo so I used to only use watashi xD Now, I would prefer to use watashi in a formal setting, it's just what I'm used to, and ore in an informal setting, because I have heard that a lot in anime and just did not know what it meant. It's not that there is something wrong with boku, I am just more used to hearing ore.
Sorry if this has been asked before, but I often see girls use "boku" in songs and video games. Is this only common in fictional media, or do some real life Japanese women use boku? And, does using it imply she's butch?
Anyway, thank you for the video! I'm especially glad you mentioned "atashi", I hear that sometimes and couldn't figure out if I was hearing "watashi" wrong or what. Now I know 😀
It's usually happens only in songs and fiction. It's actually quite common in songs and it doesn't really imply anything. In video games… I'm not sure. I guess it depends.
I would use "Watoshi" in both situations because I am a female but I really want to use "Ore" on my older brother since he already knows Japanese haha. c':
I would Would use either "Watoshi"or " Atashi" since I am a Female and "Ore" whenever I am joking with my Nii-san/older brother who already knows Japanese.
This is very interesting, as a beginner, thank you for explaining them very clearly! As I'm a woman, I would use "watashi" as a start before I learn to use the other variations. 🙂
I've heard in animes of tomboy-ish girls or non-feminine girls using "boku", is that something that is only in anime? I would prefer to use "boku" with friends and "watashi" in Keigo situations. Is that unheard of in real life? I'm female by the way, but I hate gender roles and gender conforming things so I would want to use boku around my friends on principle. Plus I think it sounds a lot cuter (which, I know, is not important when speaking a language). Lol.
I think I would use "watashi" when shopping and when working in a bank, law company, and the like. I'd choose to mention myself by "boku" at work only if it mattered for my work that I am me and not someone else doing the same.
I'd prefer mentioning myself by "boku" whenever talking to friends about most topics. I'd only switch to "ore" when dating someone or talking about myself doing things that men do. I would do that switch with a date to show that I'm the listener's boyfriend or interested in the listener. And I'd do that switch with close friends to show that I'm a close male friend of the listeners when talking about things that I did as a man.
I prefer to use boku, I'm an avid fan of anime/manga and I noticed that boku was used all the time by the protagonist. And when the protagonist is a gangster I usually hear them say Ore. Thanks for the lesson!
This actually made me kinda glad I'm a female. xD
I would use "watashi" most of the time but I want to use the other words (female ones) too, to remember them.
I have been wondering, I have been studying Japanese consistently for over 5 years but still have not been to Japan yet. Im familiar with the different usages of "I", but what I was hoping you could tell me. As a foreigner, will it be better to just be safe and always use the kaigo "私" or will it be better to be more casual and use "僕" or "自分". Will it be more, or less, acceptable for a foreigner to be casual?
Hello, thanks for the lesson !
It seems clearer now ! I think I'd use boku in informal situation and watashi in formal.
I tried to learn Japanese a long time ago but the manual didn't mention these different ways in the parts I read. I only knew thanks to manga but it wasn't clear at all in my head for the context of use. Thanks again !
Thanks for the lesson, I feel like I'd default at boku all the time since I'm very casual (I'm the guy at uni who has his chair lying back a lot) but I do have a couple of questions about watashi
Do people "look down" on people who use boku all the time or think it's rude in formal situations?
And if a man was to use watashi all the time even in informal situations, what would people think of him?
> Do people "look down" on people who use boku all the time or think it's rude in formal situations?
No, I use boku all the time. Ultimately, it will depend on your personality.
I'd use watashi all the time. Although I am a male and could use boku or ore, I prefer the formal speech because I know that "being polite" is very important in Japan.
Ore sounds cool. I only knew Watashi because thats usually how people teach you on other youtube videos but i'll add Boku and Ore to my vocabulary and since Yuta likes to use Boku, i think its safe to do as he does. lol
There are some informal ones that can be used by both males and females (according to Wikipedia), but I think they only exist in other dialects: oira, ora, wate. I have no idea how appropriate they would be in Tokyo or anywhere. What are your thoughts?
Thanks for the lesson!
I would probably use "watashi" all the time, since I am female and it's simpler that way.
But I'd like to know if it's appropriate at all for woman to use "boku" instead, and is it used by females out there in Japan? (although here in comments you say it is used mostly in songs and manga)
I don't really get this type of differentiation, my native language and two european languages that I have learnt are quite similar in what comes to telling male and female apart – "grammatical gender", but it's a different thing.
It's very interesting, and all the information I could find was that "boku" and "ore" are less polite and more casual than "atashi" etc, and it is common in japanese culture to expect a woman to be more polite. Is it true?
Sorry for long comment!
ゆた先生
ありがとう！nice explanations on the video. From what I had learned previously, I have been using 私 for everything. Being that I'm male and also a very casual person, I will start using 僕 now that I know it's acceptable. I did read some of the comments and I believe you said the exception to this would be in writing in a business or university environment you would continue to use 私. Would this apply when speaking to a superior in the work environment as well?
This was pretty interesting. Kind of surprised how much I actually understood of this subject already.
I'd probably default to boku in any case. Watashi doesn't really sound like it fits me.
Maybe jump to ore when excited but that's probably because I watch a lot of anime. xD
Hello Yuta 🙂 Very nice lesson, it helped me better understand how people in Japanese usually say "I".
In my case, and due to the fact that I've been watching anime for like 8 years, I knew there were different ways of talking about oneself, but I had no clear idea of how to use them properly – in fact, I had wrong notions about it all.
After pondering the options, I think it'd be best for me to use "watashi" in very formal situations, and "boku" in more casual conversations – although I believe I'd actually need to engage in conversational Japanese before deciding which style fits me best, to be honest, since I'd also considered using "ore" with very close people; but then again, I guess it'd all depend on the context and my speaking style.
Truth be told, the fact that there are different ways of referring to oneself in Japanese, each of which gives a different impression of your personality -i.e. "ore" being more rough, manly- it's not an easy concept to put into practice. In my native language -Spanish- you can only refer to yourself with "Yo", with no gender or context variations. But that's one of the things I like about Japanese, anyway.
Thank you again for this little course you're putting together, waiting for the next lesson 🙂
Cause I'm female I use 私 to speak in a formal way. For the informal way I asked some friends from Japan what they prefer and most of them tend to use あたし. So that woud be my choice as well . Thank you for the lesson.
Hey Yuta, does "bokura" have any reflection on the gender of the group? i.e. If your group consists of yourself (male) with the rest being girls, can you still use "bokura"?
Personally, I avoid using any form of "I" where possible – just omitting it as much as possible.
When I must, I use Ore with anyone I know, and Watashi with say, shop clerks or whatever. With my Japanese teacher, I usually use "Watashi" because I feel I should be respectful to her. She actually uses watashi, but if she starts speaking quickly and kind of "forgets to be formal" she suddenly switches to "Uchi". My Girlfriend also uses "watashi" but when she starts speaking fast, she switches to "uchi" because she learned to speak Japanese in Osaka where it's more common.
Well the reason i wanna learn japanese because i wanna study in japan .. But there aren't any japanese classes where i live .. I downloaded many apps to learn japanese and started watching a lit. Bit of anime they helped me recognise what a person is saying to a few word limit . And about using word as "I" i will probably go with Boku as you said it sounds more polite than Watashi and ore and one word is easy than 3 word . Please tell me what do you think .
Watashi for both would be better for me seeing as I'm female and it would also make switching from informal to formal or vice versa easier, plus it's easy to remember and won't leave me looking for a way to say 'I' without stumbling over my words. Thanks Yuta this was very helpful 🙂 I can't wait for the next lesson.
I'm a person who likes to give proper respect to how another prefers to be addressed. By default, if I didn't know a person, I'd use watashi. Even if I had previously met a person before, I'd probably still use watashi until having listened to them enough to know whether they're more comfortable with using boku themselves, or if they simply told me outright to not be so formal. Of course, with all my gangster friends I"d simply default to ore.
This is really eye opening! I did not know there were so many ways to say "I" in Japanese. As a girl, I always used "watashi", I remember hearing people say "boku", but the context was always a mistery. Thank you so much, Yuta!!
You use "keigo" in the video & comments, but shouldn't you really be saying "teinei"?
My understanding is "keigo" is a completely different set of words used in formal situations; "teinei" is more closely translated to "polite". I don't think "boku" can even be described as being correct when speaking "keigo".
I am a female so I would use 'watashi' in both formal and informal, but I feel as if I might also uchi.
Thank you for the lesson, this really helped me alot~
I'd actually use "boku" and "watashi" (and actually, I'd rather "watashi" even for informal conversations). I'm a non-binary person, and I feel much more confortable using the male pronoums but for ME, I don't see any problem with using watashi as well. Would it be considered THAT wrong? In any case, if the conversation is informal, probably I would be speaking with my friends, who know me and are aware of my gender, and I think I would use only "watashi" to speak with strangers because it really sounds more polite.
And like, while watching anime I sometimes see some girls saying ''boku''. Does it mean something bigger?
I'm noticing these words more often in Japanese songs now. I still don't understand the singers, but at least I know when they're singing about themselves.
I'd use watashi in both situations. I usually think of atashi as more girly, and I'm not. I don't recall hearing uchi used very often, though. If I was younger and a total tomboy I'd use boku. B)
Hi!
I find myself using watashi mostly when I use it. I rarely use any form of "I" when writing to someone I know casually unless I really need to point out that it is about me.
In this video you say the casual in negative form and the polite when asking.
How to say: Is that me in casual form without using desu ka? Polite form of "It is not me" would be: Sore, watashi de ha arimasen?
I'm kind of a polite person, so I would use "boku" only with my family and friends, but at work or with strangers, neighbors, etc, I would rather use "watashi", even if it's not a formal situation.
Thank you for the video. It was a great first lesson.
I would use boku unless I was at a business meeting or when speaking to someone I have great respect for, such as a professor. Then I would use watashi.
Personally, I'd just go with 私 (watashi) because あたし (atashi) sounds like it's a bit too girly or cute (nothing wrong with that, I might use it with close friends). Haha, I might say 俺 (ore) on the Internet to sound male just for fun! =)
Personally I feel like using Watashi when I speak to people on the job and meetings. I'd probably use Boku to closer friends or in less formal situations like a walk on the street.
I appreciate the explanation – as I am female, I would use watashi, and I am glad I do not yet need to remember all the other ones! I would be curious about if there were any English counterparts to how they would sound.
this is a concept i was somewhat familiar with, but i am glad for the clarification in this video. i would like to think i would use "ore" in informal situations, but in more of a humorous wau, as i don't want to be seen as arrogant or boastful. i guess it would depend on who i am talking to…i would of course use "watashi" in all formal settings
How would someone non-binary/x-gender tend to use 私? Is there anything that's less formal? As you said in your video, if someone were to use 私 in casual speech, then they would be presumed female, is there a way to avoid this?
Hi! Thanks for the video! Personally for me, since I'm a female, I'd use 私 most of the time (formal/informal) and use あたし for close friends. Though I feel like using わし when I'm very old (I kind of like the sound of the word).
I have a question regarding わし (washi) and 吾輩 (wagahai). I tend to hear these words when the older generations introducing/addressing themselves. Is both わし and 吾輩 acceptable for male/female to address themselves with?
So, if I am a generally kind and easy going person, who is often not formal, I'm pretty sure that means I should use Boku. If formal, then Watashi. Will I ever need to use Ore?
Hi! I'm pretty new to learning Japanese, but very excited. I would use watashi in all situations, because I am a female. Thank you so much for these videos!
I would always use "私" within class or for most formal conversations. However, I have been looking at studying abroad in Japan. I will be in the Kansai Region where, from my understanding, they use "自分". As I do not formally use this, I was wondering if you had any input on the use of 自分 over 私. Is it a direct replacement for formal situations? Is it mainly used in casual speech? Or even possible to be used in both?
well i am quite shocked you're an outstanding teacher you made it really simple for anyone to understand clearly ,while being professional. For that ill give it my best !
I would use "watashi" for formal and "atashi" for informal. I like that you mentioned that your personality also effects what you use. It made it easier for me to consider since now I know it's not just formal or informal. Thinking in terms of formal and informal for everything can become stressful. Also, I now recognize the kanji for "watashi" so thank you Yuta-san and those who commented using it. 🙂
I suppose the word you use for "I" depends on the formal/informal situation, as you said.
As a male, I would use "watashi" for formal and "boku" for informal, however if I had to choose one version to use in both formal and informal context, I would use "boku", although knowing that this is incorrect. Each version has a use to help others understand your intentions and feelings, therefore I think it's best to not rely on a "one for all" approach when deciding which to use.
I'm more masculine so I'm certain to use more Ore that Boku, but in keigo situations is better to use watashi in my opinion … a little hard for me to practice as I don't have anyone to speak, but I will try my best to learn, thanks Yuta-Sensei for your lessons
This is great! Actually, im from Argentina, but I can understand very well english. So, i practise english and learn Japanese.
And i would use "Watashi", because im a woman and i know it better 🙂
Thanks,Yuuta!
Judging from your body language, when you talk about yourself, you point at your chest. I've seen often Japanese people pointing at their nose/face instead. I am pretty curious as for why that is and how much it is used 🙂
I personally use 私 in general. When I'm speaking I tend to say あたし. I've seen うち being used in dramas before, but I didn't know it was used the same as "I" since I always saw it as うちのこと so I assumed it was like 自分 like "myself". Is うち seen as more childish/cute and so young girls use it or is it just a generation trend?
This is one part of Japanese that I don't really like (in contrast to the regular omission of pronouns, which is great). I'm female, but when I think in Japanese, it's always "ore". However, when speaking out loud, I know that would be weird so I say "watashi", but that feels so forced and unnatural for me.
Great video. Thanks for clearing it up. I used to be confused with boku and watashi, and I thought that boku was the more formal one. I'm glad I'm a girl so I won't have to worry about it. School makes it difficult to constantly study and revise Japanese, So your videos will help me until I can have more time again. Thanks a lot!
Since it's my first lesson, it's kind of hard for me to say which one I would use. For now I would probably use the different terms for the given situations in the video, in hopes that I don't make any mistakes. But, if I had to give an answer now, I think I would use Watashi when I meet new people or are in a job-related situation. Ore is something I might use with very close friends 🙂
As male gendered, I would use Watashi around work, when talking to professors, and those with a high title. With people I am comfortable and casual with I would use Boku.
I suppose, since I'm a woman, I'd use watashi all of the time in both formal/informal situations. I prefer to keep things on the simple side, so I guess that works for me.
Than you so much for the video, Yuta! It's the first one I receive and it was very helpful, really! I have always wondered how it worked, because you usually read "watashi" for everything in books, but can hear different ways of saying it in doramas and anime. So thanks again! ☺☺
I'm happy to see your first lesson 🙂
You use keigo a lot in this video. I know the meaning but you might want to explain it just to make sure.But you also said formal so I dont know..
Unless you already did though.
Oh and I'd use watasji 🙂
I did not know this, from listening to music, I picked up these way to say "I" but I thought boku was for formal and watashi not. I didn't know there was female and male ways to say it. I also thought desu ka was for a question. Well, I learn something new every day! Arigato!
I figure for formal situations I would use Watashi. I could use Boku as well depending on the situation. In non formal or casual I could use Ore with friends.
