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.
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……)
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 )
Nhi
8 years ago
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
Joe
8 years ago
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."
Eriol
8 years ago
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. (https://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 agree. As a beginner, I don't really know much about the language.
Carlos
8 years ago
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.
Brian
8 years ago
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.
Yeltsin
8 years ago
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.
Suzanne
8 years ago
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!
Oscar
8 years ago
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.
Viliam
8 years ago
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。
Maximilian Kruse
8 years ago
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.
ジヤニ
8 years ago
Hi Yuta,
That was really helpful for me ^^ I am so happy that I find you *^*
Júlia
8 years ago
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
Arvy
8 years ago
Thank you for the lesson!
Since the textbooks i've used never explained it in detail, it was very helpful and easy to understand.
Destiny Kuehn
8 years ago
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'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.
https://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. (https://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!