22 Ways of Saying "You" in Japanese
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- Опубліковано 31 тра 2024
- Learn Japanese with Yuta: bit.ly/3QpAoeV
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00:00:00 Intro
00:00:11 あなた anata
00:01:17 君 kimi
00:01:50 おまえ omae
00:02:27 あんた anta
00:02:53 自分 jibun
00:03:14 僕 boku
00:03:40 てめえ temee
00:04:03 おたく otaku
00:04:57 お兄さん oniisan
00:05:12 お姉さん oneesan
00:05:33 Nothing
00:05:50 Name
00:06:02 お客様 okyaku sama
00:06:23 先輩 senpai
00:06:35 先生 sensei
00:06:59 みなさん minasan
00:07:09 みんな minna
00:07:48 きさま kisama
00:08:14 うぬ unu
00:08:31 おまえさま omae sama
00:08:46 おぬし onushi
00:10:32 なんじ nanji - Розваги
Yuta: There are 22 different ways to say "you" in Japanese.
Me, who is learning Japanese: this... has become a very difficult situation
If anything it reduces down to 3 candidate uses and 3 situational uses
Those being nothing, name, senpai/sensei or oniisan/oneesan
Then you have textbook anata, kimi and omae
@@duckymomo7935 thanks for the tip I really appreciate it but I know already lol. Was just making a meme
難しいです (muzukashii desu) lolll
I just use the person's name or oniisan/oneesan. you can safely ignore the rest
Just avoid altogether and use a persons surname, occupation or title in place of you. And you are safe
Your ability to find examples for your videos is honestly impressive.
Too bad he didn't quote Melaquera for Nanji. He's a big fish in Re:Zero lore.
Man does his research bro
"Here's 22 ways to say you in japanese. Don't use any of them."
I've only been actually learning japanese the past 3 months, and i've learned so far that less is more. It seems like the fewer words you have to use to get a point across is better, simply because you don't have to worry about offending anyone or using improper grammar.
"unu" is used in igbo for "you". igbo is one of the 3 main languages in nigeria. And it being archaic in Japan is really interesting...
Could be Yasuke's influence tbh.
@@danielantony1882 did he come to nigeria after all the japan stuff?
@@MistahShootrES Heck if I knew. It's all in the mist of history.
@@danielantony1882 although Yasuke's exact place of origin is of debate, it was almost certain in East Africa. So hardly any relation to Igbo regions.
while i don't have any confirmation, i am inclined to say that this is complete coincidence. it's a very simple sequence of sounds that are very common cross-linguistically.
I was so proud of being able to understand kimi wa boku ni koi shiteru without subtitles. And it only took 2,5 years of studying japanese...
How often did u study......
@@cat-hx1sh two private one hour long classes per week plus 2/3 hours of homework per week...
Another stark reminder that "for x years" for a normal person is very different from my "for x years"
Planetary oof.
@@greglocker2124 what is your "for x years"?
I use someone's name more than 'you' or 'her/him' in Japanese conversation. It sounds more friendly and nice.😊
You always come up with interesting topic Yuta san!😊
You too, Lemi. I hope you get more subscriber like Yuta. Ganbatte.
I think Yuta missed "sochira" which I hear alot in business related conversations. Sometimes they add the -san too like "sochira-san" personally from the way it sounds I suppose it's to refer to the person opposite from you, as "sochi" is just another way of saying a direction in addition to "acchi"(there) "kocchi"(here) "docchi?"(where?) Which then again is just another way to say "asoko", "koko" and "doko?"
Sure, using "anata" seems a little distant unless you are the wife and talking to your husband, doesn't it? I really do not want to forget my beautiful mother tongue after living in US for 43 years. Really enjoyed this topic of yours. Please keep up the good work.
I needed this video.Thank you so much!
I like that you give small video clip examples of when each "you" form is used. I'm not sure if this is common, but I'm a visual type of learner and such visual examples help understand the context.
edit: This video and your explanations also beautifully highlight how Japanese as a language can never be truly learnt or understood just by trying to learn it from books. There's so many tiny cultural details hidden in the language that books can't really convey the true meaning of each word. The meanings have to be sort of experienced first hand. It kinda feels almost like a very empathic language, one that requires some sort of second sense to feel the people around you, to decide when to use what words. I may be reading too much into it, but that's kinda the vibes that I'm getting after watching half of your video, seeing those examples while hearing your explanations.
WONDERFUL!! Thank you for the video clips for context too!
I got it. There are 22 ways to say "you" in Japanese, but most of them are rude or archaic, so it's better to use nothing at all.