I'd like to use Watashi in both casual and formal situations. and I also thought うち means 家、 like someone already wrote in comment section:D I also have a question, is 自分 can be used for calling the second person? I think I had heard from my friends using it for each other. or maybe not…I'm not quite sure about my memory but just being curious.
Just subbed to your e-mail list, I think this was a very fitting first lesson. I found your examples very helpful, most sites recycle the same quotes so getting some dynamic examples was a welcome change. Thank you for the lesson!
Watashi can be used in formal, and informal speech. Boku is the masculine version of I used in informal speech, with Ore being the more aggressive way to say I in informal speech.
Since I'm female I'd probably use watashi in formal and atashi in informal conversations. I'm a long way from actually holding one so this is pretty hypothetical at the momemt. 🙂
It's too bad boku is not acceptable for women. It'd be the more comfortable phonetic sequence for me. ^^*
Is uchi a very childish or pronouncedly "cute" way of referring to yourself if you're past a certain age?
And are there any gender specific versions of "I" among the other examples you gave?
I would use "watashi" in formal settings only and just use "Boku" in any other setting. I'm more often than not a very casual person and I don't always like to use formalities.
I guess I would use watashi in formal situations and with strangers. When soeaking to friends I'd use boku and if they're really close friends I'd use ore.
I actually went to Japan not too long ago (In early April) and the first time I addressed for help was about using a ticket and whether a child ticket was not for me (It was my first conversation with a native).
I naturally used Boku with non-Keigo and it turned out pretty fine.
And when I met a friend of my mother in Japan I sorta hesitated in speech but I used watashi and tried to be polite as I could.
Overall it was an interesting experience.
i am not very often in formal situations, so as a man, i would use "boku" all the time. i've known "watashi" but somehow i like the sound of "boku"…
can't wait for the next lesson! really a gret thing you are doing here!
I think i'll stick to boku in non- keigo and watashi for keigo, i tend to be used to hearing those in anime but ill try to get accustomed to knowing the other versions of "i" in japanese
I have always have recognized watashi as meaning (I) but then I would hear buko, ore, and Atashi. I could never find what was the differences in them. This video helped me understand now and way it was explained is simple and easy way.
I would use watashi in both situations as I'm a woman , I was wondering if u can recommend any textbooks I can refer as a beginers to learn japanese written language
As a man, I would use Watashi formally and Boku informally. I could imagine myself using Boku in a work setting like you if I had that kind of relationship with my boss and coworkers.
Interesting. I would use boku or being my personality and most people know what I'm like I would use Ore – not in a bad or offence way but more informal as I am usually are. Your lesson are more 'realistic' and easy than those that I've watched in the past, so thank you…
I guess I would use watashi the most time since I'm female and I think I'll get pretty confused as beginner if I 'switch' words when talking/writing polite or casual. Also it's the only word I'm used to for females since in animes I mostly listened to the males saying boku, ore and watashi. Thanks for the video, it really made me understand this ^^
As a woman I would always use watashi to be sure it would be right in any situation. At least as a beginner.
Japanese is such a beautiful language, I'm very glad to start learning it at least on a beginner level. 🙂
I would use watashi and atashi its the words I know and hear most from my anime and drama 🙂
this was good lesson learn some new things 😀 super fun i can't wait for next lesson 🙂
Hmm… Thinking about it, I might be one to use "boku" in most cases, but then switch over to "ore" when I'm with my friends. I'm typically a laid-back type of guy, so I feel that it fits my personality.
Since I'm female and try to be polite to people I don't know very well, I'd probably use watashi, but I'm very casual with friends and would likely use atashi with them. It just sounds more casual, sort of like using a contraction in English is more casual than not using a contraction ("I am pleased to meet you." vs "I'm pleased to meet you.")
Hi.actually this is a different question. You use 'sore wa watashi janai desu'for formal language but isn't 'janai' informal,too? Wouldn't you normally use'ja arimasen'? E.g.'sore wa watashi ja arimasen desu'. Thanks.
I would say 'watashi' in both cases or possibly 'atashi' in informal since I am female. Simple enough. I won't get cocky though, I'm sure it just gets much more difficult, ahaha…
Since I'm female I would use 'watashi' or 'atashi' in an informal situation. And I would use 'watashi' with 'desu ka' in a formal situation. This is my first Japanese lesson so I'm not 100% sure if it's correct.
This is my first lesson and it made so much sense to me. Thank you.
I would use 'watashi' for the work place, strangers, and people who are older than me. I'd use 'boku' with friends. I can never say 'ore' because I'm already intimidating to look at, ha! I don't want to give the wrong impression.
Hello! I've just started watching these vids and I'm already loving your explanations! I really wanted to learn Japanese for a while now, so I know a bit here and there. I tend to use ore for most everything because I want to come off as more masculine. Would Ware be bad to use for formal situations since, from what I've gathered, it's more of an old man pronoun? I like using Ore, but I know it's not very formal, but I do use desu and masu at the end of sentences when I'm being more formal.
I still remember this one well but I still wonder why is "I" in Japanese to express ourself is hard for we men and easy for women LOL
Domo arigatou, Yuta-sensei..
Hi, thanks for my 1st lesson. As a man, I am a bit lazy, so I just always use Watashi. I guess when my Japanese is more fluent I can then move into Boku etc.
I am a female so I would use "watashi" in keigo situation and "atashi" in non-keigo situation because it is easier for me to pronounce. Thanks! I loved my first lesson! <3
For some reason my video isn't working it says " sorry because of its privacy settings, this video cannot be played here." Do you know why that is? And what I can do to fix it?
From watching anime, "boku" does seems to be the mainstream word for saying "I".
so, lets say calling your close friends, I would probably use "Ore". It's getting a weird vibe calling yourself "Boku" while talking to your close friends, well at least when talking to your male friend. Am I to understand that correctly?
As you clearly pointed keigo / non keigo are for different situations, I rather use boku for my family- friends – coworkers and watashi in more formal situations.
I really liked your explanation at the beginning when you said "I'm not sexist".
About your question, I'm a girl, so I can use 私 all the time.
Thank you very much for your hard work.
I am making a comeback to my plan of visiting koshigaya Japan to pay my last respect a family friend who died 1994, I have been fighting with this decision for years so I am ready now, sore boku janai I prefer boku , a rigato Yuta Aoki
I'm currently learning Japanese at university, but I'm doing this as well as a way to supplement my learning and so that I can continue on with it later. As a girl I would use watashi in most situations. Thanks for the lessons!
Hi Yuta!
Thank you so much for that lesson and I. I did not know that there were so many different ways to say "I".
But per your question Kama I as a female would most likely use Watashi all the time. But as you asked which one in a formal situation of course watashi.
Thank you for the video!
I personally would use Watashi in both formal and informal situations. I was already familiar with some of these versions of "I" but Uchi is a new one.
Do a lot of your videos use both Keigo and informal examples?
Um I do have a question
In the video, you used "じゃない です" for formal situations
I thought "じゃない" was an informal way and that "では ありません" was used for formal situations.
Does that mean I could also use "じゃない です" instead of "では ありません"? Which is better to use?
I think it's not super-duper formal, but it's okay in many situations. (At least that was my feeling, but it's been a few years since I was in Japan…) So if you just talk to someone, you don't know that well and use regular masu/desu forms, I think じゃない です is completely fine.
If you talk to a superior I guess you might want to take it up a notch though?
But that was just my feeling and I'm not a native, so keep that in mind. (I usually would wait for a native to answer, but I feel like there are so many comments on this video already that your question might get lost :S)
I'm female and I mostly use わたし 🙂 In informal situations I sometimes use あたし, but I heard it's a bit cutesy, so I try not to use it so often. But sometimes I just feel like switching it up 😛
i'd use watashi because i've been learning japanese in school so it makes more sense to me to use watashi, but it will be handy to recognise the different types of ways of saying I.
I studied Japanese for a while in college, and went to Japan a couple of years ago, but I've lapsed due to not having much time because of work and so on. But now I'll be going there again this autumn by myself so I need to sharpen my Japanese language skills. So far, your videos are the best I've come across for hearing how typical Japanese people speak, as opposed to, say, newscasters or tv shows, or the somewhat ridiculous textbook speech that nobody uses.
So I think I will stick with Watashi (私). Also, do you ever use a website called jisho.org? I hear it is a pretty good resource for finding words/characters using all sorts of methods. 😀
Thank you Yata. I will probably just use watashi all the time. However I do have one question, can girls say boku as well? I'm pretty saw I've seen anime girls do that so I thought girls could but then you didn't bring up boku for females so I wasn't as sure… Please tell me if we can or not.
I'd probably use "watashi" in both instances (I am female). I could see myself being careless and slurring my words so it might come out sounding more like "atashi" once in awhile in non keigo situations, but intentionally I can't really imagine myself saying "atashi" or "uchi". @^@;
Really glad I'm a girl and can use Watashi in both formal and informal situations. I will stick to just using Watashi to lessen the chance of picking the wrong 'I' even if the person I was speaking too understand it was a mistake I know I would still feel very embarrassed once I realized I was too informal for the situation.
I got tought that you should really use watashi at work, at least for the first time being there or if you applied and e.g. have a job interview, but once you know people I guess I'd use boku. As you said ore kinda has this gangster imaga in movies/anime. In One Punch Man the fat moster is using watashi to refer to himself btw. I was really wondering if he is a really really polite monster 😀
Hey, I would use watashi in both situations or I might use atashi in informal situations 🙂
I've heard that words like I, you, him ect aren't used that often in Japanese, is that true?
And what is the difference between watashi and atashi?
Thanks for the lessons, I would like to use both watashi and boku in formal and informal conversations. But I have a question regarding JIBUN – I by watching anime have seen subtitles showing Jibun as myself. Does it vary…
Thank you. Now I understand that there are different words meaning "I" to use depending on the formality of the situation. Apart from the differences in formality, what are the differences in meaning, or the origins of the words?
I am a man, so I think in VERY formal situations like a job interview or a meeting or something of that nature I would use watashi wa but in slightly more relaxed situations among people I do not necessarily know, I would use boku. With people I know I would use ore. I think that is a good balance, Yuta-Sensei. 🙂
Hello. I`ve always thought watashi is the way say “I´´ but I´m very beginner only learned japanese from anime and songs. I think I would use most of the boku now that you learned it me some more but then again I´m a waiter, so I would use watashi in that situation (if I have a chance one day) arigato
Watashi most of the time, uchi with very close friends – it sounds super cute but I don't know if I'd be taken seriously if I used it around people who don't know me very, very well.
I had only learned about boku and watashi before this. Since I am a guy, I'll likely default to boku most of the time unless I'm trying to really be formal
ah i got caught out on that "uchi" , my friends were talking, and i thought they said "ichigo" but it was i think "uchi ga" – i tried to repeat it and got so confused i basically renamed myself strawberry for the rest of my stay in japan -.-"
Watashi & boku 🙂 I'd probably mix it up and use either every now and then despite the situtation, just because I'm not a fan of clean cut repetition.
Kinda basic and fast, but it is for beginners and there are things I didn't know anyway so thanks! Clears up well the general guideline of who uses which and why, and at least I won't be using atashi etc now :'D
I use 「私」 for most of my formal and informal sentences, though I like to use 「あたし」 and sometimes 「うち」 with people I'm close with despite being male, it's mostly because i'm bi-gender and they are comfortable with it～ ^^
I would use Watashi in formal and boku in non formal, so I can practice the different ways of saying the same things depending on context and force myself to learn them (As your examples)
I use 私 regardless in any situation. あたし doesn't sound natural to me. I've often heard it used from girls in Japan but I feel like they use it to sound cute/girly in a way. No offense to them at all.
I was always taught to use Watashi but after seeing this I'd probably use either watashi or boku. Previous teacher used to say that boku sounds cocky but it honestly sounds like it's just a more casual way of saying it instead.
Out of curiosity, can you use boku with the no particle? For example 僕のかばん for 'my bag'?
My family is learning Japanese together. My husband is a big, tall guy so he uses おれ, my son uses ぼく, my daughter is cute and small for her age so she uses あたし, and I use わたし. At least it is good practice for us to hear all the different ways of saying I.
Ok, so I would use わたし in both formal and informal situations. I've been taught that あたし is used mostly by little girls and women who either are or want to be seen as delicate, fragile or something like that. Is that true?
I really like how おれ is pronounced, so whenever i can I'm going to use it, else i would use 僕. I don't really like 私, even if i was taught to always use it.
So Boku and Ore are obviously for guys and atashi and uchi are for girls.
But what would actually happen if a guy refered to themselves as atashi, uchi or their own name in third person or what would happen if a girl refered to themselves as boku or ore?
It would seem weird, sure, but would it be rude?
Would people bully them?
Would people accept it?
Would people think that you're bothersome since you're not conforming to the norm?
I would of course use watashi for fromal conversations while Boku would be a safe bet for everything informal until I memorize it completely and get used to it, afterwards I can add ore as well.
I think Watashi for formal situations and Ore for informal situation would be best for me to start with due to my personality. Thank you for my first lesson Yuta.
In a work place / formal setting I would use watashi. When making friends or just commonly communicating I would use boku. I think I would not use ore a lot. I would not want the stigma that maybe attached to using it. Domo arigatou gozaimashita. Boku wa anata kara manabu koto ga shiawase.
I'd probably use all, because I'm no fan of gender norms. But, probably"僕"を使う。Because it's more efficient when typing, but if I was a girl I'd probably use boku because I'm one to say "screw gender norms for the sake of efficiency"
In formal conversation I would use 'Watashi'. In informal conversation I would use 'Boku'.
I would feel feel more comfortable being able to differentiate between Informal and Formal.
Since you said that it's also about personality, I wonder if I could use おれ even if I'm a girl… I feel like I would at least. Is that like, too weird? ^^"
I'm a male so I use "watashi" when introducing myself, and "boku" to ask a question about my self for other opinions or whatever if that makes any sense
I'd probably use Wastashi all the time, since I'm female and it's easier to remember one word then several. Even though Atashi and uchi sound very cute cx
I have been primarily using "ore". It just seemed easier and it seemed like what most adult males used. I was under the impression that using "boku" beyond teen years was unusual. Maybe I'll adjust that.
Yaaay! As a girl I get the easier route! Haha Anyways, I will probably stick to watashi just to make it simpler, but I might start using atashi on occasion, and uchi when talking to / with kids. Buuuut that might seem more weird to them than comfortable, so I might just stick with watashi. Heh. :S
Wow, I actually thought that watashi and atashi were one and the same, the difference being just a matter of dialect or something. I guess I'll be using watashi as well, and then when I get more comfortable with japanese, I might start usin atashi in informal speech.
Honestly I'd just go with 私 around strangers but around close friends I'd more likely use あたし or 俺 despite being a girl, 俺 is just more fun to say for me.
I've been studying Japanese on and off for quite a while though I've never had conversations in Japanese. As a guy, I think I would use watashi for strangers and boku for friends. As for this lesson, I thought it was very well explained–especially at the beginning when you broke down the usage of 'I' to be dependent upon 3 different things. A very nice summary and overview!
I would use "watashi" in both cases.
sorry wrong spot…
Hi
You would use boku in any situation.
Hi
@Kristal I recommend boku with acquaintance friends (that are around your age), and ore with decently close friends. Some people think that using "watashi" for everything is best since it is the "safe" option from offending others. But to Japanese, nothing screams to them louder that you don't know Japanese that well if you can't adjust your use of the Japanese language to the appropriate social context. So using "watashi" with friends isn't recommended. On top of that, I've been told before by some Japanese people that they find it "cute" when foreigners speak overly casual (usually by accident) rather then when they are overly formal.
