Yuta: There are 22 different ways to say "you" in Japanese. Me, who is learning Japanese: this... has become a very difficult situation

@duckymomo7935

Жыл бұрын

If anything it reduces down to 3 candidate uses and 3 situational uses Those being nothing, name, senpai/sensei or oniisan/oneesan Then you have textbook anata, kimi and omae

@BrandonWhatTheF

Жыл бұрын

@@duckymomo7935 thanks for the tip I really appreciate it but I know already lol. Was just making a meme

@Bloooooooooopp

Жыл бұрын

難しいです (muzukashii desu) lolll

@satyakiray8588

Жыл бұрын

I just use the person's name or oniisan/oneesan. you can safely ignore the rest

@LilyUnicorn

6 ай бұрын

Just avoid altogether and use a persons surname, occupation or title in place of you. And you are safe

Your ability to find examples for your videos is honestly impressive.

@danielantony1882

Жыл бұрын

Too bad he didn't quote Melaquera for Nanji. He's a big fish in Re:Zero lore.

@GabeWatchesAnime

Жыл бұрын

Man does his research bro

"Here's 22 ways to say you in japanese. Don't use any of them." I've only been actually learning japanese the past 3 months, and i've learned so far that less is more. It seems like the fewer words you have to use to get a point across is better, simply because you don't have to worry about offending anyone or using improper grammar.

"unu" is used in igbo for "you". igbo is one of the 3 main languages in nigeria. And it being archaic in Japan is really interesting...

@danielantony1882

Жыл бұрын

Could be Yasuke's influence tbh.

@MistahShootrES

Жыл бұрын

@@danielantony1882 did he come to nigeria after all the japan stuff?

@danielantony1882

Жыл бұрын

@@MistahShootrES Heck if I knew. It's all in the mist of history.

@oyoo3323

Жыл бұрын

​@@danielantony1882 although Yasuke's exact place of origin is of debate, it was almost certain in East Africa. So hardly any relation to Igbo regions.

@sorrowful.sparrow

2 ай бұрын

while i don't have any confirmation, i am inclined to say that this is complete coincidence. it's a very simple sequence of sounds that are very common cross-linguistically.

I was so proud of being able to understand kimi wa boku ni koi shiteru without subtitles. And it only took 2,5 years of studying japanese...

@cat-hx1sh

Жыл бұрын

How often did u study......

@herman1francis

Жыл бұрын

@@cat-hx1sh two private one hour long classes per week plus 2/3 hours of homework per week...

@greglocker2124

10 ай бұрын

Another stark reminder that "for x years" for a normal person is very different from my "for x years" Planetary oof.

@herman1francis

10 ай бұрын

@@greglocker2124 what is your "for x years"?

I use someone's name more than 'you' or 'her/him' in Japanese conversation. It sounds more friendly and nice.😊 You always come up with interesting topic Yuta san!😊

@name3583

Жыл бұрын

You too, Lemi. I hope you get more subscriber like Yuta. Ganbatte.

I think Yuta missed "sochira" which I hear alot in business related conversations. Sometimes they add the -san too like "sochira-san" personally from the way it sounds I suppose it's to refer to the person opposite from you, as "sochi" is just another way of saying a direction in addition to "acchi"(there) "kocchi"(here) "docchi?"(where?) Which then again is just another way to say "asoko", "koko" and "doko?"

I like that you give small video clip examples of when each "you" form is used. I'm not sure if this is common, but I'm a visual type of learner and such visual examples help understand the context. edit: This video and your explanations also beautifully highlight how Japanese as a language can never be truly learnt or understood just by trying to learn it from books. There's so many tiny cultural details hidden in the language that books can't really convey the true meaning of each word. The meanings have to be sort of experienced first hand. It kinda feels almost like a very empathic language, one that requires some sort of second sense to feel the people around you, to decide when to use what words. I may be reading too much into it, but that's kinda the vibes that I'm getting after watching half of your video, seeing those examples while hearing your explanations.

