Addressing People

Vocabulary

私(わたし)わたしI (polite, gender-neutral)

僕(ぼく)ぼくI (casual, male)

俺(おれ)おれI (rough, male)

あたしI (casual, female)

田中(たなか)た・なかTanaka (common surname)

来(く)るく・るirregularto come

さんMr./Ms. (title)

君(きみ)くんsuffix for boys/subordinates

ちゃんsuffix for girls/children

様(よう)さまhonorable (very respectful)

先輩(せんぱい)せん・ぱいsenior

先生(せんせい)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(わたし)

—Standard, gender-neutral polite.

僕(ぼく)

—Casual, used by males.

俺(おれ)

—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(たなか)さんは来(き)ますか？Will you come, Tanaka-san?

山田(やまだ)先生(せんせい)はどこですか？Where is Yamada-sensei?

佐藤(さとう)君(くん)、元気(げんき)？Sato-kun, how are you?

Titles

さん

—The default title. Used for equals or people you don’t know well.

君(きみ)

—Used for boys or male subordinates.

ちゃん

—Used for girls, children, or pets. Very cute/familiar.

様(よう)

—Very respectful. Used for customers or deities.

先輩(せんぱい)

—Used for senior colleagues or upperclassmen.

先生(せんせい)

—Used for teachers, doctors, and authors.

Note: You can call them just “先生(せんせい)” without the name, or “Name + 先生(せんせい)”.