But Kristal is a female so she shouldn't use "boku" or "ore" at all.
What if she identifies as male? 🙂
I am a male, so personally I would use 「私」in a formal situation, and 「僕」in more casual environment.
I would use "watashi" since I like to speak formally a lot, and since you recommended it.
Well, not necessary "not recommended" at all. You can use わたし with friends too depending on the situation and what kind of friends you have. Using it all the time do is the safest. It is better to be not acurate than taking the risk of being rude… and "cute", if you have not the level to decide correctly wether use it or not, you better go with politeness. In that case it is never "too much".
I actually love saying "Boku" in both formal or informal purpose.
nice explanation…. so I would use watashi when I meet somebody new, or introducing myself to sepai, bosses and elders….
We need to use watashi for formal conversation and Boku in informal conversation . Ore can be used in situations where you are speaking with your very close friends who will not get hurt .
thank you! your comment is very helpful.
domo arigato. watashi wa tina desu genki desu ka?
genki desu. watashi wa billy desu. (or were you asking yuta? lol)
i think ill say buko
why roumaji?
Konnichiwa watashi wa Reeyana desu genki desu
I think It is ; ogenki desu ka? ?
I am a female, and I will use watashi in both cases.
ありがとーございますせんせい！！
i mean boku sorry
Never had any confidence in my ability to read japanese well but I read and comprehended it in an instant, guess I'm happy that I found a more consistent way of learning than an app on my phone.
Yeah me to.
same its just really easy cus u wont offend many people
The ー is only used in katakana. If you wish to indicate a stretching of a pronunciation in hiragana you can use a small つ. Known as a ちさいつ.
Yes. I would use watashi too.
Same! I would use watashi for both cases because i am female
WabashI and achi
I would use watashi since I am a woman. You where asking if it was just for yourself talking?
I think I should use watashi for both cases
I would totally go for "ore", because it's more practical and fasttest to say "ore wa" than "boku wa" or "watashi wa", i kinda pronounce it like "Re-wa"
Watashi has a nice sound to it. I would use however Boku since I am a beginner and Watashi for formal langauge when I have a more advanced understanding of speaking japanese.
Would use boku in both senses .
I personally would use watashi in formal situations and boku in non formal situations like with friends or something
I am wondering, why use sore data shows. Is not sore telling someone you are talking about an object close to you but far from them?
I would watashi, atashi or watakushi.
I would if I wasn't a guy :3
Same
I'd use watashi in both formal and informal speech (I'm female)
Im used to 'Ore' can i use Ore for both?
No
thanks for your hard work for foreign people learning Japanese
Question in depth what is keigo? is just another way to say formal and non-keigo(non formal?)
Kegio is formal language. There's another article here on the use of keigo that would really help.
http://www.yutaaoki.com/blog/when-to-use-keigo-honorific-speech-hierarchy-in-japanese-society
Because I am a woman, i would use "watashi" in both cases 🙂
Thanks a lot for your lessons. really looking forward to watch more of youre japanese lessons 🙂
Same for me ^-^
I am a female, and I want to use watashi, because its more simple for me 🙂
I think i will be using "watashi" sometimes and "boku" all the time and "ore" for my friends here in my place. But what if i use the girls way of saying "I" in Japanese like "uchi" would it be a bother?
I would use watashi on keigo situations and ore on non-keigo situations
I found this video really helpful. I am currently taking Japanese One at school and while boku was briefly mentioned, we only used watashi. The other options were never mentioned at school. In this video, everything was explained very clearly, not too fast and not too slow. I would probably use watashi in all cases though, just because I am used to it a lot more than anything else.
hhmm i want to use "boku" because it's simple to say it 😀
Boku, definitely boku. Good definitive lesson, thanks.
Maybe i'll use "Boku" in both cases.
OK, so you explained pretty well when to use these words and how to pronounce them. This is great. What I still don't know, though, is what these words actually <em>mean</em> in Japanese (what particular <em>ideas</em> they cause in your head). And I noticed they are quite "structured", therefore their particular syllables must mean something, right? For example, "atashi", "watashi", "washi", "watakushi", "wai" – they all seem to have some syllables in common, just some other syllables thrown in in the middle or at the beginning. What do these syllables mean separately and when one combines them into these words?
Also, what does "desu ka" mean and why is it used only in formal context? Why is the trailing "u" in "desu" silent?
'u' is usually silent in 'desu'. Whenever you say 'desu' it's keigo, or formal/polite Japanese. Japanese society is quite hierarchical so people use different degrees of formal/politeness to acknowledge different social statues.
I would use (watashi) when talking to someone who I don't know and ( boku ) with friends and close family members
uchi sounds cute but is it more of a children's thing or could I get away with it, being in Highschool? I'd probably also use Atashi.
I would atashi aswell considering i am in highschool
In vampire knight, an anime on of the guys used a type of "I" that was considered rude. Do you have any idea what it could have been and/or examples of rude ways to say "I".
Rethinking what makes sense, he probably used a rude way to say "you".
Thank you for the lesson. 🙂
I have been studying jappansese for a while and learn that the word I can be left out so how do you know when you can drop the I ?
uchi is the cutest but i woud use watashi
Thanks, Yuta. This is great?
What about the variant _watakushi_? I've heard it used a few times. Is it old-fashioned?
I completely agree! I've been slowly teaching myself Japanese for the past two or three years and I would use Watashi. Seeing as it can be used politely and in formal situations, I would most likely use it when talking with strangers or when in a professional Space. It seems to be a very versatile phrase and I personally believe that as a man, I can use it in many situations.
i would like to use boku because i like how it sounds but i'm a girl. would it be strange if i used it anyway?
Yes, it would be pretty strange if you used 'boku' unless you are writing a song.
Um, eh, sorry, but is using "boku" for girl very bad(rude?)? I just really dont like "uchi" or "atashi" and dont want to use "watashi" in non-keigo situations
I'm another Maria who would really like to use "boku". I can understand how it'd be really strange, but like, what if I was only to use it in really casual settings with close friends of the same age? Still unusual? (If so, I guess I'll get used to atashi……)
Wait, but why is it okay if you're writing a song? I'm pretty sure I've heard a women refer to herself as Boku in a StereoPony song.
I'd rather use watashi in both situation. Well it depends watashi and atashi sounds the same tho.
I'd rather use watashi in both situation. Well it depends watashi and atashi sounds the same tho.
You'd sound like a tomboy.
I think i will use 僕 in both formal and informal situation
Thank you for the introductory lesson. Watashi or atashi is fine with me for keigo or non-keigo 🙂 I haven't heard how uchi is being used or maybe I'm not yet aware of this term prior to seeing this video.
I would use watashi. Thank You!
"Boku", it sounds easier to remember despite being shorter than "ore"
I would use watashi. Thank you for this very informative video:)
I would probably use Ore informally and Watashi Formally.
I would use watashi.
I would prefer watashi in both cases
by the way thanks for these lesson
My first video lesson! I'll keep watching more
The formal one I would use 私(watashi), like to write a letter or something official but, i might also use 僕(Boku) since I'm a guy.
The casual one I probably use both 俺(Ore)/僕(Boku) from time to time.
I've some questions for yuta-san too!
Do Japanese people still using the old words like 自分(jibun) or 吾輩(wagahai) to call them self?(the last one I was expected to be hear from old people, but do young people still you the 1st one nowadays?) and is it impolite to call strange people あなた, and how should I called them to be more polite?
Thanks for the lesson again! : )
Boku
When I was in Japanese 121 I learned watashi was the safe bet when in doubt so I think in most situations I will use watashi, but if I was talking to friends I would most likely use boku.
is it safe to say that would be my best bet?
Great lesson. One question, is the 'u' silent all the time, or just under certain circumstances?
No, the 'u' is not always silent. For example the 'u' sound at the end of boku is said but the 'u' sound at the end of desu is not.
I'm going to use Uchi in informal conversations forever now <_<
You would use watashi when speaking formally, and using boku if you are speaking to friends or close acquaintances. You can also use boku when speaking formally.
I'm pretty sure this is how you say it as a male.
I hope I'm posting this correctly, I'm new to this site
Hi
I would most likely use "Boku" in most situations, as it is easy to remember, though I think it would be a good habit to use others.
I would use watashi in both formal and informal situation. Also, really nice video, easy to understand and short.
i would use "watashi " formal
"atashi" informal
hehe :3
I'm a male so i would use "boku" or "ore" with informal and "watashi" or "boku" with formal.
konnichiwa Yuta San,
Watashi no namae wa Tammy desu
Ogenki desu ka
I like to use watashi in both cases as I am an older female and I like to be polite.
Arigatou gozaimasu
Thanks for the Lesson Yuta~sensei 😀
As it is easier to remember and I am female, I would use Watashi in both formal and informal situations. 🙂
boku but ore when i am showing off
I find it a bit difficult finding out what to use. I'm a transgender male who hasn't gotten into transitioning yet, and it is quite hard for me to pass as male most of the time because of my high pitched voice. I'm not sure if I should just use "Watashi" or if I could use "Boku"…
I'm also a transgender male and I would definitely prefer to use "boku", it just seems more appropriate to me.
But if I ever felt unsure, or that people would question, I would probably use "watashi", just to avoid the awkwardness.
I would use watashi
I would use boku for informal situations and watashi in informal situations.
Thanks for the video !
i Would use 私 in formal and 僕 since its a more polite casual word.
I would use boku like you. Because you can use it in almost any situation
I would use "watashi" in both formal/normal but sometimes informal I would switch it up.
I would use watashi for both situations. it seems easier for women since its more common for them to use watashi in formal or informal situations :). great first lesson!
I would use "boku" as it fits me a bit more. . .casual.
I use boku when conversing with friends and watashi when meeting new people.
From this lesson, I learned that Japanese does seem a lot more complicated than English. But I am still determined to learn it!
So what I've learned is we should use Boku for informal conversations but it is possible to use boku for formal conversations as long as you add "desu" or "desu-ka".
i´ll keep it easy, and say Watashi :3
boku and ore for me… depending on what attitude the person has…
I use watashi
I knew that "watashi", "boku", and "ore" were ways to say "I", but i did not know they were separated by gender specifications.
are there spaces in japanese?
I would use Watashi for both case
i would use "boku"
When I started learning Japanese, my teacher told me to try to avoid to talk about "I" as much as possible. (As it would be impolite to always talk about oneself 😉 )
Just use the Watashi to present yourself, then leave it out as much as possible.
I have always been using 私 …
this is really informative man! great job and thanks!
i prefer watashi and boku
I would use"watashi" in both formal and informal
I would use Watashi on Both cases, unless I am talking with a friend
Well i'm a guy so i think i'll use "boku" because its easier to pronounce and watashi in case of an older person adresses to me on a stranger
I am a women,so I would use "watashi"? Right.
hmm well since watashi is accepted for both formal and informal situasions, and im a guy. i would try to use Watashi first, and see how it goes. if someone else told me i had to use something else, i would read up on that word and see if its correct. and then switch if it is correct.
Would have been nice if he taught us how to draw the words though D:
I would use watashi in both cases and occasionally atashi.
I would use watashi on formal situation and boku on casual
As I'm a women, I use watashi in both situations (formal and informal).
My japanese roommate usually using uchi, when she is talking about herself. First time when I heard it I was confused. I thought i should use uchi too, because when I'm always saying "watashi" it sound weird probably. But now I know it's normal. Thank You! ありがとうございました。
I would use Watashi
I would alternate between 僕 and 私.
I would use 私 in both formal and informal situations.
僕ここに来ました
I wold use Watashi in every situation since I'm a girl.
Also, I thought "Taeme" meant YOU! Because of anime XD
Great lesson
My first lesson with Yuta XD
I would say "私' for formal situations and '僕' for friends. But I would like to see how does '俺' work with friends, after all that the most used in manga, anime and some histories, など,
and that is acceptable but it kinda brings this manly, gangster sense in it.
.i think i will use uchi with friends and watashi with poeple i'm unfamiliar and familiar with
I guess I'm gonna use 僕 when informal and 私 when formal.
As a woman, I will use 'watashi' in both situation.
i would follow the norm and use watashi when needed to be extremely polite to strangers and boku. but i feel that using boku in a very polite way to strangers is viable too as im sure that not a lot of Japanese citizens/people would be offended by it
I find ORE a lot easier to start. If I get any better I'll try to use boku.
I would use "watashi" for both formal and unformal situations
私 With meeting new People
僕 Friends
俺 When having drinks
I would use "boku" for both.
Formal would be watashi
Informal would be boku
For me
I would use "Boku" because it's much simpler and i wouldn't want to sound impolite while speaking
I would use "Boku" because it's much simpler and i wouldn't want to sound impolite while speaking
Both
Boku.
Boku
I would use watashi in both cases as well
same as anonymous_noob "watashi" for stranger or first meeting, as well as relationship start to get closer and gain confidence then it will be time to use "boku".
Well for informal situations I would use "boku" as its more comfortable to say. In formal situations, I would use "watashi".
What happens if you're gender neutral?
Ore or watashi depending on my mood.
Since I am male,I should use "boku" continuous when I would talk to friends who do live in Japan and "watashi" at work and for strangers.
I think I would use watashi since I'm a girl and its the easiest to write
I would use watashi in both situations.
Very formal video indeed, I'd use watashi with strangers and boku with friends and people I'm familiar with
I would probably use "Boku", especially since I'm learning.
Not sure if I'm replying in the correct area, but here goes. Formal I would say "watashi", informal I would go with "boku". If the mood or formality of the situation changed I would (hopefully) adjust accordingly.
Honestly, hm prob watashi for new people, boku with friends, and ore for fun XD
I'll use "僕(ぼく)" now.
I would use watashi in both cases.
I would use watashi.
Formal: Boku
Informal: Watashi
Sorry I meant to switch them around ?
Boku
i would use "ore"
but i might use "boku" with someone superior that me
I'm a male so i use watashi in formal(keigo) and use either Boku or Ore in informal(non-keigo) situations
Thank you for sending this lesson! It's really helpful! ありがどうございます。
I prefer using 私 in most of the cases, formal and informal.
I would probably stay formal. Don't have to worry about mistakes that way and avoid embarrassment. Also i like to come across as very formal. I believe its the best way to be respectful and maintain honor.
Depends really. I would go for boku in a more comfortable and less formal environment and watashi in a formal situation
i already knew i always use Ore
Watashi when being formal and Boku when informal… but i will probably just stick to boku.
Trying to keep it simple here… that was alot of info.. just for I.
Is it the same for "me"?
boku if you are male and watashi if you are female
I would use 私 because it's more simple and easy.
I would u watashi.
As a guy and beginner, I think I should use "Watashi", thanks
Well, as my first Yuta video since signing up, I have barely any idea of the contextual bits of this video. But today, I did learn how to say "I" in Japanese.
I would use watashi
Watashi -Formal
Boku- Informal
I would use "boku" in any situation
I think im going to go with boku since its more up my alley
Boku in both
for female it would be watashi for any reason but if you want to use informal atashi and uchi.
I'd like to use Ore just because it sounds nicely to my ears, but I don't know if I really can use it all the time (or just during informal speech).