Sure, using "anata" seems a little distant unless you are the wife and talking to your husband, doesn't it? I really do not want to forget my beautiful mother tongue after living in US for 43 years. Really enjoyed this topic of yours. Please keep up the good work.

When you think of Japanese societal structure it makes sense that they don' use a generic "you." I see the US culture, that revolted against the UK and as part of that most ideas about nobility. The ability of going up to anyone and asking "Do you "fill in the blank" versus using some form of title is more egalitarian. It shows that you is only more accepted with equal friends in Japan as well as songs as it is difficult to call an unknown subject some form of a title.

I got it. There are 22 ways to say "you" in Japanese, but most of them are rude or archaic, so it's better to use nothing at all.

I imagine that Brazilians in Japan should laugh every time they hear "anta" since here "anta" is used as cursing to say that the person is stupid / dumb.

That is a lot of way to say you In my native language, Malay also have polite and impolite way to say "you" and "I/me" To say "you" Polite: Kamu, Awak Impolite: Engkau/Kau To say "you people" Polite: Kamu semua Impolite: Korang To say "we/us" Polite: Kami Impolite: Kitorang To say "I/me" Polite: Saya Impolite: Aku Its not as many as Japanese, but still its there. Also the "impolite" can still be used but only with close people such as your friends and colleagues.

@mfaizsyahmi

Жыл бұрын

We use role words as well. Mr./Mrs./Ms. = Encik/Puan/Cik Onii-san/Onee-san = Abang/Akak/Adik Various honourifics: Datuk [Seri]/Datin [Seri]/Haji/Doktor/Tan Sri/Tun [Sri]/YB/Tengku/Tuanku etc. Then there's the entire class of archaic "court" words: Tuan hamba/Adinda/Kanda etc. By the way, we have words that differentiate between inclusive we (we including you) and exclusive we (us but not you). This is surprisingly not a feature in many of the world's languages: [Inclusive] we/we all = Kita/Kita semua [Exclusive] we = Kami (This comment is me trying to reach parity with the words used in this video)

I needed this video.Thank you so much!

WONDERFUL!! Thank you for the video clips for context too!

Thanks a lot for putting the titles of series and animes you used in the videos. People will be interested and watch them perharps.

The use of oniisan /oneesan for strangers is similar to Filipino where they say "kuya" and "ate" for strangers. I think kuya is literally brother, but they also say it for male strangers. Ate is sister, but they also say it for female strangers.

@Incognito_001

11 ай бұрын

"kuya" is more really known as a meaning for big brother but it can also mean brother and i think i heard "miss"/"ma'am" more than "ate" in real life situations when a man is talking to a woman because "ate" is semi-casual since "ading" is more used for younger kids "ate" or "kuya" is more used for somebody older than you but the words can mean differently depending on whom your talking to.

Persona fans should love Nanji. 我は なんじ - Ware wa nanji - I art thou. Nanji. It has two Kanji too apparently - 汝 which is more commonly read asうぬ and 爾 which is also おれ but maybe less commonly?! So even if you're reading the Kanji for some of these pronouns, good luck knowing which one is intended! 😅

Great video, Yuta, keep it up!

I'm mildly entertained that this was one of Gaijin Goomba's prime examples on 'why bad language tools help people get started with a language', then 2-3 days later this comes out specifically addressing it. I appreciate the rundown, though

Very interesting Yuta!

3:20 We kinda do that in English I think when we are being sarcastic and condescending. When we refer to others as "i".

Interesting. I recently played a game where a character used "otaku" to address others, and I was curious as to the significance. Thank you for explaining. :) Also, speaking of pronouns, another interesting one I've heard is "atakushi". Far as I understand, "watakushi" is a more polite version of "watashi", but what about "atakushi"? Is "atakushi" to "atashi" as "watakushi" is to "watashi"? 🤔

@yakuya3

Жыл бұрын

I'm pretty sure that's the case

@jaycee330

Жыл бұрын

あたくしis the female equivalent.