When you think of Japanese societal structure it makes sense that they don' use a generic "you." I see the US culture, that revolted against the UK and as part of that most ideas about nobility. The ability of going up to anyone and asking "Do you "fill in the blank" versus using some form of title is more egalitarian. It shows that you is only more accepted with equal friends in Japan as well as songs as it is difficult to call an unknown subject some form of a title.
That is a lot of way to say you
In my native language, Malay also have polite and impolite way to say "you" and "I/me"
To say "you"
Polite: Kamu, Awak
Impolite: Engkau/Kau
To say "you people"
Polite: Kamu semua
Impolite: Korang
To say "we/us"
Polite: Kami
Impolite: Kitorang
To say "I/me"
Polite: Saya
Impolite: Aku
Its not as many as Japanese, but still its there.
Also the "impolite" can still be used but only with close people such as your friends and colleagues.
We use role words as well.
Mr./Mrs./Ms. = Encik/Puan/Cik
Onii-san/Onee-san = Abang/Akak/Adik
Various honourifics: Datuk [Seri]/Datin [Seri]/Haji/Doktor/Tan Sri/Tun [Sri]/YB/Tengku/Tuanku etc.
Then there's the entire class of archaic "court" words:
Tuan hamba/Adinda/Kanda etc.
By the way, we have words that differentiate between inclusive we (we including you) and exclusive we (us but not you). This is surprisingly not a feature in many of the world's languages:
[Inclusive] we/we all = Kita/Kita semua
[Exclusive] we = Kami
(This comment is me trying to reach parity with the words used in this video)
Thanks a lot for putting the titles of series and animes you used in the videos. People will be interested and watch them perharps.
Great video, Yuta, keep it up!
I imagine that Brazilians in Japan should laugh every time they hear "anta" since here "anta" is used as cursing to say that the person is stupid / dumb.
Very interesting Yuta!
The use of oniisan /oneesan for strangers is similar to Filipino where they say "kuya" and "ate" for strangers. I think kuya is literally brother, but they also say it for male strangers. Ate is sister, but they also say it for female strangers.
"kuya" is more really known as a meaning for big brother but it can also mean brother
and i think i heard "miss"/"ma'am" more than "ate" in real life situations when a man is talking to a woman
because "ate" is semi-casual
since "ading" is more used for younger kids
"ate" or "kuya" is more used for somebody older than you
but
the words can mean differently depending on whom your talking to.
Persona fans should love Nanji.
我は なんじ - Ware wa nanji - I art thou. Nanji.
It has two Kanji too apparently - 汝 which is more commonly read asうぬ
and 爾 which is also おれ but maybe less commonly?!
So even if you're reading the Kanji for some of these pronouns, good luck knowing which one is intended! 😅
Interesting. I recently played a game where a character used "otaku" to address others, and I was curious as to the significance. Thank you for explaining. :)
Also, speaking of pronouns, another interesting one I've heard is "atakushi". Far as I understand, "watakushi" is a more polite version of "watashi", but what about "atakushi"?
Is "atakushi" to "atashi" as "watakushi" is to "watashi"? 🤔
I'm pretty sure that's the case
あたくしis the female equivalent.
1:45🤣 Great choice of song. You just reminded me of that sick chorus joke.
helpful content, cute hoodie.
3:20 We kinda do that in English I think when we are being sarcastic and condescending. When we refer to others as "i".
You forgot そなた, Yuuta.
I've been using Japanese lyrics to learn words and kanji and 君 (kimi) is used often!!! Thanks for the heads up - lyrics only! Sometimes if the kanji isn't used it is spelled in katakana キミ which confuses me so much! Thanks for all this information!
Oh, Ryuusei no Kizuna was one of my favorite Japanese series when I was at university... 懐かしいなあ
I'm mildly entertained that this was one of Gaijin Goomba's prime examples on 'why bad language tools help people get started with a language', then 2-3 days later this comes out specifically addressing it.
I appreciate the rundown, though
ty i was trying to find this info lol
I actually heard a lot of people/characters use “omaera”. For example Whitebeard from One Piece
the fact that you use Onii-san or Onee-san to be kind of "normal" to ask something has been a mystery to me for ages, because I rarely see the other ones used except "anata". I figured out how the other "you" are used from context, but I never understood why you would use "older brother or sister" to refer to complete strangers because it sounded too informal and too personal as we only use this to refer to our actual family members
Probably because it's both somewhat casual while being somewhat respectful as you are addressing others as if they are older than you.
