8 Ways to Say "I" in Japanese | First Person Pronouns (Don't just use watashi)

[@brinjpn]

Something that happens a lot in Japanese music is even female signers will use boku ぼく in the lyrics. When I first started learning Japanese I thought it meant it was okay to use it (as a girl) and my Japanese teacher told me I should not use it. 😅 But I really like saying it.

[@NaoNakashima]

I have the impression than tomboy girls tend to use boku more.

[@KoriAnime]

Use whatever you feel comfortable with tbh, there's no rule in the language saying you can't use a different pronoun to refer to yourself with so if you like 'boku' better it's totally fine to use

[@NaoNakashima]

@@KoriAnime Well, then from now on, I will use ware-ware :D

[@にx_シ]

@KurageChama just to make sure, if ware-ware is formal, is ore/watastachi is casual?

[@alexsbarricades8218]

Me too! I always felt 'watashi' doesn't really suit me for some reason so for now I'm using 'boku' (but it might change in the future). For me, I feel like ppl should be able to use whatever first person pronouns they like regardless of their gender

[@Towkeeyoh]

0:00 Intro 0:54 Watashi (ultra noobs) 1:56 Atashi (less noobie, even more casual, young women) 2:28 Uchi (casual, mostly young girls) 3:54 Ore (ultra casual, guys) 6:04 Boku (casual, semi-formal, guys) 8:06 Jibun (casual, semi-formal, gender neutral) 9:10 Watakushi (ultra polite, gender neutral) 10:21 Your own name (casual, mostly young girls to sound cute) - turn on your inner Terry Crews :) Bonus 11:20 Within the family 12:31 Practice Exercise Thanks for the lesson Sayaka!!

[@Star17Platinum17]

I refuse to thank you

[@MR-ub6sq]

This list is in the description field of the video, but maybe not everyone understands how to search for it there :) So thanks for your help.

[@Towkeeyoh]

@@MR-ub6sq thot the time stamp would be helpful for revision 😊

[@Venus-iy4ui]

yes i need a timer so thanks

[@balesshippolova]

@M R I don't see time stamps in the description either. And towkeeyoh probably meant thought(thot)

[@zenmemphis]

This channel is so underrated. This is probably the best, if not one of the best, Japanese language tutorials I've seen. Really good explanations that include cultural background/history associated with the language, plus application. Also, Sayaka-sensei's English is really good and the visuals are helpful and entertaining. Thanks so much, Sayaka-sensei!

[@thomgizziz]

keep it in your pants...

[@reazahmed6982]

I agree!

[@sarahmata6293]

What I really like about Japanese is that it is extremely precise. There's not much space for misunderstandings, which makes life much easier.

[@akbargabbar505]

🙋🌷🔴💞❤

[@L0u8823]

“There’s not much space for misunderstandings” *Accents, pronunciations, and these っ,ー* but yes i see what you’re saying haha

[@Visavislespoir]

It's extremely precise in some areas, like in establishing standings and the tone of conversation, but in many cases, context can be missing in areas which feel might feel odd to foreigners.

[@Zafire063]

The Ni particle is the most confusing thing for me :( It doesn't matter how many times I try to understand it.

[@pechemelba8624]

The language allows super precise conversation yet in business people prefer be super vague. "あれでごまかさる".

[@TheEarthCreature]

Boku's kanji history is kind of funny because in English the word "boy" also originally meant servant and eventually turned to mean "young male" and then eventually turned into a casual way of addressing older guys too, e.g. "the boys are back in town." So it has a very similar history.

[@tsurutom]

Great video. I'll never forget my first time talking (and drinking) with a group of young guys in Japan: first they laughed at me for using 'watashi', so I quickly tried 'boku', which they universally declared was still very weird in that situation. So, within 3 minutes, 'ore' was firmly established. Also, I love that you have to giggle every time at the notion of the 'good boy'.

[@sasha-mq4pq]

Isn't this an excerpt of one scene in kimi no nama e wa?

[@squidaker]

@@sasha-mq4pq She had the same problem because watashi is more normal for women, but boku sounds sort of juvenile. So ore was most appropriate.

[@sankukai7981]

I never had problem using Watashi. Actually my girlfriend quite like it because it sounds calm and confident for a guy. Boku can sound a little bit childish sometimes, and Ore can make you sound quite uneducated.

[@alexmiller389]

In over three years in Japan, I never used "ore", it's just not who I am (or even was). It was mostly "boku", and I guess this would also signal to the "ore" guys what kind of relationship we can or cannot have. Meanwhile, I'm out as trans and female presenting, and of course also older, and I mostly use "watashi".