I actually heard a lot of people/characters use “omaera”. For example Whitebeard from One Piece

I'm surprised you didn't pop out Asuka's classic "Anta baka?" as an example for anta

In my experience (not a lot), rather than say "you", Japanese people tend to use names. I kinda like that, because it's more personal and doesn't come across as rude. I also find it interesting that people simply refer to each other by titles, like brother, sister, mum, etc. Or simply okyaku-sama, which is basically "valued customer". And like Yuta said, these are both often used in English too. It's rude to say "hey, YOU!" in English, just as it's rude to say it in Japanese. So in that regard, it's not that complicated. And we definitely refer to each other by name, obviously, and if we don't know their name we might call people by job titles, or something similar. I also find it interesting how characters in TV and anime can use different ways to say different things because their character allows that, and it's appropriate for them to do so. I guess that's obvious, though, haha. For me personally, with my limited knowledge, my biggest fears are accidentally coming across as rude or using the wrong words in the wrong situation. So in those cases, I'd REALLY like to be corrected, so I can learn not to say it, or what the person I'm talking to would prefer.

the fact that you use Onii-san or Onee-san to be kind of "normal" to ask something has been a mystery to me for ages, because I rarely see the other ones used except "anata". I figured out how the other "you" are used from context, but I never understood why you would use "older brother or sister" to refer to complete strangers because it sounded too informal and too personal as we only use this to refer to our actual family members

@EgnachHelton

Жыл бұрын

Probably because it's both somewhat casual while being somewhat respectful as you are addressing others as if they are older than you.

@duckymomo7935

Жыл бұрын

Maybe because in Asian cultures, clanship is a vestige feature of the culture We call guys older brothers or uncles and older sisters and aunties Back then it takes a whole village to raise family of course family had primary duties but chief elders provided like wisdom teachings

@neohybridkai

Жыл бұрын

Maybe it's an Asian thing, in Indonesian and Javanese language it is considered impolite if you call a person older than you without additional word like big brother/big sister before their name. In West maybe this only applies if the age difference is big (Mr, Mrs, aunt, uncle) but here even if the age difference only 3-4 years you need to use big brother/big sister when talking to them

@Anginitkapetayo

Жыл бұрын

@@neohybridkai Yeah it's most likely an asian thing cos it's the same thing in Filipino where we would refer to strangers especially to those who are older as "big brother/big sister" or any other honorifics. Calling to someone's name is only reserved to those we're close to or people we know well

@juanki8350

Жыл бұрын

Personally, I call strangers bro and dude, so to me it doesn’t seem weird to call strangers brother or sister

諸君 is also one I've heard

@as2s3hf7gff

Жыл бұрын

Give me the furigana

@as2s3hf7gff

Жыл бұрын

Ooo i know it... しょくん isn't it??

helpful content, cute hoodie.

You forgot そなた, Yuuta.

This reminds me of the song "How to tell when a Japanese girl LOVES you", which is a duet I sang with a translator

1:45🤣 Great choice of song. You just reminded me of that sick chorus joke.

I learned about お前 because daki from demon slayer says it a lot, mainly when she’s talking down to tanjiro and the others

I've been using Japanese lyrics to learn words and kanji and 君 (kimi) is used often!!! Thanks for the heads up - lyrics only! Sometimes if the kanji isn't used it is spelled in katakana キミ which confuses me so much! Thanks for all this information!

I think words like anata appear a lot in Japanese learning books/lessons because talking directly to a second person is an everyday phenomenon in all languages in all human interactions so you need to express "you" in Japanese learning books for teaching purposes. Also, it helps familiarise your mind with personal pronouns. I am a native Spanish-speaker and when English learners speak Spanish they use personal pronouns all the time, however, in Spanish we omit them all the time because in Spanish verbs are all conjugated according to person, we know who does the action simply by the conjugation of the verb so saying the personal pronouns sounds redundant and unnecessary, but we accept it when English learners use them all the time because they are learning, they need to familiarise with our personal pronouns and it is not a grammatical crime anyway. As they keep learning they will learn to drop them naturally.

