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

8 Ways to Say "I" in Japanese | First Person Pronoun (Don't just use watashi)
Watch this video to learn 8 different first person pronouns in Japanese and other pronouns used within family members.
I've seen a lot of Japanese learners only using 私 {わたし | watashi} as their first person pronoun. But did you know that native Japanese speakers use more than 1 first person pronoun?
This video will focus on...
✅ What is the formality?
✅ Is it feminine? Masculine? Or gender neutral?
✅ How does it sound to Japanese people?
The pronouns introduced in this videos are...
🔸 私 {わたし | watashi}
🔸 あたし {atashi}
🔸 うち {uchi}
🔸 俺 {おれ | ore}
🔸 僕 {ぼく | boku}
🔸 自分 {じぶん | jibun}
🔸 私 {わたくし | watakushi}
🔸 Your own name and nickname
🔸 Family roles
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🎞️企画・撮影・編集
Scriptwriting, Filming, Edit: Sayaka

[@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

[@nix6074]

@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)

[@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

[@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!

[@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!🥰

[@skettismyname]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@user-re3of9bp6m]

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

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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. 🥰🇬🇧

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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 :)

[@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.

[@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 !!!

[@Dimitra.Saltou]

You made me learn them easily and immediately! You are so interactive and explaining!

[@celestialdusk]

The watakushi for announcing news part was fascinating! Great video

[@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! 👋🧡

[@jinwu9423]

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

[@NihongoDekita]

Happy to help!

[@raedbishtawy1]

your teaching is great the illustration with examples and some history is remarkable, keep it up, ma'am.

[@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!

[@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!

[@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🌸

[@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.

[@sakura44553]

That is sooooo interesting. Even I have been studying Japanese for long time, your information are new to me. Keep going with such intesting content!

[@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.

[@ArnabDas]

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

[@Fabelot1]

Great content and great editing, Sayaka-sensei! 🙌

[@valentyn.kostiuk]

You made a great explanation! Randomly checked your video (neve lerned Japanese) but I nailed exercise at the end 🙂 Which means you are good teacher.

[@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！

[@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)

[@yugiohfan7906]

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

[@reazahmed6982]

You are amazing ! I like your teaching style. I have decided to follow your classes. Thank you so much.

[@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!

[@LennethValky19]

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

[@mrschw2]

Great video and thanks for the explanations regarding the nuances of first-person pronouns! I'd love to hear an explanation on 吾輩 sometime!

[@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

[@alexanderfigueroa3300]

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

[@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! 😍😍

[@DerrickNinon]

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

[@sei9219]

I really thank you for this video. It helped me a lot to clarify some doubts I just had. So useful! :)

[@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!❤️

[@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"

[@eldarius237]

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

[@hurricane1nox]

im just starting to learn japanese and you seem to be an excellent teacher. looking forward to learning more!

[@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 😄

[@DL-idk]

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

[@lukeeleitos]

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😊

[@retro_marmota]

Loved the channel! Thanks for sharing!

[@swaidmckey]

Thank you very much for the excellent video! The flow was very smooth & very informative overall.. just a minor comment on sound quality.. maybe the room or the mic is creating a bit of an echo, otherwise it’s perfect

[@TheRelaxingCorner]

Well, I love you. Your English is sooooo crisp, and easy to understand, also is your japanese. I'm trying to learn it by myself as I did with English (such a different challenge), so this video taught me a lot. Thank you ❤️

[@keira3037]

Thank you, videos like these are super helpful❤️

[@VsRawr]

Man there were so many that I had no idea of - I knew Watashi, Atashi and Boku but the rest were very insightful especially knowing the context between casual and formal

[@Hotspur62]

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

[@josephmak0865]

please make more longer videos. you are an excellent teacher

[@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.

[@nathangarcia3841]

Very impressive video on how to learn Japanese I'm very far with my basic but with you I will learn more faster than I thought. Thank you very much, I like the way you explain very clear to understand. Keep up with your channel.

[@smileyface2002]

So informative thank you 🤗

[@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.

[@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!😁

[@SamsonOhsem]

Thanks for sharing this!! Very informative 😸👍🏻

[@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

[@ledzep5846]

Super video! Tout est clair et détaillé. Merci.

[@redscarf6022]

Thanks Sayaka Sensei! This really helps me a lot.

[@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".

[@philipdavis7521]

This is very clear and useful!

[@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

[@vanitas_sasaki1]

The lesson was really helpful. Thank you.

[@honghuyen0110]

You are good at explaining. It' s super easy to get it. You have a great command of English. I can pick up both languages at the same time. Thanks for your videos 😍

[@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

[@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！

[@Klaudia494]

Great video. Those words of using "I" in Japanese your saying in this video I've known it from anime a little with not much difference when it sounds to others people , and your video helps me a lot. Thank you

[@Thereal_J_Mac]

Great explanations! I’m brand new to learning Japanese but do know a few other languages (Spanish and etc). This was invaluable information 🙏 Arigato gozaimasu

[@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

[@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😳

[@Nonoyamasensei]

Your explanation is cery clear and easy to understand Sayaka sensei! Thank you!

[@samuelmiller3222]

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 😂

[@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!!🤗❤️

[@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" 😸

[@CharlyLPride]

I'm learning japanese on my own and I fell on your video like, by chance, and I'm glad I did. Thanks a lot for the explaination. Subbing and binge watchin your channel rn.

[@graceliao7192]

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

[@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.

[@TomTheCat2367]

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

[@fumeokid]

Wow! You know a lot about the language. Thanks for sharing!

[@qx747srr]

Super helpful! Thank 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_fiend6326]

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.

[@twitter.comelomhycy]

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.

[@user-re3of9bp6m]

Anya, WAKU WAKU

[@justincurtis4751]

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!

[@PelvicGaming]

Thank you so much! I've been watching for a while but I finally hit that subscribe button! I'm still a super beginner so I stick to Watashi! But I must say I've learned a lot!

[@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！

[@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.

[@moca-jiachan-1124]

とてもわかりやすい！😊

[@user-re3of9bp6m]

What dialect do you use?

[@miamouse]

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

[@rL_3lr0nd]

Awesome Video. Thank you for making it.