[@paper2222]

@@alexmiller389 it is not unusual that in your life, you won't ever use a pronoun simply cuz maybe you were never put in a situation where you have to use such pronoun

[@coeeee7]

This is the most thorough Japanese pronouns video I've seen so far! You make it so easy to understand and thus memorize. Culture, history and other explanations really help to grasp the whole meaning! ありがとうございます!

[@the-birbo]

That's funny because a lot of info is left out, so to me it felt like a really surface-level introduction

[@coeeee7]

@@the-birbo I forgot to mention I'm a beginner, I'm learning Japanese on my own for almost a year. This video helped me understand the meaning much more. I believe there are more dephts to it, so if you don't mind - what ist, for example, left out? I would like to know more!

[@Budgness]

@@coeeee7 i have been learning japanese for just over a month and have found this channel very useful. also if you are on pc then how did you type the japanese in this comment.

[@coeeee7]

@@Budgness I was on my phone, but you can install Japanese keyboard on your pc

[@rightwingreactionary]

@@Budgness I have Japanese installed on both the phone and computer. Although I almost never use the phone.

[@ulu4432]

どんなシチュエーションで何を使うのかって、頭では理解していても上手に説明できなかったことがあるので、日本人だけど勉強になりました🌸

[@TheDutchGun]

I'm currently learning Japanese, and I haven't made it past "watashi" yet, of course. This is very helpful. Hopefully I'll learn enough in the next few years so when I finally visit Japan, I can at least talk a bit with natives. Thanks for this great video. Have some kohi on me!

[@NihongoDekita]

Thank you so much!🥹🙌🏼 I’ll have the coffee and make more videos to help people like you!🥰

[@Nolaris3]

This is strangely similar to what we do in my native language (Thai). The first pronoun one might learn in Thai is "chan" (ฉัน), which is in textbooks is a semi-formal form for all genders, but in practice it is mostly used by women. We also sometimes say our own names which can have a cute effect, but in Thai it is a practical way of avoiding honorifics or without sounding rude. Sometimes it is so complicated that certain Thai people literally use the English "I" in casual conversation.

[@Pilkkukatti]

Thank you for this, this cleared a lot of things. When I used to live in Japan I always called myself ”watashi”, I just felt it fitted for me the best. ”Atashi” felt too feminine, I tried it but dropped it soon.. I had one friend who called herself ”uchi” always and I was fascinated by that. The ”uchi” kanji meaning and also referring to yourself was confusing to me but now I know much better, thanks :)

[@drakke125Channel]

uchi is a 'chic' thing picked up by girls who are trendy, namely gyaru/hip girls. Personally I can't stand the culture.

[@leonardchileungman4925]

‘uchi’ refers to ‘home’

[@Pilkkukatti]

@@leonardchileungman4925 Yea I know

[@earlysda]

@@drakke125Channel "uchi" is used commonly in Osaka area among young males and females.

[@QTDila]

Oh yeah sometimes when anime characters talk about home stuff, I sometimes hear “uchi no” which means “my”

[@matthewlaurence3121]

Fascinating: boku = originally meant servant. Boy also meant servant in English in the late medieval to the early modern period (circa.1400-1600), then as a diminutive by elders to younger people of lesser status. Children were called "girls" regardless of sex. The same is true with French.

[@NihongoDekita]

😳😳😳

[@matthewlaurence3121]

@@NihongoDekita That's right! if you were a female servant & I was the son of the master of a Tudor household, you would be a boy & I a girl. As brother & sister or child friends, we'd both be girls.

[@Aurorya]

@@matthewlaurence3121 French girl here, I didn't know servants were called girls 😵‍💫

[@matthewlaurence3121]

@@Aurorya I typed my comment in a hurry. Only half true regarding French: boy "le garcon" meant servant and did....until very recently, and still in french textbooks, mean waiter. I am not sure what "la fille" used to mean. I am yet to master the tongue. If it is anything like madam vs mademoiselle, then maybe. Madam was the address of a woman of superior status regardless of age, including a newborn girl, as opposed to someone married; mademoiselle could mean 'maid' but was generally employed by aristocrats or higher-status individuals to address women & girls beneath them in status. We are talking before Napoleon III.

[@vandagylon2885]

Now all the boys are slaves and the women all children.

[@Macieks300]

Yay! A longer video! Can't wait to see more longer videos with some intermediate level content.

[@NihongoDekita]

Hehe more on the way 😆

[@commentSuperb]

@@NihongoDekita Konnichiwa, Opinion from japanese native speaker is preferable. 10:18 nihongo dekita also speak voiceless u In these links i hear voiceless vowel U (which must be mute). Tell if this is correct to prononce Desoo instead of Des? here i hear desoo(desu)(u is voiceless vowel) from 0:42-0:45 yt link v=bMHgOjJwa98?t=42 and here 0:36-0:41 yt link v=aMG37LK36II?t=36 and here 0:58-1:01 yt link v=aMG37LK36II?t=58 here i hear arigato gozaimasoo(gozaimasu u isvoiceless vowel) from 0:25-0:28 yt link v=aMG37LK36II?t=25 It is diallect or I hear wrong? And second question. Romanizations of Japanese. In Ussr(Polivanov) they are using Kunrei-shiki romanization. Shiis si sound as in sit. j= judo is dzudo honorific chan is tian What romanization is close to japanese for non-english speakers or hardest for english native speakers? can japanese understand words without J or CH or SH sound(with DZ and S sound and ti(tj) sound)? For example Sinbun for newspaper.