@blokvader8283

Жыл бұрын

Ohh, like how saying "Yo tengo" is redundant because "Tengo" is the first person of "Tiene" I'm a native English speaker, but I have some exposure to Spanish from living in San Antonio

@da.c

Жыл бұрын

​@@blokvader8283The base form of the verb is "tener"; "tiene" is the third person singular: "ella tiene, él tiene." But yes, in a normal conversation, we always drop these pronouns, unless we want to be very specific.

@blokvader8283

Жыл бұрын

@Diego Chopin Ohhh, my bad, I'm sorry it's been so long since I actually took Spanish I don't remember much of it lol I could understand for emphasis if you want to make sure someone knows " *I* said"

@TheMakoyou

Жыл бұрын

But I don't use "you" or "your" in Japanese 5 times in a week. The only time I used it recently was when I was angry with my daughter the day before yesterday. "They are your clothes, aren't they? Put them away!"

i think 自分 might be just "self"

@Jellylamps

Жыл бұрын

I’ve gotten the same impression but I’m not exactly super knowledgeable

@Tedisdeaad

Жыл бұрын

That is correct but what he said is also correct. You can use it like a pronoun. Some people even use it as their first person pronoun although not super common. I don't recommend taking an English definition of a Japanese word as an absolute.

Oh, Ryuusei no Kizuna was one of my favorite Japanese series when I was at university... 懐かしいなあ

You left out my favorite: そこもと

Also I think when the prefix 御 is used, it implies you because you wouldn't use such a prefix for oneself.

2:25 That reference though

@Reymax164

Жыл бұрын

He often says that

ty i was trying to find this info lol

I think the best example for this video would be sengoku basara, I think all characters combined uses almost every single variation of "you" and "I" in Japanese due to their extreme personalities

Anata - formal for both genders (casual for girls) Kimi - casual for both genders (mostly boys) Omae - casual for both genders Anta - casual for girls Temee - never heard of it but I think its casual for boys Kisama - casual for both genders (I think)

I came here just to learn something but got also an extra in form or Monogatari Easter egg. Nice

would be great if you could also make a video about ways to say I/me/myself

Dang I'm early to a yuta video 😎

Lots of the examples were actually funny

It is quite interesting that in arabic you is 'inta' or 'inti' for female And 'amam' in arabic means 'in front', that it's little bit similar to 'o/mae' too

nice hanekawa quote :D

Thought I'd heard and read about every possible way of saying "you" in Japanese, but "unu" was completely new to me (knew all the others though).

omaesamara sounds oddly great

So many options and yet the most common one is to not use one at all.

wow ... "anta" threw me off .... it's exactly like the Arabic "you" (أَنْتَ) - this is beside "anata" (but I just new about "anta" right now)

Such amazing clips! This must have taken a long time! But just what was the context of 05:03!? 🤣

Great series of how anime characters speak Japanese. Please do Itsuki Nakano from the quintessential quintuplets or any or all the 7 main characters in TQQ. how they speak Japanese I believe is very important to understanding the plot eg the honorifics, the lost in translation stuff (eg when they say things like tsurui, hatsukoi, uso, etc that are removed from the dub). I compiled a lot of the lost in translation stuff in r/gotoubun Something to consider about Itsuki: The Quintessential Quintuplets' character types are: Ichika - Onee-san / ara ara, Nino - tsundere, miku - kuudere / dandere, Yotsuba - genki Itsuki - ?? - Tsundere like Nino? - Eat-suki? - Imouto? - Someone who speaks keigo to their siblings, to Fuutarou and to Raiha and to everyone basically? I have a theory as to what Itsuki's type is, but you're not gonna like it...

