How to Address People
Want to know the word for certain relations? Here's a list of some people words to help you out.
If you want to skip to certain sections, here are some quick links:
Talking About Yourself
There are various ways to refer to oneself in Japanese and the one you're likely to encounter may change based on who is speaking. For example, certain pronouns like "watashi" may be spoken by anyone, while other pronouns like "boku" may be spoken mostly by one gender.
English to Japanese
- I - Boku (male speaker, mostly boys and young males) / Watashi (all speakers)
- We - Bokutachi (male speaker, can be about a mixed group) / Watashitachi (all speakers)
Japanese to English
- Boku - I (male speakers, mostly boys and young males)
- Bokutachi - We (male speaker, can be about a mixed group)
- Watashi - I (all speakers)
- Watashitachi - We (all speakers)
Sample Sentences
- We are students.
↪ Bokutachi wa gakusei desu. (male speaker)
Talking About Others
English to Japanese
- He - Kare
- His - Kare no
- Him (direct object) - Kare o
- Him (indirect object) - Kare ni
- She - Kanojo
- Her (possessive) - Kanojo no
- Her (direct object) - Kanojo o
- Her (indirect object) - Kanojo ni
Japanese to English
- Kare - He
- Kare no - His
- Kare o - Him (direct object)
- Kare ni - Him (indirect object)
- Kanojo - She
- Kanojo no - Her (possessive)
- Kanojo o - Her (direct object)
- Kanojo ni - Her (indirect object)
Sample Sentences
- He is a cooking class student.
↪ Kare wa ryouri kyoushitsu no seito desu.
Personal Relations
English to Japanese
- Boyfriend - Kare
- Friend - Tomodachi
- Girlfriend - Kanojo
- Grandfather - Ojiisan
- Grandmother - Obaasan
- Mother - Okaasan
- Older sister - Oneesan
Japanese to English
- Kanojo - Girlfriend
- Kare - Boyfriend
- Obaasan - Grandmother
- Ojiisan - Grandfather
- Okaasan - Mother
- Oneesan - Older sister
- Tomodachi - Friend
Sample Sentences
- He is Hikaru's friend.
↪ Kare wa Hikaru-san no tomodachi.
- Kisa is Hiro's friend.
↪ Kisa-san wa Hiro-san no tomodachi desu.
- This is my friend's CD.
↪ Kore wa watashi no tomodachi no CD.
Students
English to Japanese
- Student - Gakusei (specifically for those in school)
- Student - Seito (also includes students learning outside of school)
- University student - Daigakusei
Japanese to English
- Daigakusei - University student
- Gakusei - Student (specifically for those in school)
- Seito - Student (also includes students learning outside of school)
Professionals
English to Japanese
- Division manager - Buchou
- Group leader - Honchou
- Lawyer - Bengoshi
- Teacher - Sensei
- Team leader - Honchou
Japanese to English
- Bengoshi - Lawyer
- Buchou - Division manager
- Honchou - Group leader / Team leader
- Sensei - Teacher
Sample Sentences
- Mr. / Mrs. Johnson is a lawyer.
↪ Johnson-san wa bengoshi desu.
Related Sentences
- What is your occupation?
↪ Oshigoto wa nan desu ka?
Name Titles
In the same way that English people attach titles to names (Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., etc.) so do the Japanese when talking about other people. In formal situations, last names are followed by the title. (Honda-san). In less-formal situations between friends, sometimes the first name is used instead, followed by the title. (Tohru-san). Note that titles may be omitted altogether when both parties share a level of closeness / a close relationship. Here are some titles you may see used in Japanese conversations.
- -san - Very commonly used, is basically like Mr. / Mrs. / Ms. (Tanaka-san)
- -sensei - Used when adressing a teacher (Yamaguchi-sensei)
- -kun - May be used instead of -san when addressing male friends. (Sohma-kun / Kyo-kun)
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