Maybe because in Asian cultures, clanship is a vestige feature of the culture
We call guys older brothers or uncles and older sisters and aunties
Back then it takes a whole village to raise family of course family had primary duties but chief elders provided like wisdom teachings
Maybe it's an Asian thing, in Indonesian and Javanese language it is considered impolite if you call a person older than you without additional word like big brother/big sister before their name. In West maybe this only applies if the age difference is big (Mr, Mrs, aunt, uncle) but here even if the age difference only 3-4 years you need to use big brother/big sister when talking to them
@@neohybridkai Yeah it's most likely an asian thing cos it's the same thing in Filipino where we would refer to strangers especially to those who are older as "big brother/big sister" or any other honorifics. Calling to someone's name is only reserved to those we're close to or people we know well
Personally, I call strangers bro and dude, so to me it doesn’t seem weird to call strangers brother or sister
I learned about お前 because daki from demon slayer says it a lot, mainly when she’s talking down to tanjiro and the others
I came here just to learn something but got also an extra in form or Monogatari Easter egg.
Nice
You left out my favorite: そこもと
I'm surprised you didn't pop out Asuka's classic "Anta baka?" as an example for anta
Also I think when the prefix 御 is used, it implies you because you wouldn't use such a prefix for oneself.
Thought I'd heard and read about every possible way of saying "you" in Japanese, but "unu" was completely new to me (knew all the others though).
Dang I'm early to a yuta video 😎
This reminds me of the song "How to tell when a Japanese girl LOVES you", which is a duet I sang with a translator
would be great if you could also make a video about ways to say I/me/myself
I think words like anata appear a lot in Japanese learning books/lessons because talking directly to a second person is an everyday phenomenon in all languages in all human interactions so you need to express "you" in Japanese learning books for teaching purposes. Also, it helps familiarise your mind with personal pronouns.
I am a native Spanish-speaker and when English learners speak Spanish they use personal pronouns all the time, however, in Spanish we omit them all the time because in Spanish verbs are all conjugated according to person, we know who does the action simply by the conjugation of the verb so saying the personal pronouns sounds redundant and unnecessary, but we accept it when English learners use them all the time because they are learning, they need to familiarise with our personal pronouns and it is not a grammatical crime anyway. As they keep learning they will learn to drop them naturally.
Ohh, like how saying "Yo tengo" is redundant because "Tengo" is the first person of "Tiene"
I'm a native English speaker, but I have some exposure to Spanish from living in San Antonio
@@blokvader8283The base form of the verb is "tener"; "tiene" is the third person singular: "ella tiene, él tiene." But yes, in a normal conversation, we always drop these pronouns, unless we want to be very specific.
@Diego Chopin Ohhh, my bad, I'm sorry it's been so long since I actually took Spanish I don't remember much of it lol
I could understand for emphasis if you want to make sure someone knows " *I* said"
But I don't use "you" or "your" in Japanese 5 times in a week. The only time I used it recently was when I was angry with my daughter the day before yesterday. "They are your clothes, aren't they? Put them away!"
i think 自分 might be just "self"
I’ve gotten the same impression but I’m not exactly super knowledgeable
That is correct but what he said is also correct. You can use it like a pronoun. Some people even use it as their first person pronoun although not super common. I don't recommend taking an English definition of a Japanese word as an absolute.
In my experience (not a lot), rather than say "you", Japanese people tend to use names. I kinda like that, because it's more personal and doesn't come across as rude.
I also find it interesting that people simply refer to each other by titles, like brother, sister, mum, etc. Or simply okyaku-sama, which is basically "valued customer".
And like Yuta said, these are both often used in English too. It's rude to say "hey, YOU!" in English, just as it's rude to say it in Japanese. So in that regard, it's not that complicated. And we definitely refer to each other by name, obviously, and if we don't know their name we might call people by job titles, or something similar.
I also find it interesting how characters in TV and anime can use different ways to say different things because their character allows that, and it's appropriate for them to do so. I guess that's obvious, though, haha.
For me personally, with my limited knowledge, my biggest fears are accidentally coming across as rude or using the wrong words in the wrong situation. So in those cases, I'd REALLY like to be corrected, so I can learn not to say it, or what the person I'm talking to would prefer.
I think the best example for this video would be sengoku basara, I think all characters combined uses almost every single variation of "you" and "I" in Japanese due to their extreme personalities
nice hanekawa quote :D
諸君 is also one I've heard
Give me the furigana
Ooo i know it... しょくん isn't it??
2:25 That reference though
He often says that
So many options and yet the most common one is to not use one at all.
