Thousands of ways to say "you" in Japanese.

I think many here know that there are more than 100 ways to say "I" in Japanese. But many do not know that there are many ways to say "You" as well.

The pronouns in japonês are not standardized, many do not use the word "you" to refer to another person. They prefer to say the person's name, or some other respectful way. Thus, there are thousands of ways to say you in japanese that we will see in this article.

You in Formal Japanese

Below are the main ways to say you in Japanese in a casual way:

• あなた - anata: The most common and polite way to say you;
• sochira - A polite way of saying "you," adding the 様 (さ ま) to make it more formal;
• 御宅 (おたく) - otaku: Standard polite manner. Its meaning has changed.
• 君 (きみ) - kimi: Used by close people, close friends and couples;

You in Japanese Casual

Below are the main ways to say you in Japanese in a casual way, including slang:

• お前 (おまえ): often used between close male friends. Depending on the person, it can become rude;
• オメェ: Slang for the term "omae".
• あんた: abbreviated version of "あなた". In the east considered an insult, in the west considered normal;
• お前さん (おまえさん): Similar to あんた;
• おまいさん: Variation of お前さん;
• 自分(じぶん): It can mean both you and me. Understand the meaning of jibun;
• わい: Usado em Kyushuu;

Used rudely or with enemies

• てめぇ: Very common in anime and manga;
• 自己 (onore): Usually used by Yakuza in the middle of the battles;
• Dance, sound, dance, sound: All variations in the slang term おのれ.
• 貴様: You used to be polite;
• きさん: Variation of 貴様 used in Kyushuu, but it is not offensive;
• 我 (われ): Used in northern and western Japan, it also means Me;
• わ: The same as 我

You in Professional Situations

The following words are used in relation to someone who is representing one:

• 貴社(きしゃ): empresa
• 御社(おんしゃ): empresa
• 貴店(きてん): loja
• 貴局(ききょく): Broadcasting company, post office, water agency;
• 貴紙(きし): journalistic company
• 貴学(きがく): universidade
• 貴校(きこう): escola
• 貴園(きえん): kindergarten
• 貴サイト(きさいと): site

Position in the company

Within any company (large or small), there are several positions that are used in place of “you”:

• 店長(てんちょう): store manager
• 課長(かちょう): section chief
• 部長(ぶちょう): department chief
• 副社長(ふくしゃちょう): vice-presidente
• 社長(しゃちょう): presidente

When talking to someone from your own company, the honorific -san is not usually added. But if it is someone from another company, it is used.

used in letters

When writing a face to someone, we can use some of the expressions below:

• 貴兄 (きけい): Used for men with equal or higher status than the person;
• 貴姉 (き し): Used by men and women of the same age or older;
• 貴 君 (きくん): Used by men to address men of equal or lower status;

Using listener name

It is very common for a person to call another by their name instead of using the pronoun "você". It is worth noting that there are different ways to address a person by name.

In Japan, when speaking to a stranger or someone without intimacy, we usually call the person by their surname or family name. There are also 尊敬の敬称 that we must use when calling someone by their name.

To understand the different levels and ways of referring to a person by their name, we recommend reading our article titled "Como saber se uma menina japonesa gosta de você".

Other Ways to Say You in Japanese

• 汝 (なんじ): Sometimes considered similar to "you";
• そち, そなた, その方 (そのほう): Used by a person of higher status to a person of lower status;
• 卿 (けい): Monarch uses with their subjects;
• 此方 (こなた): Also means me or he/she;
• 先輩 - Senpai: Used in schools to refer to a veteran. (upper class)
• 後輩 - Kouhai: Used in school to refer to a freshman. (lower class)
• 先生 - Sensei: Used to talk to teachers, masters, authors, doctors, lawyers and others;

People often use words like mother, father, uncle, aunt, grandmother, grandfather to refer to the members of their family, or even to people who are not part of the family. For example: Some young people use 爺さん (じいさん) when talking to an elderly man.

Some refer to people calling her male [男 otoko] or female [女 onna], but this can get a little sexist and rude. I hope you enjoyed the countless ways to say you in Japanese.