[@boomingbob1579]

Can’t wait

[@poplix2704]

@@commentSuperb try to move away from romaji

[@commentSuperb]

@@poplix2704 read hiragana/katakana without J or CH or SH sound. can japanese understand words without J or CH or SH sound(with DZ and S sound and ti(tj) sound)? For example Sinbun(しんぶん) for newspaper. i am not trying to be writing literate.

[@risy95]

Thank you! I figured out from anime that "boku" should be fine in most cases, it's good to know all of these with the extra information you provided. I always find it interesting when people in anime say also "sessha", "ware", "washi", "wagahai", "oira", etc... Even if I don't know the full context, that can already tell a lot about a character.

[@hyukjae44sj]

日本人だけど為になる動画でした！ 自分は話し言葉では「うち」または「私」、書き言葉では「自分」を使ってるなと改めて思いました。

[@alrizo1115]

Lots of words representing "I" that can offend anyone in Japan. In Filipino, We just say Ako for I or ko for me. What's really tricky is where to add "po" in a sentence to make the statement more polite. it's like you can add it after the first word, inbetween pauses or end.

[@NihongoDekita]

Salamat po

[@ShiroishiOfficial]

@@NihongoDekita marunong ka po ba mag salita ng pilipino o gi translate mo lang po?

[@studijasymrov7630]

@@ShiroishiOfficial It is also possible to use some words as in Japanese instead of pronounces in Başqort language, but it sounds like book language. Often we omit the pronounces and don't mention them, because verbs have postfixes, that contain information about speaker, who said something, excluding gender of speaker.

[@kusganngipon6849]

@@NihongoDekita hello,,Galing naman at Ganda pa.

[@senkoshiraga7880]

Yeah, but i grew up not using "po" in my sentences until highschool, because back then I wasnt using tagalog much so I didn't need "po" in my dialect. And yes only a couple of pronouns of saying "you" instead. (My other dialect in Philippines is Chavacano)

[@jinwu9423]

Thanks, Sayaka. I was just asking myself this question while walking home. The timing is just perfect 👌

[@NihongoDekita]

Happy to help!

[@1989ry05uke]

This is a great summary of all the common pronouns! I will just add one thing, which is that I think boku is pronounced differently depending on the situation (at least in Tokyo). As a small child, I pronounced ぼ＼く. The pitch declines from the first to second letter. This is the same when I use it as a second person pronoun to a small kid. As a grown up talking to a more senior person, I pronounce it as ぼ／く, with an ascending pitch. I feel the former pronunciation gives a more "good little boy" impression so I try to tone it down by changing the pitch.

[@likipong745]

あまり考えたことなかったけど、仰るとおり。子供を呼ぶのに ぼ／くは不自然ですね。一方、大人が自称にぼ＼くを使ったとしても自然に感じます。ふしぎ。

[@msv4865]

How does that sound tho? I probably couldnt tell the difference😭

[@lyndapinkess9927]

Thank you so much for explaining this. I only used watashi during my visit in June. (I only learnt a few polite phases) You are so good at putting over the most important points. 🥰🇬🇧

[@SavvySaxy]

Omg you literally radiate happiness! I love watching your videos because not only do I learn but they're also funny and good energy :)

[@xylitol-master5338]

めちゃくちゃ分かりやし〜！英語も日本語も堪能なのすげぇ。なかなかこういう事を細かく教えてくれる人はいないから良いvideoですね！

[@weisswald]

For someone who has only I "Я" (ya) in his language, it's really mindblowing to see so many different options and its very different meanings and spirits in Japanese. Just woah. I wouldn't mind to learn Japanese, but it's a bit scary to realise what a huge and deep unknown ocean it is :)

[@pseudotatsuya]

In fact, there are more ”I” in Japanese.

[@Six_slotted]

spoken japanese really isnt that bad. piss easy pronounciation, even easier than spanish. grammar is middling. its written japanese that is really the difficult one to learn

[@vgamedude12]

@kenbarron sounds perfect for me I feel like I have an easier time with reading and writing than speaking typically. (At least with my limited Mandarin experience)

[@ThW5]

Yes, all the pronouns and respect things seem sort of getting in the way of of the "See spot run, Ave ave Marcia dixit, Hello world..." stuff you normally start with.