Great series of how anime characters speak Japanese. Please do Itsuki Nakano from the quintessential quintuplets or any or all the 7 main characters in TQQ. how they speak Japanese I believe is very important to understanding the plot eg the honorifics, the lost in translation stuff (eg when they say things like tsurui, hatsukoi, uso, etc that are removed from the dub). I compiled a lot of the lost in translation stuff in r/gotoubun
Something to consider about Itsuki:
The Quintessential Quintuplets' character types are:
Ichika - Onee-san / ara ara,
Nino - tsundere,
miku - kuudere / dandere,
Yotsuba - genki
Itsuki - ??
- Tsundere like Nino?
- Eat-suki?
- Imouto?
- Someone who speaks keigo to their siblings, to Fuutarou and to Raiha and to everyone basically?
I have a theory as to what Itsuki's type is, but you're not gonna like it...
Lots of the examples were actually funny
Secretly hoping Yuta makes a video talking about Yano's rapping from OddTaxi
Don't know what the whole video would be about I just think it's neat
Such amazing clips! This must have taken a long time! But just what was the context of 05:03!? 🤣
It is quite interesting that in arabic you is 'inta' or 'inti' for female
And 'amam' in arabic means 'in front', that it's little bit similar to 'o/mae' too
omaesamara sounds oddly great
Hello there yuta
I just subscribed to ur email lessons and for some reason the 2nd video doesn’t open in the first
3-vid lesson.
Wonder is anyone els have the same problem and if there’s a way to fix it.thx
I have a question about the proper way to say ( thank you ) in Japanese
I watched the anime ( monster) and in an episode, the detective who was chasing the protagonist met with the Japanese ambassador and socialized with Japanese people in order to get a better understanding of his target’s mentality& way of thinking , he used the word ( domo ) instead of ( arigato) when he was thanking someone, is domo more polite & formal than arigato ?
I rarely hear just どうも. If I do it is a more gruff or casual thank you (like thanks) in fiction. In general, if the intent is to say thank you, it makes the most sense to say the more 'standard' version, which is ありがとう. It is also, by far, the most common version I hear.
@@Ensorcle That s
Doesn't seem true in Anime. Doumo is used in more ways than just casual thanks.
I'm sad "Omae wa mou shindeiru" wasn't used as an example
Yeah, that's gotta be the most famous usage in pop culture, right? And illustrates how it can be used in a rude and impersonal way.
Hi, I like the examples you used in this video.
(The different programs).
I am having trouble finding anything to watch in Japanese. Movies and such.
Can you possibly let me know where I can watch movies and different programs , so I can learn to listen to Spoken Japanese.
I’m not looking for pod cast’s , but movies. Etc. Thank you so much.
Kim NY
Can you do one for "I" next? I still have trouble choosing between watashi/boku/ore/jibun...
I don't know which gender you are, but if you feminine, then you shouldn't use ore, with boku I'm not so sure
@@KiaraKitsune watashi
If you’re a girl
Watashi or atashi
If you’re a boy
Watashi, boku or ore
wow ... "anta" threw me off .... it's exactly like the Arabic "you" (أَنْتَ) - this is beside "anata" (but I just new about "anta" right now)
05:14 I've noticed this while playing Yakuza, I just wasn't sure if it was a similar sounding word or the exact same word.
I saw Megumin, I immidiately liked the video :D
Anata - formal for both genders (casual for girls)
Kimi - casual for both genders (mostly boys)
Omae - casual for both genders
Anta - casual for girls
Temee - never heard of it but I think its casual for boys
Kisama - casual for both genders (I think)
Anyone know where I can watch the older seasons of terrace house?
Yuta we need the best Japanese films of the 80s and 90s by actual Japanese people please.
The only time I've heard "jibun" was in Dragon Ball Z. I remember Vegeta used it. At least, he used it a few times in the Buu saga.
I’m not gonna lie, “Nanji” sounds pretty cool 🤣
Indigo La End used the word anata in a song. That's how I know it
2:25 is this a Bakemonogatari reference ?!
我は汝、汝は我
My first thought when Yuta mentioned 汝.
@@inendlesspain4724 exxxactly
"Hey, I created this cool language called Japanese. It has 2 syllabaries and also logographic characters and 70 percent of its words shouldn't be used because they're rude."
Does anyone know what song that is at 1:45
One Piece watcher :
YAROOO DOMO! SUPAAATSU! (You Guys! Let's Go!)