Watashi in formal and Boku informal because I'm a guy
I too would use 'watashi' for strangers and 'boku' under friends
Finally starting to watch the vids you've sent me, really nice explanations! This seems like the best way to learn to speak, i had started out learning hiragana and after seeing the kanji video it seems like ill never be able to be literate [unless i dedicate a lot of time to practice] so learning how japanese people actually speak their language is probably more useful. Thanks for these vids, Yuta, ありがとうございます!
Simple enough, because I am male, in a formal situation I would use the word 'watashi' and in an informal situation I would use the words 'boku' or 'ore'. Ah, also for added politeness I would probably use 'watashi desu-ka'. Which is neat, I had not questioned what it meant but it felt like it was used to signify a question after hearing my first words from my grandma, 'ikaga desu-ka' (are you okay? (I'm probably not right but woo)) and catching it in subtitled anime.
I would use boku
I would use Watashi for both.
From my understandings, you can use "watashi" in both situations if female. If male you can use "boku" or "ore" in both situations, as long as you include "desu" or "desu ka". Am I correct?
I would go with watashi everywhere I was uncertain, and boku everywhere else.
The weirdest one I remember in manga is 拙者 :O
as a male i would use Watashi in formal situations and Boku in Informal situations
formal: watashi
Imformal: watashi, atashi, and uchi
I would use "Ore" I just like the sound of it and I'm a creature of habit so I'd most likely use it in both situations
As a woman, which form of "I" would be more common in casual conversation? Specifically, which one is normally chosen by native speakers?
i would say uchi or watashi
I would use boku
i prefer use word "boku" than watashi in formal or informal
that just sound polite and simple to say
You would formal with watshi and boku
is this also available on youtube?
I will use Boku thanks yuta
i would use watashi 🙂 for formal and informal
I usually tend to go with watashi at first greeting, then switch to boku or ore once I know a person, even if we arent that close yet. Friends will do.
I had heard of the phrase washi, jibun and uchi, however I had assumed that these were older phrases for a more older general, especially washi.
Still, love the vids.
Thanks
watashi and atashi?
Agree, This really helps in not only talking "textbook japanese".
Boku would be best for me, though I can see using Watashi in some formal scenarios. I doubt I would use Ore
I'd use watashi in both
I would like to use boku please thanks for the lesson
I choose boku
I think I will use 'watashi' in both circumstances. Thank you Yuta-san for this lesson!
I would definitely use ''watashi'' in formal and informal situations.
Could I use Boku as formal and Ore as informal without trying to be a 'gangsta'?
Watashi
Since I was raised to be polite with practically everyone (especially strangers, foreigners and elder family members); I would most likely use "watashi" to in a formal situation and "ore" in an informal situation, like with friends.
I will use 私 in both cases.
Because I am still very new to Japanese, I would use watashi, just to avoid seeming rude using a confident form even though my Japanese is bad. As my Japanese gets to a better level, I suppose I will use boku for informal. I think I'd only use boku for formal once I am rather fluent.
I would use "watashi" and "atashi"
As a beginner I think I got used to saying "boku" but ill practrice saying "watashi in formal situations.
My younger sister has learned a bit of Japanese here in California, so she did explain to be a little on the factor of Watashi. Yuta-san has clarified this further. Personally I'd use Boku, similar to Yuta-san( Yuta-san or Aoki-san?), since the use of watashi can be used in both feminine and keigo it can be mentally confusing to me at times. I also want to get this right since I aim to teach english as an ALT. I do have a random question that bugs me. When is a good time to switch from using the last name+ honorific to first name+ honorific?
I would use watashi in formal and informal
boku since its easier to remember
You would use boku
Boku seems to be the most appropriate according to yuta and for several of the people in the comments seems to work just fine so I'd say Boku.
I'd rather use Boku
I rather use Boku
I would use Boku and Watashi
I would use "watashi" … it is easier to remember ^_^
Watashi is what you use for formal an informal
I would use boku in both cases
I would use watashi for both.
Excuse me Sensei, can I use only WATASHI all the time?
Excuse me Sensei, can I only use WATASHI all the time?
To be safe I would prefer using Boku or Watashi
このビデオはちょっと易しぎました。それでもまだ好きで良かったです。よく僕は「僕」を使います。でも時々「私」をも使います。友達としゃべったら、「僕」を使って先生としゃべったら、「私」を使うんです。ビデオをありがとうございます。次のビデオを楽しみにしています！！^_^
私もご意見に賛成致します。この動画は朝飯前くらい簡単でした。ただし最後に紹介させていただきました語彙の使い方について私もかなり疎いでございます。これからお力添えをお願い申し上げます。
Personally I probably would use Boku as it seems the easiest and most flexible way to say "I".
Same here 😀
i think boku would be the easy one to use unless i was talking to my wives father then i would use the more formal but thats me ( her dad is a little formal )
Hi Yuta!
Thank you so much for your lesson !
I'm little being confused about using of "watashi" in Japanese, so it helps a lot
Keep going your great works 🙂
Nhi
Nice, the part where you explained that a bad guy would never use ore was very helpful.
i think he said that he can't imagine a bad guy (or gangster, as was his example) saying "boku."
Hey Yuta,
Your video is unavailable for others to view because of its privacy settings, it seems.
Also, this topic might be a little too basic, but I guess it doesn't hurt to see what you have to say on it. Keep up the good work, I like your videos anyways.
I don't know why this happens to certain people. Could you give me more information? Did you try to watch it on this page?
Sorry for the late reply.
I'm trying to watch it from this page, yes. (http://www.yutaaoki.com/blog/how-to-say-i-in-japanese)
Maybe it's something to do with regional settings, or IP blocks like certain Youtube videos also do?
I just can't watch this video too 🙁 is there another links to watch this video?
I tried to watch it and it wouldn't start, I'm sure its not internet problems because streaming works fine with me. It seems like the root of the problem is something else. Please and thank you 🙂
Yuta I just want to say I appreciate the work you put into these lessons, thank you so much!
I am also having trouble viewing the video from this page. Thank you.
Using the Safari browser on an iPad Air 2 I got the dreaded "can't play video because of security settings" message. Holding down the refresh symbol in the address bar (the circular arrow chasing itself) pops up a menu and picking "request desktop site" fixed the problem. Fwiw.
So that would do the trick them.
So how can I say hi, I am Phree informally ?
I know this konichiwa, watashi wa Phree -chan desu.
So I guess konichiwa boku Phree-chan desu..?
I will practice using boku when I'm talking with friends.
Ah, I never knew that there was such a "semi-well-defined" different between how men and women say "I".
Hey thanks Yuta I found this pretty helpful.
I agree. As a beginner, I don't really know much about the language.
I know you only briefly went over the other versions of "I" but as a mainly anime watcher I was wondering as to why they would use those other versions of "I". Other than that great video, thanks for the help.
To me boku doesn't sound as nice, so I prefer to use watashi in any situation as a male. Have never spoken to a Japanese though so maybe that will change in the future.
I learned watashi first so it sounds more natural for me to use that then the other 2. But like how someone commented, I would use watashi for strangers and boku for friends.
Hi Yuta san, thank you so much; I watch alot of Dramas and anime and always had this kind of question, so yeah, now I get the point.
you're great!
So I normally only use 俺 in most situations. But say I want to make a good impression on my girlfriends parents the first time I meet them, I'd naturally use keigo. Is it acceptable to use 俺 or should I always go for 私 ?
私 won't be rude but could be too formal. 僕 is a safe choice. 俺 might be possible but it will depend on the context. It will also depend on how well you speak Japanese. It's actually easier if you don't speak it too well because then they will forgive you for subtle problems like this one.
Awesome lesson. Thank you very much!
As a man, I would use "boku" in formal and informal situations, I think.
One question: this lesson is valid to japanese writing too? Or this works only in conversations?
If you are texting, it's pretty much the same. But if you are writing a business report or writing assignments for your university class, you use 私。
Great Video, thanks.
I mostly learned that 僕 is a "childish" way to say "I", 俺 is the Gangster way and 私 is the normal way to go if i dont know what to say.
Hi Yuta,
That was really helpful for me ^^ I am so happy that I find you *^*
Hi there,
Thank you a lot for the video, this topic has always been kind of confusing to me. Now I've got it clear!
私、僕 ~ formal
僕、俺、私(for women)、あたし、うち ~ informal
本当にありがとうございました、YUTA先生！
これからもがんばります！
Júlia
Thank you for the lesson!
Since the textbooks i've used never explained it in detail, it was very helpful and easy to understand.
Very informative! =) first-person in Japanese had always kinda confused me up until now. But I have this other question, though: I know "boku" is supposed to be used by males, but I've heard women use it too? If you're a tomboy-ish female, is it acceptable to use "boku"?
Thanks!
I personally use 私, but I'm a female. Though, if I wasn't, 僕 seems like a nice flexible way for men.
Thanks for the lesson Yuta, it was very helpful and cleared up some confusion I had while watching a anime 🙂
Thanks for the lesson, I would use Boku because i'm an easy-going person
"Watashi.
But now would I use this even if I am teaching or at my job? I don't want to seem stupid, but I am learning Japanese before I go to move to Japan to teach.
Hi Yuta!
Thanks for the lesson 🙂
I use 私 and will continue to – I guess it's easy for me since I'm a girl!
I look forward to the next videos!
Hi Yuta!
Well, I'm a girl and normally I use 私.
Thanks for the lesson, it helps a lot! 🙂
Hm, isn't boku is a bit self deprecating? Kinda like you are lowering yourself a bit compared to the listener?
How it works the word "oreno" or "oretachi" — Thanks n__n
This is very useful for me.i only know watashi before.keep your beginner lessons please.
Ah, very clearly explaination Yuta. As a guy, I would use watashi for strangers or older people and i use boku for friends.
Haha, my kindergarten students use this all the time! (Boku)
Now I know 😉
How did you change your picture?
I always really want to use Boku, but I'm female. Unfaaair
it's clearly but i think the leason need to be more dificulty.
As Maximillian pointed out, 僕 sounds "childish", so 私 is my safest choice and 俺 for more informal conversations. Unfortunately i'm not old enough to use 儂 and not important/from 19th century to use 我. 😛
Context is imperative to determining what form in Japanese to speak. I love how you reinforced the concept. I learned that to sound like a native Japanese speaker, in informal context I can be omitted b/c it is obvious one is speaking about themselves; and in formal or polite context I would use watashi. However, I would love to use boku whenever I can. 🙂 Thank you for this valuable lesson 🙂
I would most likely use watashi as that's what I remember through self learning.
I think 'Boku' seems to be more comfortable because : 1) It is shorter than watashi.
2) I think that the way how i pronounce 'wa' really different from natural Japanese. So someone will able to mix it up with 'atashi' :D.
Negatives: 1) Complicated character for 'boku'. 2) I heard now it`s sounds childish and some girls uses 'Boku' too. Yup, even except the Souseiseki :D.
And I`m really interested using ways of "Jibun'. As I know it`s uses as special form like 'Jibun de' for 'by me'. Is there more ways to use it?
thanks for this, really simple but also very helpful 🙂
I know you mentioned that it's good to recognize that last set you used and I was curious, if they're not ways that people normally say I, why are they commonly used in anime/manga?
And lastly, would it be weird if a girl used ore or boku? Like casually?
Actually the "watakushi" I saw them every time in period drama. I think they are used in the past from heian period to maybe meiji period.
おはようございます, I have a question. I've seen girls in anime saying 僕 (mostly) and even a girl (not that feminine ok) saying 俺 so I would like to ask : would it be wrong or ridiculous for a girl to say 僕/俺 ?
According to what you have said Yuto Sensei, "boku" for non-keigo which is more casual.
My first response was "Watashi," I suppose because I have heard it a lot in Japanese films, but when you brought up "Boku" that sort of jarred my memory. "Ore" as a "masculine-sounding" reference reminds me of a character in Urusei Yatsura named Ryuunosuke, who is a girl, but was brought-up by her father to be his "son." She's one of my favorite manga/anime characters.
僕 is my safety net. Unless I'm absolutely sure when yo use 俺 or 私, I just stick with 僕
I prefer boku, or watashi. Thanks! Yuta 🙂
I would probably use Watashi for Formal and Boku for Informal. 🙂
Thanks for this lesson. Can't wait to start learning Japanese with my N***a Yuta. xD
Thank You Yuta, this lesson helps me alot to understand more about how to express in formal and informal situations.
Personally I prefer to use watashi in formal and boku in informal situations.
Hello, I use 私 but already hear あたし. Never heard うち, even in anime, that I watch a lot.
Hi really great sample lesson. Keep going ;D
僕じゃないです。（敬語）
僕じゃない。（非敬語）
I would use watashi more than boku when I am in public, though I would use boku toward my friend more often.
I always want to use boku because is the easiest way for me 😉
『あたし』はいいだから可愛いと思う。。。
well apparently "boku" is the most versatile way for "I" so I decided to use it. but maybe sometime I'll go for watashi…
And whats the meaning of ore-wa ? For example: ore-wa manueru de su
I use Watashi on all conditions though. Mostly with my teachers and friends.
I'm a 19 year old boy, I mainly talk casual between friends (including Japanese friends, so I use ぼく), でも、sometimes I use 私 when I want to show sincerity, or if I want to apologize to a friend to show that I am serious. 🙂
Hey yuta, i want to learn Hiragana and Katakana, do you know a few books how i can learn it? Also this is my first time here and really love this vid, great job! Cant wait for more ^^
If you have an iPhone check out Dr. Moku's Hiragana and the Katakana app. I think there is/will be a Kana app too. I learned my Hiragana in just a few days!
Hey Yuta! Can you please give me more lessons in Japanese 🙂
I'm thankful that I can use Watashi in both situations. I think it's helpful that Thai was my first language too because it helps me to understand some of the Japanese phrasing concepts. I appreciate the lessons and your hard work. Thank you very much.
Watashi is what I would use for formal and informal speech…
私は聖なる/鉱石を使用したいが、私はワタシでますので、私は女性です
I'll probably just stick with watashi, unless I find a situation where atashi seems to flow better.
I prefer the sound of Ore more than Boku, so I want use Ore in Informal situations and watashi in formal situations.
I would use "watashi" for both formal and informal cases.
I just stick to 'watashi' as I'm female. Nice and simple lol
That was really helpful! Thank you! I kind of knew a bit about it, but a reminding it's always helpful.
Since I'm a woman I'll stick to watashi ^^ no problems there.
As a first step, this is really helpful. I've been watching Anime since I could remember and I noticed sometime when the character talks about himself/herself is they use "watashi" .
Now I'm more knowledgeable with the "keigo" and "non-keigo" so I may practice to use them in specific situations.
Thanks Yuta!
PS: Just subscribed to your YouTube channel and newsletter.
I'd use boku….
僕は「ぼく」を使うのが一番好きであります。
I like using "boku" the best.
Trivia: I live about 40 minutes away from Yutaさん.
Nice!
I did't know that I cold use two different kinds of I
^^
thanks for the lesson
I would use Watashi for formal (when talking to strangers or people older than me etc.) and I would use Boku for informal, with my friends, younger people.. Thanks for this great gift Yuta! This is really going to help me with my studies!
