Addressing People

Vocabulary

  1. 私 【わたし】 – I (polite, gender-neutral)
  2. 僕 【ぼく】 – I (casual, male)
  3. 俺 【おれ】 – I (rough, male)
  4. あたし – I (casual, female)
  5. 田中 【た・なか】 – Tanaka (common surname)
  6. 来る 【く・る】 (irregular) – to come
  7. さん – Mr./Ms. (title)
  8. 君 【くん】 – suffix for boys/subordinates
  9. ちゃん – suffix for girls/children
  10. 様 【さま】 – honorable (very respectful)
  11. 先輩 【せん・ぱい】 – senior
  12. 先生 【せん・せい】 – teacher, doctor

Japanese rarely uses pronouns like “You” or “He/She”. Instead, it relies on names and titles.

Referring to Yourself (I/Me)

  • 私 - Standard, gender-neutral polite.
  • 僕 - Casual, used by males.
  • 俺 - Very casual/rough, used by males.
  • あたし - Casual, used by females.

Referring to Others

Avoiding “You” is best. Use the person’s name followed by a title.

田中さんは来ますか？ - Will you come, Tanaka-san?
山田先生はどこですか？ - Where is Yamada-sensei?
佐藤君、元気？ - Sato-kun, how are you?

Titles

  • さん - The default title. Used for equals or people you don’t know well.
  • 君 - Used for boys or male subordinates.
  • ちゃん - Used for girls, children, or pets. Very cute/familiar.
  • 様 - Very respectful. Used for customers or deities.
  • 先輩 - Used for senior colleagues or upperclassmen.
  • 先生 - Used for teachers, doctors, and authors.

Note: You can call them just “先生” without the name, or “Name + 先生”.