[@earlysda]

@@Six_slotted slotted, not so fast. While it is true that most Japanese pronounciation is easy, the elongating of vowels or not sometimes can lead to big problems. For example: "kyoka" and "kyohka" are entirely different.

[@jambob169]

Great to see a longer video! I learned a lot. It feels like it will be tough to keep track of how I should talk depending on who I am talking to, but in reality we do the same in English too - I talk differently to my boss, my colleagues, my girlfriends parents, my friends... It seems daunting but I think after learning the vocabulary, knowing when to use it will be the simpler part.

[@stemcell-chan]

日本人だけど一人称の歴史は知らなかったからなかなか面白かった さやかさん、日本語の複雑な所を上手く英語で説明できるのすごい😳

[@pepsicola7247]

ネイティブな日本語を使ってるんだからさ、わざわざ｢日本人だけど｣って付けなくても良くね？w

[@aventurette]

Ohhh あたか makes so much sense now! I, a young woman, kind of adopted it naturally thinking that it was just a "slang" way for girls my age to pronounce わたし. Like, the way that を is pronounced more "o" than "wo". But now I see, it's actually its own separate pronoun. ありがとう！

[@gaelmasson5690]

We need more of that content ! I've learn so much more in that video than most i've seen these last months. Arigatou Sayaka !!!

[@xolang]

Thank you! ın my language, there's several way of saying İ/me/my. all of which are completely gender neutral btw. saya (yes, like your name. 😉) is probably like "watasi" in Japanese. aku is probably the most common way of saying İ/me, although less in formal situations. in the current capital, there's gua/guè, which interestingly comes from Hokkien. it is used in informal situations among friends. and then there's a plethora of other ways: ogud, anè (from Arabic), using your own name.. similar to Japanese, in family we use our position as our pronoun.

[@anemoia5683]

Is it indonesian?

[@xolang]

@@anemoia5683 👏🏾😃

[@clxwdy]

My family is Indonesian but we live in an English-speaking country now. When I was younger (6-8) I always used my own name and then somewhere along the line I realised barely anyone actually does that and started using more common words. I dunno what the point of this story is but hi fellow Indonesian person

[@claudiafinger7700]

I so love how you explain all these subtle nuances (like 'ore'), because they are so important to know. I miss that so often when I learn a foreign language. And it makes so much fun together with you. I wish and hope for many more of these videos. I always wanted to learn Japanese one day (I definitely will do it!), so, maybe you some more tipps how to do it? How to start or which tools to use? 💖 Thank you for your work and hope to see you again! 👋🧡

[@forage_or_die]

As soon as you corrected yourself on how you pronounced "Family," and did it in a silly way, you won me over. I love how much fun you're having 😂

[@CesarAmbiorixSolisGalvanDeLeon]

Is Kaizokuo

[@CesarAmbiorixSolisGalvanDeLeon]

Or Something

[@Bskettes]

You have the best channel for learning Japanese as a beginner. I have learned more from watching a few of your videos than any other resource.

[@MizuBite]

It's very interesting how nuanced first person pronouns are in Japanese :) Personally I always use "watashi" and "atashi" (when speaking I don't even notice which one I'm using) but I like thinking about which pronoun I could use if I were a guy ahahah I struggle a lot more with second person pronouns in Japanese

[@DL-idk]

When unsure, sticking to watashi is probably the safest Edit: this is very interesting. Thanks for the information!

[@Aurorya]

The sole concept of having different ways of saying "I" (and even changing them when you grow up or based on the situation) is very weird to me, but this video is very interresting and well made so thank you 😄

[@lotemylife3006]

you know.... and people say German is difficult 😅🤣🤣

[@DioParker]

For native English speakers learning other languages the U.S. Foreign Service rates languages on five levels: 1 (easiest) to 5 (most difficult). German is rated at Level 2. Japanese is Level 5.

[@lotemylife3006]

@DioParker I'm not surprised. I'm glad I never had to learn German myself xD English was easy to learn 😂😂😂

[@Music_channel-g8m]

As a german I can confirm that the language drives me insane, I hate german more than any other language in the world

[@Fantastika]

@@lotemylife3006 English is the easiest language to learn in the world lol. Id germany is similarly complicated as japanese, maybe not with pronouns

[@Zaqariyah]

English is the easiest language? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣Lol

[@DancingonKnives]

This was so helpful oh my goodness!! I'm homeschooling and self teaching myself Japanese so I'm trying to get all the help I can. I've always wanted to speak Japanese, I love the culture the food the clothing and of course anime lol. So thank you!