I think i will stick with watashi but i dunno how to say i love u to a japanese girl yet . Cuz there is a lot of "" I "" out there
I'm a guy so I'll be using Watashi since I've kinda hear it alot in anime… Boku is also quite familiar for me since I hear it always…. but anyways I'll wither use these 2 (might use boku often depending on the person I'mtalking too)
Also thanks for the video, great lesson
I always use atashi unless is a very formal situation. When I'm on a very very formal situation I use watashi :3
Easy for me. I can just use watashi.
Hmm….I've actually seen Janai in a song.
I am female but things like Atashi don't sit right with me to use (feels too girly), is Boku still okay or would it seem weird?
I use Boku most of the time. I sometimes use Ore with a friend to joke around.
ore-sama all the time every time! 😀
I heard them every time in the Doraemon anime by the Gian, the fat guy that likes to bully haha
Interesting. I was told by a friend to always use 俺 and that in when she was living in Japan, only people who wanted to look "gangsta" used 僕 so I shouldn't use it at all. Just use 俺 as standard and use 私 for particularly formal occasions, so that's what I've been doing for the last 3 months. Here's hoping I wasn't giving off a bad impression.
敬語を使い時「私」をつかいます。尊敬語を使い時「自分」をつかいます。
自分は女である。
Thank you Yuta San. I am glad I found you. It is an interesting way to learn Japanese. I am getting my wife and friends to sign up too. I have always use 私 to be on safe side. My problem is I become tongue tied when having a conversation in Japanese especially with people of higher status. I can't speak comfortably cos of the fear in using wrong words and difficulty in understanding when the speaker goes too fast.
Anyway, I will try my best. Thanks again.
I want to use Watashi in Keigo and boku in non keigo… i would use ore sometimes, but mostly boku…
I use watashi – I am always formal when I speak about myself (Because I half German, and was taught to be polite)
I'm a girl so I like using 私 in Keigo and あたし in Tamego, though I rarely conversate in Japanese
converse, not conversate
I would use boku from now on
Thank you Yuta San!
It was really helpful,because I was too confused to select which one to use. But I think I'm gonna use 私 for both formal and informal.
I'm going to use Watashi with formal and informal. I'm not a girl, or feminine, but I'm the submissive one in my relationship. And I'm gay so…… That's my decision.
thanks for the lesson
I think, i will use watashi on keigo and boku on non keigo, after all i will need both form of speaking
At first got a bit confused with so many things but could manage to understand.
I'm used to use Watashi because was the first thing i learned but will try to work on Boku too.
so for me as a man
I've to use watashi in formal situation ofcorse and boku in non-keigo situation !
looking forward for a next lesson !
Thank you!! My very first Japanese lesson 😀
Thank you, Yuta!
I really appreciate your attitude to foreigners who are interested in Japan and its culture and I am looking forward to your next videos! And as for me, I was always using "watashi" 🙂
This is a really odd question, but I don't suppose transgenderism is a frequent thing in Japan.
Do you know how a transgender might speak in Japanese? Would a mtf use watashi in informal situations, or would they still use boku?
I would probably use Watashi for formal situations and uchi for informal because uchi has less syllables. I'd get tired going Watashi Watashi Watashi all the time, I'd probably just get rid of the I at the end altogether.
For formal situations i would use watashi and for informal boku.
I'll use "watashi" 😀 thank you so much for teaching us.
I used to always use "Atashi" since my favorite singer "Kyary Pamyu Pamyu" uses it alot in her songs, but I didn't know I shouldn't have used it this much, I must've sounded annoying to some people, oh well ^^;;
Because I am a woman, I would have to use watashi, though to be honest, I actually really like boku, it fits more with my personality. Thanks for the lesson. 😀
Hi !
I'm a woman so I'll use "watashi" in formal situation, and maybe "atashi" with my friends, because it's really cute in manga… *o*
Your video is very good, and your english too. I'm French but I understand it easly.
ありがとう ございます!
Thank you for your lesson Yuta!
It's really interesting that you can say I in so many ways, and to be honest, I had been confused by that, when watching anime and was wondering why I could never sort out what people use. I did know that it was different for women and men, but I heard people say watashi, boku and ore, but never understood this distinction.
I think that I will use watashi in formal situations, if I would ever be in one, and boku in informal situations.
Thank you for the lesson ^.^
I'd probably use watashi in both informal & formal situtions, since I'm a girl and it's easier to remember.
そのビデオはありがとうございます。
私は女です、そう、 ” 私 ” 使います。
Hope I didn't make too much of a mess of that… looking forward to your next video 🙂
for me in formal 私
and informal would be: あたし
Well i would use watashi because i'm a woman and it's easier. If i was a man It might be a little embarrasing if i use the informal way in a formal conversation or letter.
Formally, I'd use boku but informally, ore
wow, there's a lot of ways, i think i would do the basic, 私 for formal talks and 僕 と 俺 for informal ones.
I think I would use 僕 most of the time but in case I forget about keigo, I will also use 私
Is it possible for a man to always say 私 instead of 僕?
I'd probably use 俺 most of the time, I suppose I want to leave a strong-ish impression, it just feels right for me
Wow it's really good video 🙂 I knew only 私 before !
I would use boku normally unless i am speaking to elders since boku is informal, using watashi when speaking with elders would be polite right.
Would it be considered strange for a grown woman to use uchi? At what age would you stop using uchi?
I always try to say boku but when I start speaking I always say for default ore… I'm strugguling against that.
This is a really good video thank you very much!
I'm a woman so i use watashi but i think atashi is not that hard to say it because i can say faster than watashi but i really liked this video i didnt know that there where so many forms of "i" in japanese i'm surprised 😀
I think I will use boku.. cuz we can use it in both situation…thanks for the video…very helpful
I've never heard of "temae" to refer to oneself. I would use atashi, thanks for this video :).
Also, do tomboy girls in Japan use boku? I've heard tomboy girls in movies and in anime refer to themselves with that word.
I'm a tomboyish girl and I used "boku" pretty often in class. My teacher didn't seem to mind, but fellow classmates seemed confused by it lol. Is it even acceptable in Japanese culture for females to use "boku"?
where can i see more lessons?
どうも初めまして。これは自分にはちょっと易しすぎるかもしれないけど、それもしかたない。友達には勧めさせてもらうけどな。
ところが自分は「俺」か「僕」を使うのに結構抵抗あって「自分」を使わせていただいてるんですが、それも変なのかなと思うときはあるが、どうかな。「僕」は、アニメのせいかわからないが子供っぽく聞こえてしょうがないし、外国人が「俺」を使うとふざけているとしか聞こえないけど、違うかな。
あとロマ字ではわからないからユタさんの名前は日本語ではどうやって書くんですか？
ありがとうございます！
I am female, and I prefer to use 私 (わたし) in both formal and informal instances. I took Japanese in high school for all four years, covering about five years of Japanese, and in the process, I learned about these other ways. I will use わたくし in really formal situations, like a job interview.
I understand even when in english skills i'm not good enough. ^_^
When i was working as genba i always use "ore" for both informal and informal and i also use "desu" to make it polite
I would use "watashi" in both case.
拙者（せっしゃ）は侍でござる！
If you want to be a samurai you can use "sessha" lol
Hi Yuta, thanks for all of your effort. I actually have a question about your English. I notice your accent isn't standard North American. Where did you learn English? It sounds like your instructors were either British or Australian (perhaps even New Zealanders).
I would use watashi or boku but I for me it easyier to say watashi
I personally use "watashi" but as a woman It's oke.
I didn't know there were different words to use especially for men, so that was a nice video! ^^
mmm… I would use ore and watashi… sounds better
Yeah and Watashi is formal so it's really better
thanks a lot Yuta for your first lesson 🙂 you explain in a very clear and simple way.. ありがとう
Arigatō (i know only this in japanese).
i'm a female so i will use "watashi" 🙂
Hi Yuta!, thank you so much for the lesson, sorry for bad English, in reality I speak Spanish but don't worry, I understand English a lot because I study software development in Colombia and most of the helpful docs are in English so I've been learning so much.
I would use 私 in formal situations, 僕 with friends and 俺 with close friends.
私はがんばります！
ありがとうございます
Ｆｏｒｍａｌならば、「私」を使います。
Ｉｎｆｏｒｍａｌの時、「僕」を使います。
Thank you for your video. I am wanting to learn to speak Japanese because I am sometimes needing to communicate with a Japanese person, and I was told many years ago that the Japanese people prefer it when a foreigner can speak to them in their language.
I have always felt like I am being disrespectful because i don't understand Japanese language. I was also told there are two main styles or dialects of Japanese language. Is this still true? Is it only in written language, or is it also in spoken language?
I look forward to seeing more of your videos. When I am in a better position financially, I will contribute to your effort.
This is very informative and detailed.
Didn't know I could learn so much from something as simple as "I"
Thank you for that video. I'm french but I'm not too bad in English so that's fine (it is really difficult to find some free videos in France so I'm glad I can find it in another language)
I Think I'll use Atashi or Watashi !
I will most likely use Watashi and Boku
Thank you so much! I really enjoy japanese and I've wanted to learn how to speak japanese for a really long time, but my only means of doing so was through anime and I know that's the least reliable method, because of mishearings and mistranslations!
I think I'm going to use "atashi" for informal conversations, I think it sounds cute but polite!
Thank you for your hard work, with regards, from Greece!
Can someone explain the usage of "Sore"? Does that designate "me" versus "I"?
Also, why is the "u" in "boku" pronounced, but not in "desu"?
それ (sore) means "that". There is not a different word for "me" in Japanese. You have to interpret how the "I" word would be used in English.
Also, I answered your second question in my reply to Curtis.
I guess I'd use Boku or Ore in non-formal situations, and Watashi in foprmal situations.
And, I also would like to ask why the 'u' is pronounced in 'boku' and not in 'desu'.
The "Su" character (す) is sometimes shortened to just the "s" sound when す is in the middle or ending of a word (so not at the beginning of a word). Meaning です is more accurately pronounced "Des" and ます is pronounced "mas".
Thank you Zach! I'm used to the letters being specific, I need to make the transition to a sound coming from a character instead.
And thank you Yuta for the informative video!
Well, I usually use:(watashi wa Dejair "Dejairu" desu) when talking to my wife's friends or relatives. Although she's is a Japanese, I rarely practice my japanese with her, so…my speaking skills tend to be stagnant. Good job, Yuta-san!
I am a male, regarding my choice in informal I would say I prefer boku over ore if I can go like that as personal preference!!
Thanks Yuta
Thanks for the lesson. It is really awesome!
Thank you so much for taking the time to make these lessons! I appreciate it!
Boku
I would like to use "atashi"
Thanks for the lesson! I'll use watashi for keigo an boku in non keigo, maybe if I stay in Japan for a long time in the future I'll use boku all the time
Great lesson for me, I am very new to Japanese and in my own research have been using watashi for everything, but seems as a guy I probably should have been using boku in informal sentences. I had learned the greeting "Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Mike desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.". I had picked up "I" from that sentence and didn't know there where more ways. (sorry if horribly misspelled… wait, can you misspell English word translation of Japanese?)
I would used because it seems simple to me to speak.
I'm a girl, but I'm a bit of a tomboy. Can I use boku instead of watashi in informal situations? Is it common for girls to use boku or even ore?
I always use watashi and in the future I will use watashi.
Just subscribed, found this far more useful than anything else I found online for free.
I'd probably use boku for most situations myself.
I like atashi as an every day use personally ^_^
Hi Yuta :), i would use "Boku" for informal and "Watashi" for formal.
Hmm… for me, I would say "watashi" whenever I meet a person, and "boku" when I have friends.
Looking forward to utilizing your videos with other resources in learning the Japanese language. Next year, I will be travelling to Tokyo and want to enjoy exploring the country without inconveniencing local citizens by speaking a foreign language (English). My Russian grandmother knew 5 different languages, including Chinese dialects, Mandarin and Cantonese. This was an additional motivating factor in learning another language. Thank you for the opportunity to learn through your format. Best wishes on a successful year, Yuta.
Thank you very much! This was really helpful. I'm a girl so I'll be using 私 all the time, I also really like the sound that word. 😀
Great that you focused on Japanese for men!
Hallo! Elize here.
I would probably use "watashi" in formal conversation and "atashi" sometimes for informal conversation with people such as friends.
By the way i am a female. ^^
I suppose I would use Watashi, Though Boku sounds rather natural to me.
I am quite feminine so, I may use Watashi more than the average.
Arigato Yuta! I guess I'll stick with 'watashi' but it's very good to know the other ways 🙂
depend on the situation. if it really formal, ex. like when you meet some people with high status, such as people from government, i prefer to use watashi. But in daily conversation i will use boku. thanks Yuta.
I think I would change between boku and ore mostly, depending on what I'm tying to express and and feeling at the moment, and occasionally using watashi for when I think I need to be more formal than normally
thank you for the lesson. i'm using watashi; or nothing at all when it's clear i'm speaking about myself .
Hey Yuta!
That was quite helpful, and i like how you explain the stuff to us in the video!
Keep up the good work! And once again, Thanks!
In what situations can a female use boku/ore?
There's usually no situation for that. Some female artists write lyrics using 'boku' for artistic effects, though.
Yuta san hello,
Im a lady and i personally like atashi ? but if at work i prefer to use 私.
I've heard that if a girl is a tomboy "boku" is acceptable
Dear yuta,
Thank you for the clear video. I would personally use watashi in most situation and atashi with people I feel very comfortabel with. The more knowledge I gain about the grammaticale purpose of the different way's in saying I. I will use the one that would not only fit the situation and my personality but also respects the language as a hole.
I personally prefer to use "boku" most of the time. It feels more comfortable to me than "ore" or "watashi." However, "jibun" is an one I'm interested in.
Arigato for the wonderful lesson! My husband and I could easily get an idea of how to express "I" in the Japanese language.
I would actually use 'boku' in any of my sentences because it's much easier to remember than 'watashi', but I'll continue to practise Yuta-sensei >◇<
I use 'boku' all the time, so it should be fine.
Wow! you definitely help me with formal and informal use of the word "I" hopefully I get more of your videos of japanese lessons because I really want to learn the language thank you
Dorian Tippitt
I would most likely use Watashi in formal and informal not just because I'm a girl but because you don't know who uses formal or informal.
Hi,
Thank you for the video, I wish you would've spent a little more time on the alternatives for 'I', just because that was interesting too…
Yeah, that would be interesting.
How could I use "Uchi" and "Watakushi"?
Thanks
私は男です
I have not yet started to practice speaking, but when I chat with my friend, who is also learning, online we both use Boku without keigo (we've been friends for a long time).
When I start to practice speaking, I would use Watashi if I am speaking to someone I don't know (such as a new speaking partner via Skype, or at school).
I'm a girl, I would use watashi or atashi the most. It seems very simple.
When I was taking beginning Japanese, we only learned keigo so I used to only use watashi xD Now, I would prefer to use watashi in a formal setting, it's just what I'm used to, and ore in an informal setting, because I have heard that a lot in anime and just did not know what it meant. It's not that there is something wrong with boku, I am just more used to hearing ore.
I would use watashi for both keigo/non-keigo settings, but once i'm comfortable with friends I would use boku.
I'd prefer to use 'watashi' in both cases because I am female.
Sorry if this has been asked before, but I often see girls use "boku" in songs and video games. Is this only common in fictional media, or do some real life Japanese women use boku? And, does using it imply she's butch?
