Japanese Pronouns

IMPORTANT: Japanese is famous for dropping pronouns.

Once the topic or subject of a conversation is established, it is awkward to continually use the pronoun.  And yet, ironically, there are tons of pronouns available for use—even more when considering dialects. 

As mentioned above, you could, and in some cases should, avoid using pronouns altogether.

• When the context is clear, drop the pronoun.
• When speaking to a superior, it is best to use the person’s name with an honorific such as さま or a title such as 先生(せんせい) (teacher, doctor, or other authorities) or 部長(ぶちょう) (section boss). Saying 「あなた」 to your boss, for example, would be considered to berude.

That being said, a few well-placed pronouns can enliven a conversation.

Want to sound like a sixteenth-century samurai warrior? There are pronouns for that. Want to sound more masculine? No problem. Wanna sound like a little girl? Sure.

This is one reason why Japanese is so much fun. You just can't do this easily with English.

General Notes on Pronouns

• When one says “I” in English no information is conveyed other than that it is first person singular. In Japanese, however, most pronouns also carry cultural or social status connotations. See this lesson from the anime Your Name for a funny example of this.
• As long as the meaning is clear, Japanese usually omits the pronoun.
  For example:

カールさんは店(みせ)に行(い)きました。そこで、パンを買(か)いました。

Carl went to the store. There, (he) purchased bread.

• Once the subject is clear, Carl, “he” is unnecessary in the second sentence even though it is required in English.
• Single words or short sentences usually drop the pronoun as it is assumed the speaker is referring to him or herself.
  For example:

腹減(はらへ)った。

(I’m) hungry.

眠(ねむ)い。

(I’m) sleepy.

• Adding the suffix, たち, to the first person pronoun, makes it plural. The kanji is 達(たち).
  For example

• ら like たち is a pluralizing suffix. It is most often used with 彼(かれ) (he) to make it "they" (third person plural, mixture of males and females)

彼(かれ)ら

they

• While you can say 彼女(かのじょ)たち when the room is full of women or girls, the norm is to use 彼(かれ)ら for mixed groups or situations when the gender makeup of the group is unknown.

How to NOT Use Pronouns

You can get by your entire life with only using 私(わたし) for “I” and あなた for “you,” but not only would that be boring, in some situations it might actually be rude.

あなた, for example, can, in some cases, be rude since it implies you are stating the listener is equal to or inferior to you. And saying 私(わたし) too often can make one sound conceited.

Here are a few ways to get around this:

INSTEAD OF 私(わたし)

• Point to yourself when referring to yourself and simply don't say a pronoun.

INSTEAD OF あなた

• Use the person’s name with さん. 

由美(ゆみ)さん、どう思(おも)いますか？

What do you think, Yumi?

• Use the person’s title: 先生(せんせい) (for teachers, doctors, pastors, and other authorities and professionals); 社長(しゃちょう) (for bosses or company presidents)

先生(せんせい)、トイレに行(い)ってもいいですか？

Teacher, may I go to the bathroom?

• そちら literally means “there” and can be used to refer to your listeners

INSTEAD OF PLURAL PRONOUN

• Refer to everyone as みんな or みなさん

In short, if you can avoid using a pronoun whether through context or substitute, do it.

Now, let’s look at actual pronouns!

+ Everyday Use Pronouns

First Person　一人称(いちにんしょう)

Second Person　二人称(ににんしょう)

Third Person　三人称(さんにんしょう)(さんにんしょう)

+ Formal Pronouns

+ Pronouns for Women

+ Pronouns for Men

+ Archaic Samurai Edo Period “the fun-but-kinda-useless” Pronouns 

+ Pronouns for When Upset

+ Less Common Pronouns

+ Plural Suffixes

+ Other