How to Say “You” in Japanese

Ways to say it

In Japanese, the most natural way to say 'you' is to use the listener's name followed by an honorific like 'san' instead of a personal pronoun. While 貴方 is the standard dictionary translation for 'you', it is often avoided in natural conversation when the person's name is known. For a more polite approach in business settings, そちら is used to refer to 'you' by referring to the direction or side the person is on. Additionally, the related forms そこの and この can be used as determiners to mean 'the individual or group spoken/written to' or to emphasize epithets.

Which one should you use?

君 is a common way to address friends or acquaintances in a casual setting, but it is typically used by someone of higher status to someone of lower status or between lovers. It is more common in song lyrics than in daily business speech. お前 is a bold pronoun used within close relationships or among friends who are very comfortable with each other, and it is a common way for males to address close friends or subordinates. In contrast, そちら is a polite way to refer to 'you' by referring to the side the person is on, while そっち is its familiar counterpart.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

貴方 and そちら are polite forms. 君 and そっち are familiar. あんた is an informal, dialectal form. お前 is informal and considered rough. 僕 is a pronoun, while 貴様 is a vulgar form used in highly aggressive or confrontational contexts to denote extreme hostility. おんどれ is a dialectal and vulgar form.

Is it said differently in some regions?

自分, あんた, お前 and おんどれ are all dialectal forms.

Related words

The individual or group spoken/written to (det): そこの.

Used before epithets for emphasis (det): そこの, この.

How do you pronounce it?

anata

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers often overuse 貴方 because they assume it is the standard polite way to say 'you', but using it toward a superior or a stranger can actually sound distant or even condescending.

When do people say it?

When addressing people, suffixes are often used: the suffix -chan is attached to names to indicate affection, cuteness or familiarity, while the suffix -kun is used to address male friends or juniors.