And in the episode when Hancock call Luffy with "Sonata"
The old lady I was renting a parking space from once addressed me as ‘otakusama’. I’d never heard that before, so it took me a second to release she wasn’t calling me out for being a geek
Anta in Arabic also means You. Fun coincidence?
Can you also use obaasan and ojiisan when you want to address elderly strangers? Or is this just when you talk about elderly people nearby with your friends?
kimi always reminds me of kimi ni todoke.
What’s the difference in using "ra" and "tachi?"Like, when and where do I know when to use it?
Most of the ones you might actually say will use tachi. Just watch a few thousands hours of Japanese and you'll get a better idea.
I'm not a language teacher but, 'ra' sounds more blunt and is usually used with words that are rude/could be rude, like 'kisamara' (Kisama is very rude and you don't use it in real life. Also, 'kisamatachi' sounds wrong.), 'omaera' (Omae can be rude or not rude depending on who you are talking to, so both 'omaera' and 'omaetachi' sounds correct.), 'antara' (This is the same as omae, can be rude or not rude.) Not that 'ra' itself is a rude word or anything though.
I feel like in normal conversations, you'll mostly use 'tachi' like, 'anatatachi', 'kimitachi', 'watashitachi' etc.
Was that Takeshi Kitano saying kisama?
Now for the 24 ways to say hello
My school gave us a list of words to learn like Anata. After we learned them, we were told to never use them.
Do i use oniisan and oneesan towards someone younger than me too then? Not kids, but they’re young adults that may be a few years younger.
I was confused until I realized you meant boku was a regionalism for you. I've always seen boku wa used for first person statements. Boku wa moto pioneer or Boku wa doctor.
please give us another song video but this time on うる星やつら「アイワナムチュウ」
You forgot one: Oira! xP
But nice video, Yuta-sensei!
Oira is I
In one of the Ghost in the Shell animes, it showed a bunch of terrorists/tough guys discussing an impromptu gig, they all used "kisama" with each other. I just assumed it was just a macho way of talking with fellow rough guys they've only just met.
Hey bro can you tell me that in Japan do you have traditional therapist..
I am thankful and enjoyed this explanation. I do have a question left about this tho: when I watch Re:Zero lady Crusch addresses Subaru as "kei", or something. How about this pronoun?
To be fair, if "you" means to address someone without using their name then English also has more than strictly "you".
You
Too Formal: [Name]sama（[名前]さま）
Formal: [Name]san（[名前]さん）
Casual: Anata（あなた）
Too casual: Anta（あんた）、Omae（おまえ）
Inappropriate: Temee（てめえ）、Omee（おめえ）
Everybody
Formal: Minasama（皆様or みなさま）
Casual: Minasan（皆さんor みなさん）
Too Casual: Minna（みんな）
This is for the spoken word.
When used in written language, it is better to use one higher expression.
おまえ is my favorite "you" out of all of them.
Dogen-inspired?
If you ever have to explain なんじ again, maybe persona 5 would be a good example? All I understood until now that it was some very old Japanese that followed. 「我は汝、汝は我。汝、ここに新たな契りを得たり」
I wish with temee you showed a clip of Jotaro
There is a character in Tales of Xillia named Alvin who uses the 'otaku' 2nd person pronoun
Thanks Yuta for another interesting topic.
I have one question that you didn't mention. Some wives (especially in anime) address their husbands with *name* and san, for example they say Futaro-san instead of just Futaro. Correct me if i'm wrong, but didn't you say that you don't use keigo with family members (older or otherwise)?
I don't think honorifics are exclusively a part of Keigo though, I believe they're used universally by most people
-san is a neutral respect honorific. It is in no way as formal as you think. That is why Mr. and Ms. Are not a good translation for it.
Kisama!
From what I've learned so far, "anata" is ok to use to address a stranger when you don't know their name and you can use the word when asking for their name. Then, from that point on, you can refer to them by their name. Is this incorrect, though? I just wanted to make sure of that.
Yeah, Japanese people barely say "you". One time it happened was when I was sending a tweet to someone on Twitter. I said to him おはよう、うり君！元気？("ohayou, uri-kun. Genki?", Good morning, Uri. How are you?) He said 元気！あなたは？("genki! Anata wa?", I'm fine! And you?) I'm not sure if that's considered rude in that context because I'm not Japanese myself, and I don't consider "you" to be rude. I almost never say "you" for the sake of being respectful and friendly to others, to address others I usually use names like 田中さんはカッコいいです("Tanaka-san wa kakkoii desu", Mr. Tanaka is cool!)
After knowing there are 22 ways, we go with skipping you in sentence
waht kind of camera using this vid?