Anyway, thank you for the video! I'm especially glad you mentioned "atashi", I hear that sometimes and couldn't figure out if I was hearing "watashi" wrong or what. Now I know 😀
It's usually happens only in songs and fiction. It's actually quite common in songs and it doesn't really imply anything. In video games… I'm not sure. I guess it depends.
I see, thank you!
I would use "Watoshi" in both situations because I am a female but I really want to use "Ore" on my older brother since he already knows Japanese haha. c':
I would Would use either "Watoshi"or " Atashi" since I am a Female and "Ore" whenever I am joking with my Nii-san/older brother who already knows Japanese.
I would prefer using Boku.
This is very interesting, as a beginner, thank you for explaining them very clearly! As I'm a woman, I would use "watashi" as a start before I learn to use the other variations. 🙂
I've heard in animes of tomboy-ish girls or non-feminine girls using "boku", is that something that is only in anime? I would prefer to use "boku" with friends and "watashi" in Keigo situations. Is that unheard of in real life? I'm female by the way, but I hate gender roles and gender conforming things so I would want to use boku around my friends on principle. Plus I think it sounds a lot cuter (which, I know, is not important when speaking a language). Lol.
I think I would use "watashi" when shopping and when working in a bank, law company, and the like. I'd choose to mention myself by "boku" at work only if it mattered for my work that I am me and not someone else doing the same.
I'd prefer mentioning myself by "boku" whenever talking to friends about most topics. I'd only switch to "ore" when dating someone or talking about myself doing things that men do. I would do that switch with a date to show that I'm the listener's boyfriend or interested in the listener. And I'd do that switch with close friends to show that I'm a close male friend of the listeners when talking about things that I did as a man.
Does this make sense?
Hi Yuta! 🙂
I was wondering about the kanji for watashi and watakushi, since they are the same how do you difference between them when reading?
The answer is very simple: you can't really tell!
Thank you for your work and your helpful videos! Grazie mille e tanti saluti dall'Italia! 🙂
Prego!
I'll go with the 'ore' all the way 'cause I'm an OG.
I will use watashi most of the time 🙂
If i am a man is it fine for me to use watashi all the time?
I prefer to use boku, I'm an avid fan of anime/manga and I noticed that boku was used all the time by the protagonist. And when the protagonist is a gangster I usually hear them say Ore. Thanks for the lesson!
I will use watashi 🙂
I would just use watashi for keigo and non-keigo ☺
i would use watashi or boku but boku sounds better and easier
I already knew this. ^_^
I only really use "私" at the moment. Thanks for the tips on the other types.
Watashi desu ka?
I would like to use boku but since watashi seems to be more of a good guy saying, Then i have to use watashi i guess. Thanks!
This actually made me kinda glad I'm a female. xD
I would use "watashi" most of the time but I want to use the other words (female ones) too, to remember them.
I have been wondering, I have been studying Japanese consistently for over 5 years but still have not been to Japan yet. Im familiar with the different usages of "I", but what I was hoping you could tell me. As a foreigner, will it be better to just be safe and always use the kaigo "私" or will it be better to be more casual and use "僕" or "自分". Will it be more, or less, acceptable for a foreigner to be casual?
Thanks for the first lesson! I'm most likely going to just flip between watashi for formal and atashi for informal.
Hello, thanks for the lesson !
It seems clearer now ! I think I'd use boku in informal situation and watashi in formal.
I tried to learn Japanese a long time ago but the manual didn't mention these different ways in the parts I read. I only knew thanks to manga but it wasn't clear at all in my head for the context of use. Thanks again !
Thank you for the lesson.
I would probably use boku most of the time because it's easy to remember.
Thanks for the lesson, I feel like I'd default at boku all the time since I'm very casual (I'm the guy at uni who has his chair lying back a lot) but I do have a couple of questions about watashi
Do people "look down" on people who use boku all the time or think it's rude in formal situations?
And if a man was to use watashi all the time even in informal situations, what would people think of him?
> Do people "look down" on people who use boku all the time or think it's rude in formal situations?
No, I use boku all the time. Ultimately, it will depend on your personality.
Awesome Lesson.
I would use Boku and Watashi, is easy 🙂
I'd use watashi all the time. Although I am a male and could use boku or ore, I prefer the formal speech because I know that "being polite" is very important in Japan.
That was actually very useful.
I think I would use 'watashi' in all situations 🙂
This clears to me a lot of doubts and difficulties I had in using watashi or boku. Thanks!
Yeah I think I'll just end up using Watashi and Boku.
Ore sounds cool. I only knew Watashi because thats usually how people teach you on other youtube videos but i'll add Boku and Ore to my vocabulary and since Yuta likes to use Boku, i think its safe to do as he does. lol
What if you are neither male nor female (such people exist, you know)?
There are some informal ones that can be used by both males and females (according to Wikipedia), but I think they only exist in other dialects: oira, ora, wate. I have no idea how appropriate they would be in Tokyo or anywhere. What are your thoughts?
Hello thanks for the lesson
I would use boku and watashi 🙂
Thanks for the lesson!
I would probably use "watashi" all the time, since I am female and it's simpler that way.
But I'd like to know if it's appropriate at all for woman to use "boku" instead, and is it used by females out there in Japan? (although here in comments you say it is used mostly in songs and manga)
I don't really get this type of differentiation, my native language and two european languages that I have learnt are quite similar in what comes to telling male and female apart – "grammatical gender", but it's a different thing.
It's very interesting, and all the information I could find was that "boku" and "ore" are less polite and more casual than "atashi" etc, and it is common in japanese culture to expect a woman to be more polite. Is it true?
Sorry for long comment!
ゆた先生
ありがとう！nice explanations on the video. From what I had learned previously, I have been using 私 for everything. Being that I'm male and also a very casual person, I will start using 僕 now that I know it's acceptable. I did read some of the comments and I believe you said the exception to this would be in writing in a business or university environment you would continue to use 私. Would this apply when speaking to a superior in the work environment as well?
I think i'd use watashi its easier to remember.
This was pretty interesting. Kind of surprised how much I actually understood of this subject already.
I'd probably default to boku in any case. Watashi doesn't really sound like it fits me.
Maybe jump to ore when excited but that's probably because I watch a lot of anime. xD
Hello Yuta 🙂 Very nice lesson, it helped me better understand how people in Japanese usually say "I".
In my case, and due to the fact that I've been watching anime for like 8 years, I knew there were different ways of talking about oneself, but I had no clear idea of how to use them properly – in fact, I had wrong notions about it all.
After pondering the options, I think it'd be best for me to use "watashi" in very formal situations, and "boku" in more casual conversations – although I believe I'd actually need to engage in conversational Japanese before deciding which style fits me best, to be honest, since I'd also considered using "ore" with very close people; but then again, I guess it'd all depend on the context and my speaking style.
Truth be told, the fact that there are different ways of referring to oneself in Japanese, each of which gives a different impression of your personality -i.e. "ore" being more rough, manly- it's not an easy concept to put into practice. In my native language -Spanish- you can only refer to yourself with "Yo", with no gender or context variations. But that's one of the things I like about Japanese, anyway.
Thank you again for this little course you're putting together, waiting for the next lesson 🙂
I would use mostly boku, and in quite formal situation watachi
Thank you this is the first Japanese lesion I ever had. I'm going to watch this till I can speak fluent Japanese
Cause I'm female I use 私 to speak in a formal way. For the informal way I asked some friends from Japan what they prefer and most of them tend to use あたし. So that woud be my choice as well . Thank you for the lesson.
I'm femal, so I use watashi all the time.
I would probably use "私" all the time.
I would use Watashi for formal and informal. I like the way it sounds.
I would use watashi in a formal situation and uchi in informal
Boku all the way only because its less of a tongue twister however can you use it
with the plural "tachi" as in bokutachi?
Yes, you can say 'bokutachi'. You can also say 'bokura' which I find is more common.
Hey Yuta, does "bokura" have any reflection on the gender of the group? i.e. If your group consists of yourself (male) with the rest being girls, can you still use "bokura"?
The most sympathetic for me is boku.
Personally, I avoid using any form of "I" where possible – just omitting it as much as possible.
When I must, I use Ore with anyone I know, and Watashi with say, shop clerks or whatever. With my Japanese teacher, I usually use "Watashi" because I feel I should be respectful to her. She actually uses watashi, but if she starts speaking quickly and kind of "forgets to be formal" she suddenly switches to "Uchi". My Girlfriend also uses "watashi" but when she starts speaking fast, she switches to "uchi" because she learned to speak Japanese in Osaka where it's more common.
Well the reason i wanna learn japanese because i wanna study in japan .. But there aren't any japanese classes where i live .. I downloaded many apps to learn japanese and started watching a lit. Bit of anime they helped me recognise what a person is saying to a few word limit . And about using word as "I" i will probably go with Boku as you said it sounds more polite than Watashi and ore and one word is easy than 3 word . Please tell me what do you think .
I would use in both informal and formal situation the word 'Watashi'
I would always use 私.
Why not be polite with friends too?
Watashi for both would be better for me seeing as I'm female and it would also make switching from informal to formal or vice versa easier, plus it's easy to remember and won't leave me looking for a way to say 'I' without stumbling over my words. Thanks Yuta this was very helpful 🙂 I can't wait for the next lesson.
I rather would like to use watashi. (Reading all the commentaries above is very intresting.)
Have a nice day.
Form France.
I would probably use Boku for both .But in some formal situations i would use Watashi.僕, 私。
I'm a person who likes to give proper respect to how another prefers to be addressed. By default, if I didn't know a person, I'd use watashi. Even if I had previously met a person before, I'd probably still use watashi until having listened to them enough to know whether they're more comfortable with using boku themselves, or if they simply told me outright to not be so formal. Of course, with all my gangster friends I"d simply default to ore.
I think I'll use watashi is more easier to say. I really enjoy this lesson I just can´t wait to the other lesson 🙂
In my case (as a female), it would be 私。
Can i say "boku no namae MYNAME desu" or no?
As a female I'd always use watashi.
so excited about this, I've always wanted to learn and studied a little on my own, but I hope Yuta's really stick with me. ^-^
This is really eye opening! I did not know there were so many ways to say "I" in Japanese. As a girl, I always used "watashi", I remember hearing people say "boku", but the context was always a mistery. Thank you so much, Yuta!!
I would use watashi, but I will try to recognize other forms of "I" when I watch anime.
I would use boku and watashi. Those are simple to understand and you can't forget them quick
hmm, I use "watashi" but I really want to use "boku" cuz its kawaii
watashi, onna desu kedo 😛 .. ii no kana ?
Because I am a woman, i would use "watashi" in both cases.
You use "keigo" in the video & comments, but shouldn't you really be saying "teinei"?
My understanding is "keigo" is a completely different set of words used in formal situations; "teinei" is more closely translated to "polite". I don't think "boku" can even be described as being correct when speaking "keigo".
I am a female so I would use 'watashi' in both formal and informal, but I feel as if I might also uchi.
Thank you for the lesson, this really helped me alot~
Likely boku (僕). I am a bit curious about the alternate one shown briefly.
I favor 'boku' even when using -masu forms as well, but if it was an actual formal situation (e.g. a job interview) I would use 'watashi.'
I would probably use Boku and Watashi for "I" but in casual/formal sense I'd probably just use Boku
I'd actually use "boku" and "watashi" (and actually, I'd rather "watashi" even for informal conversations). I'm a non-binary person, and I feel much more confortable using the male pronoums but for ME, I don't see any problem with using watashi as well. Would it be considered THAT wrong? In any case, if the conversation is informal, probably I would be speaking with my friends, who know me and are aware of my gender, and I think I would use only "watashi" to speak with strangers because it really sounds more polite.
And like, while watching anime I sometimes see some girls saying ''boku''. Does it mean something bigger?
I'm noticing these words more often in Japanese songs now. I still don't understand the singers, but at least I know when they're singing about themselves.
I'll probably use 私 the most, but maybe I'll try using あたしtoo.
Well, you use watashi in a formal situation.
And I'm not sure what I would use, I'm a transgender ftm. So I guess I'd use boku for informal?
I would use Watashi when using Keigo and Boku in non-Keigo, if I'm not sure I can use Boku
I would prefer using Boku more but if I'm unsure on what to say then I'd use watashi instead.
Great video!! I would use watashi (私) as a formal and boku (僕) as informal. Thnx for the video.
I'd use watashi in both situations. I usually think of atashi as more girly, and I'm not. I don't recall hearing uchi used very often, though. If I was younger and a total tomboy I'd use boku. B)
Hi!
I find myself using watashi mostly when I use it. I rarely use any form of "I" when writing to someone I know casually unless I really need to point out that it is about me.
In this video you say the casual in negative form and the polite when asking.
How to say: Is that me in casual form without using desu ka? Polite form of "It is not me" would be: Sore, watashi de ha arimasen?
この夏で、日本に行きます。
二ヶ月東京にいます、だからもっと日本語を勉強する必要がします。
今日は、ありがとうございました。
よろしくお願いします。
Is that me in casual form can be: sore watashi?
Hi, thanks for this video !
I'm kind of a polite person, so I would use "boku" only with my family and friends, but at work or with strangers, neighbors, etc, I would rather use "watashi", even if it's not a formal situation.
I would use watashi at work. Boku with friends and family.
Thank you for the video. It was a great first lesson.
I would use boku unless I was at a business meeting or when speaking to someone I have great respect for, such as a professor. Then I would use watashi.
I would probably just use watashi or boku based on the person/situation. It would be interesting to know why words like jibun or temae aren't normal.
Personally, I'd just go with 私 (watashi) because あたし (atashi) sounds like it's a bit too girly or cute (nothing wrong with that, I might use it with close friends). Haha, I might say 俺 (ore) on the Internet to sound male just for fun! =)
Thanks for this lesson. It's very helpful 🙂
Personally I feel like using Watashi when I speak to people on the job and meetings. I'd probably use Boku to closer friends or in less formal situations like a walk on the street.
I appreciate the explanation – as I am female, I would use watashi, and I am glad I do not yet need to remember all the other ones! I would be curious about if there were any English counterparts to how they would sound.
I would prefer watashi for strangers and boku for friends I think
Are you ever going to do a lesson on the other ways to say hi?
My text is in keigo so, I'm used to わたし but I didn't know it was only for formal.
Since I'm a man I will use わたし for formal and ぼく for informal.
Sorry about my characters but I dont know kanji yet and english is not my native language.
わたし は がばります！！
this is a concept i was somewhat familiar with, but i am glad for the clarification in this video. i would like to think i would use "ore" in informal situations, but in more of a humorous wau, as i don't want to be seen as arrogant or boastful. i guess it would depend on who i am talking to…i would of course use "watashi" in all formal settings
How would someone non-binary/x-gender tend to use 私? Is there anything that's less formal? As you said in your video, if someone were to use 私 in casual speech, then they would be presumed female, is there a way to avoid this?
Maybe go see a psychologist.
I would use "私/watashi" or "僕/boku"
Hi Yuta! Thanks for the video. Very informative! I would probably use boku also.
Hi! Thanks for the video! Personally for me, since I'm a female, I'd use 私 most of the time (formal/informal) and use あたし for close friends. Though I feel like using わし when I'm very old (I kind of like the sound of the word).