Secretly hoping Yuta makes a video talking about Yano's rapping from OddTaxi Don't know what the whole video would be about I just think it's neat

You Too Formal: [Name]sama（[名前]さま） Formal: [Name]san（[名前]さん） Casual: Anata（あなた） Too casual: Anta（あんた）、Omae（おまえ） Inappropriate: Temee（てめえ）、Omee（おめえ） Everybody Formal: Minasama（皆様or みなさま） Casual: Minasan（皆さんor みなさん） Too Casual: Minna（みんな） This is for the spoken word. When used in written language, it is better to use one higher expression.

I'm sad "Omae wa mou shindeiru" wasn't used as an example

@GiganticPawUnit

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, that's gotta be the most famous usage in pop culture, right? And illustrates how it can be used in a rude and impersonal way.

Can you do one for "I" next? I still have trouble choosing between watashi/boku/ore/jibun...

@KiaraKitsune

Жыл бұрын

I don't know which gender you are, but if you feminine, then you shouldn't use ore, with boku I'm not so sure

@Prodigal450

Жыл бұрын

@@KiaraKitsune watashi

@user-re3of9bp6m

5 ай бұрын

If you’re a girl Watashi or atashi If you’re a boy Watashi, boku or ore

I have a question about the proper way to say ( thank you ) in Japanese I watched the anime ( monster) and in an episode, the detective who was chasing the protagonist met with the Japanese ambassador and socialized with Japanese people in order to get a better understanding of his target’s mentality& way of thinking , he used the word ( domo ) instead of ( arigato) when he was thanking someone, is domo more polite & formal than arigato ?

@Ensorcle

Жыл бұрын

I rarely hear just どうも. If I do it is a more gruff or casual thank you (like thanks) in fiction. In general, if the intent is to say thank you, it makes the most sense to say the more 'standard' version, which is ありがとう. It is also, by far, the most common version I hear.

@danielantony1882

Жыл бұрын

@@Ensorcle That s Doesn't seem true in Anime. Doumo is used in more ways than just casual thanks.

I saw Megumin, I immidiately liked the video :D

2:25 is this a Bakemonogatari reference ?!

Indigo La End used the word anata in a song. That's how I know it

我は汝、汝は我

@inendlesspain4724

Жыл бұрын

My first thought when Yuta mentioned 汝.

@0nearmedbandit

Жыл бұрын

@@inendlesspain4724 exxxactly

05:14 I've noticed this while playing Yakuza, I just wasn't sure if it was a similar sounding word or the exact same word.

I’m not gonna lie, “Nanji” sounds pretty cool 🤣

The only time I've heard "jibun" was in Dragon Ball Z. I remember Vegeta used it. At least, he used it a few times in the Buu saga.

Can you also use obaasan and ojiisan when you want to address elderly strangers? Or is this just when you talk about elderly people nearby with your friends?

kimi always reminds me of kimi ni todoke.

Was that Takeshi Kitano saying kisama?

Hi, I like the examples you used in this video. (The different programs). I am having trouble finding anything to watch in Japanese. Movies and such. Can you possibly let me know where I can watch movies and different programs , so I can learn to listen to Spoken Japanese. I’m not looking for pod cast’s , but movies. Etc. Thank you so much. Kim NY

Yuta we need the best Japanese films of the 80s and 90s by actual Japanese people please.

One Piece watcher : YAROOO DOMO! SUPAAATSU! (You Guys! Let's Go!) And in the episode when Hancock call Luffy with "Sonata"

The old lady I was renting a parking space from once addressed me as ‘otakusama’. I’d never heard that before, so it took me a second to release she wasn’t calling me out for being a geek

Dogen-inspired? If you ever have to explain なんじ again, maybe persona 5 would be a good example? All I understood until now that it was some very old Japanese that followed. 「我は汝、汝は我。汝、ここに新たな契りを得たり」

Yeah, Japanese people barely say "you". One time it happened was when I was sending a tweet to someone on Twitter. I said to him おはよう、うり君！元気？("ohayou, uri-kun. Genki?", Good morning, Uri. How are you?) He said 元気！あなたは？("genki! Anata wa?", I'm fine! And you?) I'm not sure if that's considered rude in that context because I'm not Japanese myself, and I don't consider "you" to be rude. I almost never say "you" for the sake of being respectful and friendly to others, to address others I usually use names like 田中さんはカッコいいです("Tanaka-san wa kakkoii desu", Mr. Tanaka is cool!)