[@Maybeahh]

Oh wow, this was super helpful! You are great at teaching. 説明は本当に分かりやすかったです。ありがとうございます！

[@ponyxaviors4491]

This video was great! My friend and I were recently discussing the different personal pronouns in Japanese and I said I thought there were many I didn't know yet. So this video also had perfect timing. And I got all of them correct at the end, yay 🥳 ありがとうございます！

[@earlysda]

Good job, Pony. Also, it's good to keep in mind that most of the time, Japanese don't use any pronouns.

[@TeaSniffer_]

When I was in JP, my teacher told the class "atashi" was just for "loose young women" (rephrased from what she originally said). Such a cool teacher lol. She made a real good effort to teach us more casual Japanese which I used way more often with friends than the strict sentence formations in the genki/nakama books.

[@IchibanOjousama]

You are misremembering. He was talking about "atai", not "atashi"

[@yomamasan]

Sayaka is truly the best. I didn't realize how prepared I was coming to Japan because of her.

[@Christophermdiogo]

I appreciate your lessons very much! I’m excited to keep learning Japanese until I am fluent. ありがとうございます😊

[@E.T.42]

Thanks for that. I was taught to use "watashi" like so many foreigners, but once I learned of the feminine connotations, I wanted to move away from it. I tried "jibun" last time I went to Japan and after your video I'll probably stick with it.

[@skettismyname]

I have very casually been trying to learn Japanese without formal learning and your videos are precisely what I needed

[@KTChu-be7bk]

Thanks for clarifying this. I love it! I remember old Japanese textbooks started with "watakushi", then years later "watashi". I always feel comfortable using "watashi", I never use "ore", and rarely use "boku".

[@Six_slotted]

if you always use watashi you sound like data from startrek

[@solidfox2]

You don't see these kind of youtubers. I love how natural you are and how you allow your small mistakes in the video. You don't just cut them out. I am a noob and have been using watashi, but this video has informed me a lot. Thanks. Also, you are cute. Cute and smart.

[@jimb-yi8zn]

Fantastic presentation and thank you for your time and efforts. Prior to a two year assignment in Japan in the 1970's, my company sponsored a three month "cram" course in the language. I can't say I was very confident and often embarrassed myself speaking, however because of the respect and gracefulness of the Japanese I associated with, they never made me feel awkward. I've relearned more watching you than I did during my three months of preparation for that trip. You inspire confidence and trust in your manner of instructing. Thank you.

[@ylihao]

Never see a Japanese teacher this animated, bubbly and lively 😊 New subscriber and love your videos (and shorts)! I learned some basic Japanese (passed N5) before but your videos give so much more practical details which conventional Japanese lessons don't. Keep it up!

[@alexanderfigueroa3300]

Very informative! I was unaware of the differences using pronouns in Japanese. ありがとう 😊

[@justindcurtisx94]

I call myself 僕 the most because I happen to be a 牧師 (ぼくし). 😂 Thanks for the content. 🙂 Got all 5 at the end by the way. 🙂 やった!

[@NatsuOsugosuHotaru]

Love the longer video format. More please! It took me a long time to become used to the various personal pronouns. My friend, who is a pottery craftsman in Himeji,, uses "Sessha" for a first person pronoun which I understand is VERY old-fashioned

[@BenHarrison-h8y]

Love that history was included.

[@thementozone]

Hope you make more longer videos! This was so helpful. My fiancé is fluent and Japanese, and I am trying to learn before we visit her family!

[@Bones12x2]

Thank you so much! Ive casually studied Japanese on and off for a couple years. I knew all of these terms but this is by far the best video Ive ever scene when it comes to properly explaining the usage and context.

[@CatClan]

Great explanation. This is without going into some odd not commonly used ones like 我 (ware), 儂 (washi) or あたくし (atakushi)

[@dokiooyasan1642]

waga character is pronounce as wo in Chinese mandarin or wa in Hokkien ( dialect) .it's also mean I same as Japanese 😅😅

[@CatClan]

@Doki Ooyasan not surprised since a lot of the characters came from China and they do hold their original meaning. But is always interesting to hear about them

[@yamashisho3716]

我 is a kanji that represents the shape of a saw, and because the pronunciation was the same as the first person in China, this character has been used as a substitute for the first person to this day. In the Japanese kun-yomi, this character is ware in the first person subject, and ware-ware is the plural, that is we. waga means the same as my. Washi is the masculine first person in Hiroshima dialect. Watch the anime Barefoot Gen. However, when including all of Japan's general region, washi is often used by the elderly because it does not feel polite. Atakushi is a more casual expression than watakushi, like saying yeah instead of saying yes.