I have a question regarding わし (washi) and 吾輩 (wagahai). I tend to hear these words when the older generations introducing/addressing themselves. Is both わし and 吾輩 acceptable for male/female to address themselves with?
heh ワシ generally does make you sound like an old man xD but Ryotsu's the coolest old man around and he uses it 😛
So, if I am a generally kind and easy going person, who is often not formal, I'm pretty sure that means I should use Boku. If formal, then Watashi. Will I ever need to use Ore?
You don't 'need' to use ore. I never use 'ore' for example.
I would use watashi in both cases.
Hi! I'm pretty new to learning Japanese, but very excited. I would use watashi in all situations, because I am a female. Thank you so much for these videos!
I am very gender neutral, so I would like to use both watashi and boku in both formal and informal situations.
I would us watashi in both situations.
Hi Yuta!
Thanks a lot for this video. In my case, I will use 'watashi' in both cases since I am a female.
I am looking forward for you next videos.
I would always use "私" within class or for most formal conversations. However, I have been looking at studying abroad in Japan. I will be in the Kansai Region where, from my understanding, they use "自分". As I do not formally use this, I was wondering if you had any input on the use of 自分 over 私. Is it a direct replacement for formal situations? Is it mainly used in casual speech? Or even possible to be used in both?
well i am quite shocked you're an outstanding teacher you made it really simple for anyone to understand clearly ,while being professional. For that ill give it my best !
Watashi
I would use "watashi" for formal and "atashi" for informal. I like that you mentioned that your personality also effects what you use. It made it easier for me to consider since now I know it's not just formal or informal. Thinking in terms of formal and informal for everything can become stressful. Also, I now recognize the kanji for "watashi" so thank you Yuta-san and those who commented using it. 🙂
I my be a girl, but I tend to use boku more. I don't see myself as a girly girl but a tomboy. I'm more comfortable with boku.
I suppose the word you use for "I" depends on the formal/informal situation, as you said.
As a male, I would use "watashi" for formal and "boku" for informal, however if I had to choose one version to use in both formal and informal context, I would use "boku", although knowing that this is incorrect. Each version has a use to help others understand your intentions and feelings, therefore I think it's best to not rely on a "one for all" approach when deciding which to use.
I would use watashi in formal and ore when informal.
I'm more masculine so I'm certain to use more Ore that Boku, but in keigo situations is better to use watashi in my opinion … a little hard for me to practice as I don't have anyone to speak, but I will try my best to learn, thanks Yuta-Sensei for your lessons
This is great! Actually, im from Argentina, but I can understand very well english. So, i practise english and learn Japanese.
And i would use "Watashi", because im a woman and i know it better 🙂
Thanks,Yuuta!
Judging from your body language, when you talk about yourself, you point at your chest. I've seen often Japanese people pointing at their nose/face instead. I am pretty curious as for why that is and how much it is used 🙂
Great lesson, thank you!
Thank you so much for the lesson. i'll definitely use "boku" for both situation. just feel right for me.
I'm female, so I'm just going to use "watashi" in both formal/informal. Great lesson, btw. Thank you for this.
I would use "boku" to close friends, and use the "word" to really close friends.
I use Watashi for formal and Boku with family and friends 🙂
I personally use 私 in general. When I'm speaking I tend to say あたし. I've seen うち being used in dramas before, but I didn't know it was used the same as "I" since I always saw it as うちのこと so I assumed it was like 自分 like "myself". Is うち seen as more childish/cute and so young girls use it or is it just a generation trend?
This is one part of Japanese that I don't really like (in contrast to the regular omission of pronouns, which is great). I'm female, but when I think in Japanese, it's always "ore". However, when speaking out loud, I know that would be weird so I say "watashi", but that feels so forced and unnatural for me.
Great video. Thanks for clearing it up. I used to be confused with boku and watashi, and I thought that boku was the more formal one. I'm glad I'm a girl so I won't have to worry about it. School makes it difficult to constantly study and revise Japanese, So your videos will help me until I can have more time again. Thanks a lot!
Since it's my first lesson, it's kind of hard for me to say which one I would use. For now I would probably use the different terms for the given situations in the video, in hopes that I don't make any mistakes. But, if I had to give an answer now, I think I would use Watashi when I meet new people or are in a job-related situation. Ore is something I might use with very close friends 🙂
I would use watashi if I'm talking to someone who I don't know, and boku for close friends.
As male gendered, I would use Watashi around work, when talking to professors, and those with a high title. With people I am comfortable and casual with I would use Boku.
I suppose, since I'm a woman, I'd use watashi all of the time in both formal/informal situations. I prefer to keep things on the simple side, so I guess that works for me.
I would use Watashi in both situations. 🙂
I'd most likely just stick to "boku," but I may use "watashi" during formal situations.
Than you so much for the video, Yuta! It's the first one I receive and it was very helpful, really! I have always wondered how it worked, because you usually read "watashi" for everything in books, but can hear different ways of saying it in doramas and anime. So thanks again! ☺☺
Ooh now I know what うち means! Thanks a lot 😀
I saw it so many times and I always thought of うち like of 家 which was kinda confusing to me
watashi, thanks alot!!! your lessons are really helpful!
I'm happy to see your first lesson 🙂
You use keigo a lot in this video. I know the meaning but you might want to explain it just to make sure.But you also said formal so I dont know..
Unless you already did though.
Oh and I'd use watasji 🙂
I did not know this, from listening to music, I picked up these way to say "I" but I thought boku was for formal and watashi not. I didn't know there was female and male ways to say it. I also thought desu ka was for a question. Well, I learn something new every day! Arigato!
Boku
I want to use boku even though I am a girl, how common is that?
I'm genderqueer(AFAB) but would like to use 僕, any opinions???
I figure for formal situations I would use Watashi. I could use Boku as well depending on the situation. In non formal or casual I could use Ore with friends.
I would use boku in non-keigo and watashi in keigo
I'd like to use Watashi in both casual and formal situations. and I also thought うち means 家、 like someone already wrote in comment section:D I also have a question, is 自分 can be used for calling the second person? I think I had heard from my friends using it for each other. or maybe not…I'm not quite sure about my memory but just being curious.
As a female i would use watashi in a formal situation and probably atashi in informal situation
Just subbed to your e-mail list, I think this was a very fitting first lesson. I found your examples very helpful, most sites recycle the same quotes so getting some dynamic examples was a welcome change. Thank you for the lesson!
Watashi can be used in formal, and informal speech. Boku is the masculine version of I used in informal speech, with Ore being the more aggressive way to say I in informal speech.
I will use atashi! I like how it sounds, and if it's formal I'll just add the w 😛
Since i'm a boy, I would use watashi for formal situations and boku for informal situations.
I personally feel boku is easier to speak than watashi. So I'd use 'boku'.
If I want to say "Am I handsome?" can I use "Boku, kakkoii?"
Thank you very much for the lesson! 🙂
Since I'm female I'd probably use watashi in formal and atashi in informal conversations. I'm a long way from actually holding one so this is pretty hypothetical at the momemt. 🙂
It's too bad boku is not acceptable for women. It'd be the more comfortable phonetic sequence for me. ^^*
Is uchi a very childish or pronouncedly "cute" way of referring to yourself if you're past a certain age?
And are there any gender specific versions of "I" among the other examples you gave?
I would use "watashi" in formal settings only and just use "Boku" in any other setting. I'm more often than not a very casual person and I don't always like to use formalities.
I guess I would use watashi in formal situations and with strangers. When soeaking to friends I'd use boku and if they're really close friends I'd use ore.
I actually went to Japan not too long ago (In early April) and the first time I addressed for help was about using a ticket and whether a child ticket was not for me (It was my first conversation with a native).
I naturally used Boku with non-Keigo and it turned out pretty fine.
And when I met a friend of my mother in Japan I sorta hesitated in speech but I used watashi and tried to be polite as I could.
Overall it was an interesting experience.
i am not very often in formal situations, so as a man, i would use "boku" all the time. i've known "watashi" but somehow i like the sound of "boku"…
can't wait for the next lesson! really a gret thing you are doing here!
あたしはだいたい「あたし」だけど。 😉
I suppose I'd use 'watashi' for both because I'm a girl, but I think I'm young enough to get away with 'uchi'.
I would use Boku for both formal and informal situation.
I'm gonna use "watashi" in keigo, and i"ll use "boku" in non-keigo one
I think i'll stick to boku in non- keigo and watashi for keigo, i tend to be used to hearing those in anime but ill try to get accustomed to knowing the other versions of "i" in japanese
Thank you for the lesson Yuta!
I would probably use watashi for keigo situations and boku for non-keigo situations.
Would it be impolite for a female to use 'ore' in informal conversations?
I have always have recognized watashi as meaning (I) but then I would hear buko, ore, and Atashi. I could never find what was the differences in them. This video helped me understand now and way it was explained is simple and easy way.
I would use watashi in both situations as I'm a woman , I was wondering if u can recommend any textbooks I can refer as a beginers to learn japanese written language
As a man, I would use Watashi formally and Boku informally. I could imagine myself using Boku in a work setting like you if I had that kind of relationship with my boss and coworkers.
Interesting. I would use boku or being my personality and most people know what I'm like I would use Ore – not in a bad or offence way but more informal as I am usually are. Your lesson are more 'realistic' and easy than those that I've watched in the past, so thank you…
I guess I would use watashi the most time since I'm female and I think I'll get pretty confused as beginner if I 'switch' words when talking/writing polite or casual. Also it's the only word I'm used to for females since in animes I mostly listened to the males saying boku, ore and watashi. Thanks for the video, it really made me understand this ^^
As a woman I would always use watashi to be sure it would be right in any situation. At least as a beginner.
Japanese is such a beautiful language, I'm very glad to start learning it at least on a beginner level. 🙂
I would use watashi and atashi its the words I know and hear most from my anime and drama 🙂
this was good lesson learn some new things 😀 super fun i can't wait for next lesson 🙂
Hmm… Thinking about it, I might be one to use "boku" in most cases, but then switch over to "ore" when I'm with my friends. I'm typically a laid-back type of guy, so I feel that it fits my personality.
Boku
Since I'm female and try to be polite to people I don't know very well, I'd probably use watashi, but I'm very casual with friends and would likely use atashi with them. It just sounds more casual, sort of like using a contraction in English is more casual than not using a contraction ("I am pleased to meet you." vs "I'm pleased to meet you.")
Hi.actually this is a different question. You use 'sore wa watashi janai desu'for formal language but isn't 'janai' informal,too? Wouldn't you normally use'ja arimasen'? E.g.'sore wa watashi ja arimasen desu'. Thanks.
I'd use watashi in kego and boku in non-kego.
I like 僕 better because it sounds politer and fits me. 俺 sounds stronger and well for me it sounds like it has a angry tone to it.
I will probably stick with 私haha. But atashi is also nice.
I would say 'watashi' in both cases or possibly 'atashi' in informal since I am female. Simple enough. I won't get cocky though, I'm sure it just gets much more difficult, ahaha…
Since I'm female I would use 'watashi' or 'atashi' in an informal situation. And I would use 'watashi' with 'desu ka' in a formal situation. This is my first Japanese lesson so I'm not 100% sure if it's correct.
I've always thought boku was reserved for younger males but I suppose using your perspective I would use boku more often than watashi
This is my first lesson and it made so much sense to me. Thank you.
I would use 'watashi' for the work place, strangers, and people who are older than me. I'd use 'boku' with friends. I can never say 'ore' because I'm already intimidating to look at, ha! I don't want to give the wrong impression.
Since I am a girl, I would use Watashi!
Hello! I've just started watching these vids and I'm already loving your explanations! I really wanted to learn Japanese for a while now, so I know a bit here and there. I tend to use ore for most everything because I want to come off as more masculine. Would Ware be bad to use for formal situations since, from what I've gathered, it's more of an old man pronoun? I like using Ore, but I know it's not very formal, but I do use desu and masu at the end of sentences when I'm being more formal.
i think i will use watashi when i meet new people (strangers) and boku for friends / people i know well.
私 For both situations since I am a woman.
Thanks for the awesome video! It was easy to understand.
Thank you for the lesson
As a female, I will use watashi
I'll more likely start using Uchi(informal) and Watashi(keigo). Thanks for the lesson!
I think I would use boku since it is not to masculine and I'm not too masculine.
I still remember this one well but I still wonder why is "I" in Japanese to express ourself is hard for we men and easy for women LOL
Domo arigatou, Yuta-sensei..
thanks for the lesson. ill stick with boku by the way.
I would probably stick to watashi in all instances, being female and all.
Hi, thanks for my 1st lesson. As a man, I am a bit lazy, so I just always use Watashi. I guess when my Japanese is more fluent I can then move into Boku etc.
I am a female so I would use "watashi" in keigo situation and "atashi" in non-keigo situation because it is easier for me to pronounce. Thanks! I loved my first lesson! <3
I am male watashi = keigo/formal
Boku = non keigo/informal
For some reason my video isn't working it says " sorry because of its privacy settings, this video cannot be played here." Do you know why that is? And what I can do to fix it?
From watching anime, "boku" does seems to be the mainstream word for saying "I".
so, lets say calling your close friends, I would probably use "Ore". It's getting a weird vibe calling yourself "Boku" while talking to your close friends, well at least when talking to your male friend. Am I to understand that correctly?
I would use Watashi in more formal situations when trying to be respectful, and boku or ore to my peers and friends.
I am a female so I would use Watashi! 🙂
I'm Male and I used mostly Watashi. But now I'll use Boku too ^^
Aaah, that's so cool! I'm female, but I'm not overly feminine. So watashi fits me best. :3
Are there any informal 'I' words for people that are gender neutral?
Thanks!
I feel like I would use watashi until I become friends and then use boku
I believe I will be using "boku" more often but will practice both formal and informal..
Thank you great lesson.
As you clearly pointed keigo / non keigo are for different situations, I rather use boku for my family- friends – coworkers and watashi in more formal situations.
Thank you for the lesson.
I would use boku. Because you can use it for almost anything.
I'll keep using 私 since is easier.
I really liked your explanation at the beginning when you said "I'm not sexist".
About your question, I'm a girl, so I can use 私 all the time.
Thank you very much for your hard work.
Watashi & Boku
ore "ore" tsukatteimasu
Men formal: watashi
informal: boku, ore
women formal: watashi
informal: uchi. atashi
I am making a comeback to my plan of visiting koshigaya Japan to pay my last respect a family friend who died 1994, I have been fighting with this decision for years so I am ready now, sore boku janai I prefer boku , a rigato Yuta Aoki
My answer: As a guy I'd use boku in informal situations and watashi in formal ones (keigo).
By the way, how can I ask "Is that me?" without keigo?
Thanks!
I use "ware".
I'm currently learning Japanese at university, but I'm doing this as well as a way to supplement my learning and so that I can continue on with it later. As a girl I would use watashi in most situations. Thanks for the lessons!
Watashi!! but why not atashi with friends.. Thanks!
Isn't there a way to say "I" in a gender-neutral way?
I would use "watashi" in formal situations and "ore" in informal or casual ones.
When I was in Japan I think my friends would use boku in formal situations and ore in casual situations, is that a common thing?
Hi Yuta!
Thank you so much for that lesson and I. I did not know that there were so many different ways to say "I".
But per your question Kama I as a female would most likely use Watashi all the time. But as you asked which one in a formal situation of course watashi.