I like "Sonata"

please give us another song video but this time on うる星やつら「アイワナムチュウ」

There is also 兄(けい) which Byakuya from Bleach always uses. Like when he asks Ichigo "兄の務めは何だ？"

@GabeWatchesAnime

Жыл бұрын

Oh yeah that one too

Thanks Yuta for another interesting topic. I have one question that you didn't mention. Some wives (especially in anime) address their husbands with *name* and san, for example they say Futaro-san instead of just Futaro. Correct me if i'm wrong, but didn't you say that you don't use keigo with family members (older or otherwise)?

@persey7241

Жыл бұрын

I don't think honorifics are exclusively a part of Keigo though, I believe they're used universally by most people

@danielantony1882

Жыл бұрын

-san is a neutral respect honorific. It is in no way as formal as you think. That is why Mr. and Ms. Are not a good translation for it.

I was confused until I realized you meant boku was a regionalism for you. I've always seen boku wa used for first person statements. Boku wa moto pioneer or Boku wa doctor.

From what I've learned so far, "anata" is ok to use to address a stranger when you don't know their name and you can use the word when asking for their name. Then, from that point on, you can refer to them by their name. Is this incorrect, though? I just wanted to make sure of that.

I am thankful and enjoyed this explanation. I do have a question left about this tho: when I watch Re:Zero lady Crusch addresses Subaru as "kei", or something. How about this pronoun?

So is oneesan and onisan for strangers the same as saying “sir and maam”? Or is more like “lad and lassie”

Anta in Arabic also means You. Fun coincidence?

To be fair, if "you" means to address someone without using their name then English also has more than strictly "you".

Kisama!

おまえ is my favorite "you" out of all of them.

Now for the 24 ways to say hello

In one of the Ghost in the Shell animes, it showed a bunch of terrorists/tough guys discussing an impromptu gig, they all used "kisama" with each other. I just assumed it was just a macho way of talking with fellow rough guys they've only just met.

How about あなたさん

"Hey, I created this cool language called Japanese. It has 2 syllabaries and also logographic characters and 70 percent of its words shouldn't be used because they're rude."

What’s the difference in using "ra" and "tachi?"Like, when and where do I know when to use it?

@Tedisdeaad

Жыл бұрын

Most of the ones you might actually say will use tachi. Just watch a few thousands hours of Japanese and you'll get a better idea.

@navyblue8719

Жыл бұрын

I'm not a language teacher but, 'ra' sounds more blunt and is usually used with words that are rude/could be rude, like 'kisamara' (Kisama is very rude and you don't use it in real life. Also, 'kisamatachi' sounds wrong.), 'omaera' (Omae can be rude or not rude depending on who you are talking to, so both 'omaera' and 'omaetachi' sounds correct.), 'antara' (This is the same as omae, can be rude or not rude.) Not that 'ra' itself is a rude word or anything though. I feel like in normal conversations, you'll mostly use 'tachi' like, 'anatatachi', 'kimitachi', 'watashitachi' etc.

I wish with temee you showed a clip of Jotaro

Hello there yuta I just subscribed to ur email lessons and for some reason the 2nd video doesn’t open in the first 3-vid lesson. Wonder is anyone els have the same problem and if there’s a way to fix it.thx

There is a character in Tales of Xillia named Alvin who uses the 'otaku' 2nd person pronoun

Hi you

Do i use oniisan and oneesan towards someone younger than me too then? Not kids, but they’re young adults that may be a few years younger.

You forgot one: Oira! xP But nice video, Yuta-sensei!

@user-re3of9bp6m

5 ай бұрын

Oira is I

I only use a few, but there are more expressions than I thought...Japanese is really hardㅜ.ㅜ