[@CatClan]

thank you for the explanation. Atakushi, like the others, it has its own nuances. Like is mainly used by women instead of guys. Is surprising all the different ways of saying I in Japanese

[@yamashisho3716]

@@CatClan For ware, the plural forms ware-ware and warera, possessive waga are used in modern, but ware itself is not used except in written language. However, there are also examples of idioms in modern Japanese, such as 我関せず (ware kansezu) = i don't get involved. If we say this in modern Japanese, it will be 私は関わらない or 私は関わりません(watashi wa kakawaranai or watashi wa kakawarimasen) and it will be long, and literary Japanese sounds cooler. Written language that use ware sound short and cool, and are used in military communications and cryptograms. The code for the successful attack on Pearl Harbor is tora tora tora (tiger tiger tiger), which is also the title of the movie, and It is 我奇襲二成功セリ (ware kisuu ni seikou seri) = I succeeded in a surprise attack as a military transmission, and 私は奇襲に成功した (watashi wa kisuu ni seikou shita) in modern colloquial Japanese. By the way, the Japanese title of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kamp is 我が闘争 waga tousou.

[@twins_jiejie]

めちゃくちゃそれぞれのニュアンスや使うのに適切な場面が分かりやすいですし、私も一人称の歴史について学べました！日本語を勉強してるアメリカ人の友達に共有します！

[@Anushka_san-b7b]

Sayaka san your're so relatable i also feels shy using ultra feminine words cuz i am neither feminine nor very masculine.

[@LennethValky19]

Amazing video as always! Easy to understand and direct to the point!

[@moca-jiachan-1124]

とてもわかりやすい！😊

[@QTDila]

What dialect do you use?

[@josephmak0865]

please make more longer videos. you are an excellent teacher

[@miamouse]

😊 I got all 5 right in the quiz! You are a very good teacher! I love learning from you.

[@alden1132]

I watched SpyxFamily recently, and I often noticed Anya always used her name as a first person pronoun. At the time, I assumed it was just a quirky aspect of her personality, like a choice the writers made to make her seem sort of naive & inexperienced in talking to people. Now I understand the use of her name in the place of "I" was actually just a literal translation of the Japanese script and that the translators failed to convey the cultural context of a young child using their first name as a 1st person pronoun. "Anya-Chan!" 😆🤣😂

[@MartinezPlays]

was thinking the same makes more sense but she is also still kind of naive and inexperienced hahaha

[@LegionEagles22]

I’ve been watching it too, it’s very good

[@night_fiend6]

No, Anya speaks Japanese in a bit of an off way. For example she calls Yor "haha" instead of "okousan". Haha is what you use when you are talking about someone else's mother, not your own. It is her personality and being inexperienced talking to people. Also makes her seem more cute. She does use "papa" though, which is more correct.

[@user-yc3fw6vq5n]

But unlike the others, using your own name as a pronoun has the same cultural connotation everywhere because like baby parent names it's based on child use.

[@QTDila]

Anya, WAKU WAKU

[@JesseblueXai]

This was very helpful... I was surprised of a lot of things, bc I learned some of them in different contexts. But I am a total beginner so I ask ppl a lot and use different textbooks and it crazy how different they can be. A native explained to me that boku was more unpolite, the same as ore, and that its used by ppl with high selfesteem, not arrogance but very confident, therefore mostly boys or men and women who are tomboyish, while watashi would be the most neutral and go-to word in every situation just to be on the save side. Also: I would love a video about all the suffixes, there are SO many and in so many different situations you use them differently, would be awesome! Thats a bit confusing now.

[@nicolerodriguez1832]

Loved this video! I love the historic background of the words!教えてくれてありがとう！ can’t wait for more longer videos!❤️

[@dtjp733]

Thank you Sayaka! Really great video and it really helps people like me who are trying to learn how to speak Japanese like a native instead of all those textbook phrases! I have subscribed and really looking forward to more videos on your channel!

[@Allplussomeminus]

Thank you for breaking it down like this. Going into the details of each word makes memorizing it easier.

[@FerShibli]

This was really informative and fun! ありがとう, せんせい!

[@py8554]

And of course don’t forget the most common ‘I’, which is the implicit one, hinted at by the sentence but not spoken out explicitly.

[@yugiohfan7906]

I got all of them correctly. Thanks for these videos. They are really entertaining, fun and they are helping me in learning japanese:)

[@Deadknight67]

Next time I'm ask my pronons by english ppl, I'll say "Ore".

[@FlerfHerder]

This video format is great. Going into this much detailed explanation and being highly indepth about a single common word or phrase is extremely helpful for beginners (like me). Arigatou Gozaimasu😁

[@hongtamnguyen7294]

Vietnamese has a ton of first person pronouns. -Tôi: formal speach -Mình: less formal speech -Tao: talk to closed friends -Tớ/Mình: talk to friends (Northern); Tui (Southern) -Em: talk to your teacher, your older brother or sister (about 1-15 years older than you) -Con: talk to your older generation, your father, mother, grandfather, grandmother,... -Cháu (Northern): talk to uncle, aunt,... -Anh: (for male), Chị (for female) talk to your younger person Otherwise, you can sometimes use the pronoun that others call you. Therefore, sometimes second person pronouns can be used as first person pronouns. (Eg. chú, cô, dì, ông, bà, bác, cha, mẹ,...)

