How to Say “You” in Japanese

Ways to say it

The Japanese language uses various pronouns and terms to mean 'you' depending on the relationship between the speakers. Japanese speakers often prefer to address people by their name followed by an honorific. For example, adding -san to a family name is a common way to address them formally. Other titles like sensei can be used to address a doctor in a respectful manner, and shachou is used to show respect to a company president or CEO.

Which one should you use?

The forms of 'you' differ significantly in tone and social standing. 貴方 (anata) is a standard polite form, whereas 君 (kimi) is a familiar form typically used by a superior toward a subordinate or between lovers. For a polite way to refer to 'you' in business settings, そちら (sochira) can be used to refer to the direction/side the person is on, while its familiar counterpart is そっち (sotchi). お前 (omae) is a very blunt and rough way to say 'you', used primarily between very close male friends or by someone in a position of power to someone below them. Although it uses formal-looking kanji, 貴様 (kisama) is used as a highly insulting or hostile way to address someone during a confrontation.

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

Japanese has a complex hierarchy of formality. For polite situations, 貴方 (anata) and そちら (sochira) are available. In familiar settings, you might use 君 (kimi) or そっち (sotchi). Informal and dialectal forms include あんた (anta). Very rough or vulgar forms include お前 (omae) and おんどれ (ondore). For addressing someone informally, you can simply use their name without any honorifics, such as 'Hiroshi'.

Is it said differently in some regions?

Several forms are noted as dialectal, including 自分 (jibun), あんた (anta), お前 (omae) and the vulgar おんどれ (ondore).

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 does it change in a sentence?

The related forms そこの and この act as determiners. そこの can mean 'the individual or group spoken/written to', while both そこの and この can be used before epithets for emphasis.

How do you pronounce it?

anata

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers often over-use 貴方 (anata) thinking it is the standard polite way to say 'you', but using it to a superior or a stranger can actually sound distant or even condescending.

When do people say it?

In Japanese, it is much more natural and polite to address someone by their name followed by a title like -san rather than using a pronoun for 'you'.