I love to say "Ore-sama" , 'cause it sounds great to me , but actually , i prefer to say "Boku" which sounds the best for me
It won't let me watch the video ):
I think i would use Boku almost all the time, it feels like the best way to make friends ;p
I would use watashi for formal and boku for keigo but as a guy can I use watashi for both?
Thank you for the video!
I personally would use Watashi in both formal and informal situations. I was already familiar with some of these versions of "I" but Uchi is a new one.
Do a lot of your videos use both Keigo and informal examples?
mmm, ore sound like fun to me hahaha, but I prefere "BOKU" it short and simple, and can be disguise as keigo easly, so 僕 is to me!!
I would use watashi because I'm a girl so I think that would be best for me.
The Video won't load neither in my phone nor my pc
i would use watashi. it comes more naturally to me and i am a woman, so its perfect i guess.
Um I do have a question
In the video, you used "じゃない です" for formal situations
I thought "じゃない" was an informal way and that "では ありません" was used for formal situations.
Does that mean I could also use "じゃない です" instead of "では ありません"? Which is better to use?
I think it's not super-duper formal, but it's okay in many situations. (At least that was my feeling, but it's been a few years since I was in Japan…) So if you just talk to someone, you don't know that well and use regular masu/desu forms, I think じゃない です is completely fine.
If you talk to a superior I guess you might want to take it up a notch though?
But that was just my feeling and I'm not a native, so keep that in mind. (I usually would wait for a native to answer, but I feel like there are so many comments on this video already that your question might get lost :S)
I'm female and I mostly use わたし 🙂 In informal situations I sometimes use あたし, but I heard it's a bit cutesy, so I try not to use it so often. But sometimes I just feel like switching it up 😛
i'd use watashi because i've been learning japanese in school so it makes more sense to me to use watashi, but it will be handy to recognise the different types of ways of saying I.
i am female so for formal i would use watashi and even for informal
I think I would use watashi most of the time since I am a male so that its polite however way I say it…
From the video and thinking about the type of person that I am then "Boku" is what I would use for both formal and informal situations
Thanks Yuta !
I'd use Boku for both, I think.
I would use boku in informal talk and watashi in formal talk. Thanks for good explained lesson.
I am a female and I would most likely use 'watashi' in both formal and informal situations
Hi,
I studied Japanese for a while in college, and went to Japan a couple of years ago, but I've lapsed due to not having much time because of work and so on. But now I'll be going there again this autumn by myself so I need to sharpen my Japanese language skills. So far, your videos are the best I've come across for hearing how typical Japanese people speak, as opposed to, say, newscasters or tv shows, or the somewhat ridiculous textbook speech that nobody uses.
Keep up the great work!
Oh, I forgot: I always used 俺 because the way I understood it at the time was that it's the form that you use if you're a man.
Thanks for the detailed clear explanation. I'm a man so I should use 私 for formal/keigo and 僕 for informal/non-keigo.
So I think I will stick with Watashi (私). Also, do you ever use a website called jisho.org? I hear it is a pretty good resource for finding words/characters using all sorts of methods. 😀
Hi, I'm male.
I would use Watashi for formal and Boku for informal situations.
Thanks.
What happens if I use Ore as a woman?
I will use watashi ^^
Thank you Yata. I will probably just use watashi all the time. However I do have one question, can girls say boku as well? I'm pretty saw I've seen anime girls do that so I thought girls could but then you didn't bring up boku for females so I wasn't as sure… Please tell me if we can or not.
I am a lady so I will use watashi. I love the way it sounds. 🙂 Thank you for the lesson.
I'd probably use "watashi" in both instances (I am female). I could see myself being careless and slurring my words so it might come out sounding more like "atashi" once in awhile in non keigo situations, but intentionally I can't really imagine myself saying "atashi" or "uchi". @^@;
Basically beginning my foray into the Japanese language with this video. Very excited to learn and very grateful for the lesson.
Also forgot to mention I will use boku for both formal and informal. XD
I would probably use ore when im with my friends and use boku when im talking with my elders or in a formal situation.
Thank you for this lesson. I think i will use Watashi for Formal and Atashi for informal.
Really glad I'm a girl and can use Watashi in both formal and informal situations. I will stick to just using Watashi to lessen the chance of picking the wrong 'I' even if the person I was speaking too understand it was a mistake I know I would still feel very embarrassed once I realized I was too informal for the situation.
Boku I will use Boku
I got tought that you should really use watashi at work, at least for the first time being there or if you applied and e.g. have a job interview, but once you know people I guess I'd use boku. As you said ore kinda has this gangster imaga in movies/anime. In One Punch Man the fat moster is using watashi to refer to himself btw. I was really wondering if he is a really really polite monster 😀
Thank you for the lesson. I will use watashi for formal and boku for casual.
I'd use 'boku' since it sounds less of a hassle.
I would use "boku" in both situations a's it is easier to remember
'Ore' seems easier to pronounce. In what kind of informal situations would 'ore' be considered offensive?
I'll be using Watashi in both situations. Thank you Yuta.
My gaol is to learn to speak Japanese properly so i would use both Boku and Watashi in the situation suited for them.
Thanks for the lesson!
I would use "watashi" for formal and"atashi" with my friends.
I am glad I subscribed for these lessons
I would use watashi formally and with friends since I am a women
I would love to know what type of person would use uchi and atashi
Are these versions for certain age groups
Are there certain things about ones personality that can shine through by choosing a certain one?
I would use watashi in any situation. Just to keep it simple.
Hey, I would use watashi in both situations or I might use atashi in informal situations 🙂
I've heard that words like I, you, him ect aren't used that often in Japanese, is that true?
And what is the difference between watashi and atashi?
I'm a gangster, so I'll use "Ore."
If we could like comments on here, I so would be liking this one. lol.
Thanks for the lessons, I would like to use both watashi and boku in formal and informal conversations. But I have a question regarding JIBUN – I by watching anime have seen subtitles showing Jibun as myself. Does it vary…
Boku for me
I would use ぼく cause its more simple, but I guess 私 is more easier to remember…
I'll use 僕 since I'm a guy.
I would mostly use watashi
I than it is watashi
Thanks for the lesson! I never knew how to differentiate boku and ore. 私は女の人だから、いつも「私」使います!
Hi Yuta,
Thanks a lot for the lesson. It is a great help. I probably will use watashi all the time since I'm a girl.
Isn't うち written as 内 ?
Thank you so much for this Yuta-san! This was very helpful~~ I'd go with "Watashi" at all times! 🙂
I think I would use Boku.
gracias sensei
In a formal conversation, as a male I would use Watashi. In an informal conversation I would use Boku.
Thank you. Now I understand that there are different words meaning "I" to use depending on the formality of the situation. Apart from the differences in formality, what are the differences in meaning, or the origins of the words?
I wouldn't want to use watashi too much as it makes it seem as though im trying too hard i think boku is a better choice for blending in
Watashi
I think I will use boku and watashi
would most likely use watashi in both formal and informal ways, or at least I would like to.
I'd most likely use boku.
I am a man, so I think in VERY formal situations like a job interview or a meeting or something of that nature I would use watashi wa but in slightly more relaxed situations among people I do not necessarily know, I would use boku. With people I know I would use ore. I think that is a good balance, Yuta-Sensei. 🙂
I would use watashi all the time even with my children.
Manners rule no. 1
Hello. I`ve always thought watashi is the way say “I´´ but I´m very beginner only learned japanese from anime and songs. I think I would use most of the boku now that you learned it me some more but then again I´m a waiter, so I would use watashi in that situation (if I have a chance one day) arigato
Watashi most of the time, uchi with very close friends – it sounds super cute but I don't know if I'd be taken seriously if I used it around people who don't know me very, very well.
Thank you !
I would use watashi in any kind of situation. I feel more comfortable with it 😛
I had only learned about boku and watashi before this. Since I am a guy, I'll likely default to boku most of the time unless I'm trying to really be formal
I'd use watashi in formal situations, but I don't know whether I'd use atashi or uchi, cause I am 13 years old…
Ok, for starter like me would i use boku or watashi when i'm talking to a stranger and what do i use when talking to my friends?
ah i got caught out on that "uchi" , my friends were talking, and i thought they said "ichigo" but it was i think "uchi ga" – i tried to repeat it and got so confused i basically renamed myself strawberry for the rest of my stay in japan -.-"
Watashi & boku 🙂 I'd probably mix it up and use either every now and then despite the situtation, just because I'm not a fan of clean cut repetition.
Kinda basic and fast, but it is for beginners and there are things I didn't know anyway so thanks! Clears up well the general guideline of who uses which and why, and at least I won't be using atashi etc now :'D
Interesting experiment.
I do probably use 'boku' because it's easier to my to pronounce this word then 'watashi', and it's fill my more comfortable that 'watashi'
Me personally I think I would use 'Boku' as well, to me it sounds the best! (I am a guy)
i would use "watashi" or "soregashi" lol
I think I want to use mostly 俺 in informal situations because it flows better for me when I speak.
I use 「私」 for most of my formal and informal sentences, though I like to use 「あたし」 and sometimes 「うち」 with people I'm close with despite being male, it's mostly because i'm bi-gender and they are comfortable with it～ ^^
I would use watashi わたし「私」to start with as I'm learning, but when I'm more comfortable I was choose boku ぼく 「僕」im still trying to understand kanji.
I would use Watashi in formal and boku in non formal, so I can practice the different ways of saying the same things depending on context and force myself to learn them (As your examples)
I use 私 regardless in any situation. あたし doesn't sound natural to me. I've often heard it used from girls in Japan but I feel like they use it to sound cute/girly in a way. No offense to them at all.
I was always taught to use Watashi but after seeing this I'd probably use either watashi or boku. Previous teacher used to say that boku sounds cocky but it honestly sounds like it's just a more casual way of saying it instead.
Out of curiosity, can you use boku with the no particle? For example 僕のかばん for 'my bag'?
My family is learning Japanese together. My husband is a big, tall guy so he uses おれ, my son uses ぼく, my daughter is cute and small for her age so she uses あたし, and I use わたし. At least it is good practice for us to hear all the different ways of saying I.
That's so cute! Love it!
Ok, so I would use わたし in both formal and informal situations. I've been taught that あたし is used mostly by little girls and women who either are or want to be seen as delicate, fragile or something like that. Is that true?
I really like how おれ is pronounced, so whenever i can I'm going to use it, else i would use 僕. I don't really like 私, even if i was taught to always use it.
So Boku and Ore are obviously for guys and atashi and uchi are for girls.
But what would actually happen if a guy refered to themselves as atashi, uchi or their own name in third person or what would happen if a girl refered to themselves as boku or ore?
It would seem weird, sure, but would it be rude?
Would people bully them?
Would people accept it?
Would people think that you're bothersome since you're not conforming to the norm?
Thank you that was interresting ! I use 私 all time, but sometimes with friends I say あたし
I would of course use watashi for fromal conversations while Boku would be a safe bet for everything informal until I memorize it completely and get used to it, afterwards I can add ore as well.
I think Watashi for formal situations and Ore for informal situation would be best for me to start with due to my personality. Thank you for my first lesson Yuta.
I normally speak with ore but maybe I should change it to boku both formal and informal.
In a work place / formal setting I would use watashi. When making friends or just commonly communicating I would use boku. I think I would not use ore a lot. I would not want the stigma that maybe attached to using it. Domo arigatou gozaimashita. Boku wa anata kara manabu koto ga shiawase.
I'd probably use all, because I'm no fan of gender norms. But, probably"僕"を使う。Because it's more efficient when typing, but if I was a girl I'd probably use boku because I'm one to say "screw gender norms for the sake of efficiency"
I would use Boku like you , as I'm not very formal
I would use Watashi.
Watashi wa Jelle
i forgot to thank you for the lesson.. thank you 😉
In formal conversation I would use 'Watashi'. In informal conversation I would use 'Boku'.
I would feel feel more comfortable being able to differentiate between Informal and Formal.
Since you said that it's also about personality, I wonder if I could use おれ even if I'm a girl… I feel like I would at least. Is that like, too weird? ^^"
I would most likely end up using boku formal and informal as I am pretty laid back.
Also want to thank you, as your lessons are really easy to follow and it instantly sticked with me.
arigatou gozaimasu.
Since I'm a woman, I'll use watashi for keigo and non-keigo.
I'm a male so I use "watashi" when introducing myself, and "boku" to ask a question about my self for other opinions or whatever if that makes any sense
I'd probably use Wastashi all the time, since I'm female and it's easier to remember one word then several. Even though Atashi and uchi sound very cute cx
Very good lesson,
thank you Yuta
As a female I would mostly use "Watashi". "Uchi" for when I'm with close friends right
Uchi sounds nice, so I would use it with my friends, Atashi with my family and Watashi with strangers XD.
I would use boku for informal and try to use watashi for formal as much as I can.
For me being a Female I would use ''watashi'' in both formal and informal situations.
I'd rather use boku
I recall "Atashi" was usually used by females or am i wrong?
i can't play the video.
thank for the VDO
normal when i talk with my boss i use watashi
but still my co-worker are watashi as well
I would use boku in all informal sentences and watashi in all formal
I'll use watashi for formal, and boku for informal
I'll say uchi, in what ways do you put uchi in a sentence.
I have been primarily using "ore". It just seemed easier and it seemed like what most adult males used. I was under the impression that using "boku" beyond teen years was unusual. Maybe I'll adjust that.
1. 私は カナダ人 です. (formal)
2. 僕 の 本. (informal)
1. Thus far I've been learning fairly formal Japanese, so I'm sort of used to 「ます」 form and 「です」. Using 「 私」 with 「です」 makes sense. Correct?
2. Is the second sentence o.k. for casual speech? Or should I use 「だ」 to be casual and 「です」 to be formal with 「僕」?
ゆた先生。授業で は ありがとうございました。
I
Yaaay! As a girl I get the easier route! Haha Anyways, I will probably stick to watashi just to make it simpler, but I might start using atashi on occasion, and uchi when talking to / with kids. Buuuut that might seem more weird to them than comfortable, so I might just stick with watashi. Heh. :S
i would like to use watashi as i find it easier for both cases.
I think I would use 私 for strangers, bosses, and elders; and 僕 for friends, coworkers, and younger people.
I will always say 私 I speak German as well as English and I always worry about being to casual because I grew up in a hyper casual environment
i would use boku : 僕 in formal/informal situation
As a female I plan to use watashi in both formal and informal situations but thankyou so much for this lesson– it was really useful for me!
Watashi for formal, and boku for informal. 🙂
Wow, I actually thought that watashi and atashi were one and the same, the difference being just a matter of dialect or something. I guess I'll be using watashi as well, and then when I get more comfortable with japanese, I might start usin atashi in informal speech.
Honestly I'd just go with 私 around strangers but around close friends I'd more likely use あたし or 俺 despite being a girl, 俺 is just more fun to say for me.
I will use "watashi"
I would use "watashi" in both formal and informal situations.
I would use Watashi because I am a woman and it is what I am used to
Hello Yuta,
As a female, I would use 'watashi' for both the keigo and non-keigo speech.
Konichowa Yuta,
I will use Wakashi for keigo and Boku for non-keigo.
Like you, I would use boku in both cases
I would use watashi for keigo, and ore for non-keigo.
I would use watashi for both
I would use 私 in a formal or keigo situation, and 僕 in an informal or non-keigo situation.
I'd use 私 in a formal setting, 僕 in an informal one (especially when speaking to a woman), and 俺 if I'm with all male friends.