[@Hotspur62]

Very helpful video. I'm learning Japanese and have only used 'watashi' and 'boku'...I'll start using 'ore' now as well 🙂

[@qm4829]

日本語の一人称って面倒ですよね。よく説明できるもんだなぁ

[@verybang]

the way she describes it is that japan uses pronouns with respect to who youre speaking to in relation to who you are. pronouns are applied depending on the situatiin and always takes inti consideration people around you. its as if the meaning of "I" gets equiped with a pronoun. so in japan the words that mean "I" have personality.

[@TheRms1976]

Sayaka san, i have begun studying japanese this year cause i love japanese culture and everything. I recently discovered your channel and i gotta say...i love it! Congratulations...because you have the BEST japanese teaching channel of youtube. Keep it going....wish you the best. Next year i am going to Japan and spend 20 days. Hope i can learn the basic to talk to people there.😃

[@the_one_and_only_edi]

At school, i was taught that girls use watashi and boys use boku, and that that is it. Im so glad i came across this video;you made it so easy to understand!

[@snow2480]

I really like your vids / KZbin shorts, I'm currently studying Japanese Language because I'm going to Japan, and it's really difficult because you have to consider a lot of things (gender, age, relationship, situation, casual/formal etc.) when you're using some words, but this really helps me a lot, I'm also struggling in using particles in Japanese. Hope you continue vids like this. Tysm!!🤗❤️

[@KittenKatja]

1:55 I have a story to share about this one in particular. Back when I didn't understand Japanese at all, only make out certain words I often heard in anime, I often heard atashi instead of watashi. So, I used atashi in my cringe social media profile name, and some people came to me arguing that I did something wrong, that it is not atashi, but watashi. It's been ten plus years, and I can't remember what the arguments were in particular, but I saved it up in my memories, that they demanded me to change it. Now, it came to me as a surprise that I used it correctly, and am happy that I did not change it.

[@ArnabDas]

This is such a good tutorial! Thanks for making it so easy to understand. 👍

[@TuranKara1866]

Hello, I'm Turkish, and as much as I've learnt from this video, among the family members, we refer to ourselves just like the Japanese do. For example, a big sister refers to herself as the big sister, a mother refers to herself as the mother and a big brother refers to himself as the big brother. It's surprising how similar it is to how we refer to ourselves in the family. Also, thank you for the wisdom you've shared with us, Sayaka Sensei! 😄

[@DerrickNinon]

loved your explanation on the history and culture! makes learning more understandable and interesting!

[@游泳猫]

In China 俺 ǎn is used in the northern dialects meaning I. 私 sī means personal or private. 自分 zìfèn is an uncommon way to say oneself. And 僕 pù（now written as 仆）is an ancient way of saying slave or humble servant and an even more ancient way of saying I. I know that 我々 is also used in japanese and 我 comes from chinese wǒ which is the most common way to say I, myself, or we

[@YesterdaysMoose]

Mostly I've (middle age male) tried to avoid referring to myself during conversation for fear of using the wrong pronoun. However, on the rare occasion I did, I went with "watashi". That being said, I feel I would be more comfortable with "boku", but haven't had the courage to use it yet. Very helpful.

[@JohnnyStashh]

i just found your videos yesterday, pls make more! i was bummed out to see few videos like this in your library, i was ready to binge watch them all! Pls stick to these longer videos instead of shorts, you are awesome Sayaka and very kawaii! 😍😍

[@eliyawaters9075]

Thank you! 💖 You are a treasure. Having watched Buddy Daddies and Detective Conan helped a ton in crasping the idea. Kazuki always refers to himself as "papa" when talking to Miri and Miri calls herself "Miri-chan". I have also noticed Ayumi calling herself "Ayumi-chan".

[@graceliao7192]

Thank you for including history and geography to illustrate different first-person pronouns!

[@ledzep5846]

Super video! Tout est clair et détaillé. Merci.

[@smileyface2002]

So informative thank you 🤗

[@TomTheCat2367]

Really informative video, I guess I'll stick with "Sessha" if I ever go to Japan

[@Skater901]

Pronouns I knew before this video: Watashi, atashi, ore, boku, watakushi. I knew Watashi was standard formal, and female casual, and I knew atashi was like, feminine casual. For ore and boku, I thought they were both male pronouns, and boku was for kids, and ore was for men. Watakushi I read about once, I think... I remember reading that it's super formal and only used for political announcements and the like.

