Do you already know the pronouns in Japanese? Do you know how to say "I" in Japanese? Maybe you have seen the words watashi, boku, ore? Which one to use? In this article, we will explore thousands of different ways to refer to yourself (to say I) in Japanese.
In the Japanese language, there are various ways to say "I," and these forms are also used to refer to "me," "us", and "the self", unlike Portuguese, where we have specific words for that. Not to mention keigo, the formality in the Japanese language.
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Watashi and watakushi [私]
The most common and formal way to say I in Japanese is watashi [私]. Many women also use it in informal speeches, which may sound feminine, but the word can be used by both genders in formal conversations.
It can also be eventually written in hiragana [わたし] to give a tone of softness. The character [私] also has the reading of watakushi, another way to refer to I, but in a much more formal manner to be used with bosses or important people.
Women can say "atashi" [あたし] a more formal but delicate and feminine way used mainly by girls between 20 and 40 years old. Other ways to say Atashi are: Atai, Ashi, Asshi, Atai, Ataki, Ate, Atakushi, and others.
Here are the ways to say I, derived from the ideogram [私]:
- I translate "Watakushi" as "I" or "me" in English. [わたくし] - very formal;
- I (feminine) [Atashi] - informal female;
- Washi [わし] - very informal, used by older men;
- I'm sorry, but "Wate" does not provide enough context or information to translate. Please provide a complete string for translation. [Wate] - Popular in the Kansai dialect;
Boku [ぼく] and Ore [俺]- Masculine pronouns
Young boys and children usually use "boku [僕]". This word conveys a sense of casual consideration, being quite humble since its ideogram also means servant (shimobe). That is why children tend to use it.
If you are already an adult, avoid using it may sound a little childish or delicate.
The word boku [僕] is also used to refer to you. This happens when the person being addressed has used the term to refer to themselves, or to refer to someone who is likely to use this pronoun, such as a young boy, being equivalent to Boy.
Another quite popular first-person pronoun is ore [俺], which sounds very informal and rough. It is usually used among friends by men and boys. When used with others, it can come across as authoritative, as if one is ordering someone around.
In anime, names that use the first-person pronoun are delinquents, evil people, yakuza, and others who give off a strong leader vibe. The pronoun ore establishes a sense of masculinity.
Used primarily with colleagues or with younger people or those of lower social status, indicating the status of the speaker. Among close friends or family, its use is seen as a sign of familiarity rather than masculinity or superiority.
Some derived and similar words to Boku and Ore are:
- We [おいら] – Similar to [俺], but more casual. It can give the sense of a redneck;
- Now [おら] – Dialect in Kanto and further north. It gives the sense of a redneck;
Bokukko - Women who wear Boku
Although the word boku is preferred by men, a few rare girls are called bokukko for using the first-person pronoun boku. Usually, a girl who is disconnected from society, from the countryside, or quite masculine.
Even though Japanese speech patterns have become more gender-neutral over the years, this would be considered uncommon in real life; however, it is a common characteristic in Japanese anime and video games.
This speech pattern can also be used to keep a character's gender obscured - is she a boyish girl or a girlish boy? The same can happen with another masculine pronoun ore, where they are called orekko.
Other ways to say I
There are other ways to say I in Japanese, although some are very uncommon or are no longer used.
- Waga [My] - It means "my" or "our". Used in speeches and formalities;
- I (私) - Alternative to waga.
- Home [家] - It means I, or the person herself/himself. Commonly used in the dialects of some regions in Japan;
- Warawa [童] - Used by princesses, an ancient form of watakushi;
- Gusou [ぐそう] - Used by Buddhist Fathers;
- Myself - Means yourself or person itself.
In Japan it is also common to use one's name to refer to oneself. It is mostly used by young children and young women, it can be considered something cute, but sometimes annoying, full of self.
Each region of Japan may have a different way of saying "I" in Japanese. This happens because of the dialects and the multiple readings that a single ideogram can have. The image below shows more ways to say I in Japanese:
Archaic Ways of Saying I in Japanese
Below we will share a list of archaic first person Japanese pronouns. Most archaic pronouns are masculine, only those derived from watakushi and waga are commonly used by both sexes.
Responsive Table: Scroll the table to the side with your finger >>
| Form | Kanji | Grades |
| adakado | 仇家人 | Used as a humble term, literally for a person's home. |
| asshi | あっし | From the Feudal era. |
| chinese | 朕 | Used only by the Emperor, mainly before the Second World War. |
| onore | 己 | It means "himself". |
| sessha | 拙者 | Used by ninjas and samurai during the feudal era. |
| sogashi | 某 | Old form of "watakushi". |
| waga-hai | 我が輩,吾輩 | Literally "my group", but used pompously as I, mine; |
| warawa | 妾 | Old form of "watakushi". |
| yo | 余, 予 | Archaic first-person singular pronoun. |
Transforming pronouns into the plural
First-person pronouns can be transformed into plural by adding a suffix. This way you will be able to say we with the words you learned in this article. The plural of pronouns in Japanese is called fukusuukei [複数形].
Tachi [達] - One of the suffixes used to make a pronoun plural. It can be written in hiragana, it can also be added to names to indicate a person's group of friends. Examples: [俺たち, 僕たち, 私たち].
Thank you. [共] - Denotes some disparagement of the mentioned group, therefore it can be rude. The word is quite humble and can be used, for example, in watakushiExample: [私ども].
Ra [等] - Used mainly with informal pronouns. Its use and way are more didactic. Examples: [お前ら, 俺ら, あいつら].
Cat [方] - Usually used in second and third person pronouns, it is more formal than -ies and -ra. Examples: [あなた方].
We also have the word wagasha [我が社] and hei-sha [弊社] which means us. These words are formal and humble and are used when representing one's own company. hei-sha is considered more humble than wagasha.
Also read our basic article discussing other pronouns by clicking here. I hope you enjoyed this article. If you liked it, please share and leave your comments. Were you expecting the existence of so many first-person pronouns?