[@Skater901]

I did not know Jibun was a pronoun... which makes the opening of Colors by Flow make more sense. :P JIBUN WO~

[@Skater901]

I got 4/5 on the quiz... depending on how you score my answers. :P I said boku for 3, that's wrong. I said boku or watashi for 4, but probably watashi, so maybe half a mark for that one.

[@BenMichelleGreene]

You should totally make a book about learning japanese, i would totally buy it no matter the cost! You obviously know what your talking about, and because japanese is your first language, i think, your always spot on, thank you for all of the tips!😁

[@kuechlgeigerwien5467]

I just started learning Japanes. Only boku and watashi have been introduced so far😅 But I learned that the best pronoun would be no pronoun at all😉. Just omitted it when it’s clear that you are the one who talks. Is that correct from a japanese standpoint? I am looking forward for more videos 😊 you did a great job 👏🏼

[@にゃにー-q4i]

偶然見かけて興味深かったのでコメントします。日本人です。代名詞を言わないのがベストというのは考えた事がなかったです。たしかに明らかに誰・何の事を言っているか分かるならいちいち言わない方が自然な気がします。ただ、省略し過ぎて何のことについて言っているか伝わらないという問題も時々起きたりしますね。そういう場合は聞き返したりします。

[@higracelle]

Thank you so much! As someone learning for JLPT N5 this is so much helpful. Also I heard in a lyrics of a Japanese song "jibun no sutoori" 😸

[@natsubprojects4425]

Very nice coverage! And very useful. What do you do if you're female, but very tomboyish? I had a friend who was Korean, but she was extremely good at Japanese, and often called herself "ore" in spite of being a girl. She came across as very cool, but the fact she chose to use "ore" was always interesting to me. I've also heard stereotype tomboyish girls use "boku". A weird example is in the Japanese dub of My Little Pony, the tomboy Rainbow Dash uses "boku" to refer to herself. If a girl who was boyish started using "uchi" throughout highschool as you described, because it felt less feminine - but then this girl grew out of highschool and was STILL a very boyish/tough type, what would she use? Would she simply fall into "watashi" anyway, because she felt there were no other options? Or would she perhaps choose to keep "uchi", or switch to "boku" among friends?

[@SonnyP2012]

You are my new favorite Japanese teacher. I learn a lot from you. ありがとう

[@eldarius237]

Perfect breakdown! Now I have no doubts about what to use and when!

[@NibiruOnTwitch]

i love your videos a lot cuz they are interesting to listen to and they are super helpful to someone like me whos trying to learn japanese from scratch haha

[@ameliadante2966]

I just realized that Light Yagami in Death Note used 'boku' when he admit to be Kira. I was surprised since that would sound weirded used by murderer. But then I remembered that he believed to be 'the savior' of humanity and that his actions are right. Thank you for your video, I loved it

[@omp199]

Ffs don't just casually drop spoilers for programmes onto pages that don't even have anything to do with those programmes.

[@outoforder4423]

@@omp199i totally get the concern and do agree with your statement. Spoilers shouldn’t be shared in unrelated videos. For this comment though, this isn’t a spoiler as the viewer knows this from episode 1. It’s information hidden from other characters but not the viewer. It’s blatantly and repeatedly shown to the viewer in every episode of the show. (I hope this doesn’t come off as rude or condescending! It isn’t meant to. I just want to be reassuring that this wouldn’t ruin anyone’s viewing experience.)

[@omp199]

@@outoforder4423 The viewer knows that he is Kira in the first episode, but not that he _admits_ to being Kira. My recollection was that he wanted to keep his identity secret. If he actually admitted to it, that would be quite a major turning point. My recollection is admittedly not entirely clear. I started watching it quite some time ago, got through a few episodes, and then put it on hold because I became very busy and have not yet managed to get back to it.

[@ThalonRamacorn]

I usually use 私, because I mostly speak politely, but if I speak casually I usually try to speak in sentences that dont require a pronoun at all. 俺 sounds too casual (not for me, but for others for sure), and 僕 for me sounds like something that you would use if you are too shy to use 俺 but also not formal enough to use 私... so basically I avoid all 3 of them :D Japanese is a language where you can just know you are talking about youself from the context of the sentence... for example if I say 昨日日光に行って、楽しかった I dont need to specify myself because it is obvious that I am talking about myself, not someone else.

[@littlemom2070]

When I took Japanese at American University I was taught to avoid pronouns as much as possible because of the reason you gave about context.

[@earlysda]

Thalon, your point is very well taken, but there are situations where a pronoun to refer to yourself saves a lot of confusion even among Japanese people. I've been in many situations when someone was talking about somebody, and even the Japanese listeners didn't know who they were talking about.

[@Veluz22]

I’m from Mexico learning English and starting Japanese with your channel 😂

[@عمرومحمد-و3ش8ل]

私は日本人が大好きです🤍🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵、私自身も日本語を勉強中です💕🤍🇯🇵