9 Common Ways To Say ‘You’ in Japanese

You don’t use language just to talk about yourself: You talk about others, too, such as he, she, they…and you. The second-person pronoun “you” is one of the most commonly used words in English, but how do you say “you” in Japanese? Instead of one word, you’ll find that Japanese has several words that all mean “you,” and you may not need to use a second-person pronoun at all.

Instead of using a pronoun, you’ll often omit the word for “you” altogether if it’s obvious that you mean “you” in reference to the person you’re talking to. Japanese learning resources default to the generic “you” most of the time, but resources that focus on improving your fluency—like Rosetta Stone—give you practice using “you” and omitting it to convey the same thing.

Table of Contents

• Does Japanese have a word for ‘you’?
• How to say ‘you’ in Japanese
• Plural ways to say ‘you’ in Japanese
• How to use different forms of ‘you’ in Japanese
• Master ‘you’ in Japanese with Rosetta Stone

Does Japanese have a word for ‘you’?

Japanese doesn’t just have one word for you: It has several! Both “you” and “I” are pronouns—one of the nine Japanese parts of speech—and they work similarly. As with many other aspects of Japanese words and grammar, a single word in English can have multiple variations in Japanese divided by politeness. 

While you’ll usually be safe using the most generic, polite version (anata, あなた), knowing the other words for “you” in Japanese will help you use more concise language and understand when someone else is using those other words to refer to you.

How to say ‘you’ in Japanese

Learning how to speak Japanese in reference to others begins with knowing the difference in formality between all of your options for “you.” Does anata mean “you?” Does kimi mean “you?” Yes and yes! This chart includes the most common terms you’re likely to hear.

Japanese	Romanization	Usage
あなた	anata	polite, generic
君	kimi	casual
お前	omae	very casual, can be impolite, typically used by men
あんた	anta	very casual, can be impolite, typically used by women
てめぇ	temee	crude, very impolite
貴様	kisama	extremely rude, akin to swearing
そちら	sochira	polite, somewhat formal
貴殿	kiden	extremely formal, typically used in formal writing
貴社	kisha	formal, used to refer to an entire company

Using third person to say ‘you’

One of the most common ways to refer to another person is by using their name in the third person, even if they’re the person you’re talking to. The Japanese language avoids direct language when possible, and that includes using the word “you.” 

If you can use a person’s name or title instead, that’s usually preferable. Using Japanese honorifics like -san (～さん) is critical for politeness if you don’t know the person well. If you don’t know the person’s name or title, anata is a safe choice until you learn them.

• Anata wa oishasan desu ka.（あなたはお医者さんですか。）= Are you a doctor?
  • Takeda-san wa oishasan desu ka.（武田さんはお医者さんですか。）= Are you a doctor, Mr./Ms. Takeda?
• Anata wa arabiago o oshiete imasu ka.（あなたはアラビア語を教えています。）= Are you teaching Arabic?
  • Sensei wa arabiago o oshiete imasu ka.（先生はアラビア語を教えています。）= Are you teaching Arabic, Professor?

Plural ways to say ‘you’ in Japanese

Plurals are uncommon in Japanese, but referring to a group of people is one of the most common places you’ll use them (although it’s still optional). To make a word for “you” plural, you need to add one of these suffixes: 

• -tachi (～たち・～達): polite, generic; use kanji instead of hiragana to slightly elevate the formality
• -ra (～ら): casual
• -kata/-gata (～方): formal

This chart includes the same words for “you” as the chart above but accompanied by the most appropriate plural suffix.

Japanese	Romanization	Usage
あなたたち	anata tachi	polite, generic
あなた方	anata gata	very polite
君たち	kimi tachi	casual
お前たち	omae tachi	very casual, can be impolite, typically used by men
あんたたち	anta tachi	very casual, can be impolite, typically used by women
てめぇら	temee ra	crude, very impolite
貴様ら	kisama ra	extremely rude, akin to swearing
そちらの方	sochira no kata	polite, somewhat formal
貴殿方	kiden gata	extremely formal, typically used in formal writing

How to use different forms of ‘you’ in Japanese

Once you learn the most common ways to say “you” in Japanese, you need to know when and how to use them appropriately. Read these examples carefully to make sure you can identify the right word for the right social situation!

Anata (polite) 

If a given Japanese learning resource only introduces one word for “you,” it’s anata. The reason is simple: It’s a polite, neutral option that’s unlikely to offend anyone, regardless of the social situation. Anata in Japanese is the closest direct equivalent to “you” in English.

To use it in a sentence, remember that Japanese word order begins with the subject and ends with the verb. If “you” is the subject, it goes at the beginning of the sentence. The same is true if you use plural forms of “you.”

• Anata wa midori no hon o motte imasu.（あなたは緑の本を持っています。）= You have a green book.
  • Anata tachi wa midori no hon o motte imasu.（あなたたちは緑の本を持っています。）= You all have green books. (polite)
  • Anata gata wa midori no hon o motte imasu.（あなた方は緑の本を持っています。）= You all have green books. (formal)

Kimi (casual) 

The next step down in politeness from anata is kimi, which is casual without necessarily implying closeness to the listener. You’ll see kimi used for “you” most often when a superior is talking to someone of lower social status, such as a boss talking to a subordinate or an upperclassman talking to a freshman. Because of this correlation, referring to someone you don’t know well as kimi in Japanese can come off as a little arrogant.

• Kimi wa dare?（君は誰？）= Who are you?
  • Jinji bu no Satō desu.（人事部の佐藤です。）= I’m Sato, from HR.

Omae and anta (very casual) 

The words omae and anta have a similarly familiar tone, but omae is typically used by men, while anta (shortened form of anata) is typically used by women. You might hear them used by a parent talking to their child, between close friends, or two people in a relationship talking to each other. These words can lean toward impolite or adversarial, so pay extra attention to the context to know what the mood of the conversation is.

• Omae wa kuru ka?（お前は来るか？）= Are you coming?
• Anta wa ima doko?（あんたは今どこ？）= Where are you now?

Formal ways to say ‘you’ 

If you aren’t referring to a person by title or using a formal honorific, a more formal option for “you” is sochira. Literally, it’s a Japanese demonstrative pronoun that means “over there,” but in polite situations, it can refer to the person you’re talking to.

• Sochira wa ikaga desu ka?（そちらはいかがですか。）= How are you doing? (Alternatively: How are things over there?)

The exceptionally formal words kiden (“you”) and kisha (“your company”) are used in written correspondence, such as contracts and important business communication. You’re unlikely to see them outside of that context, but they’re worth knowing if you work in Japan.

Rude ways to say ‘you’ 

English has a colorful variety of ways to swear and be generally insulting, but Japanese is limited in that regard. Instead, the tone of what you’re saying is greatly influenced by the level of formality—or lack thereof—you use when referring to others. 

The Japanese words temee and kisama are the most offensive of the commonly used words for “you,” and you should avoid using them. In general, you’re most likely to hear them in Japanese pop culture media, like comic books or video games. 

• Urusai, temee.（うるさい、てめぇ。）= You’re so annoying.

Coming off as rude in Japanese can be as simple as being overly casual with someone. For example, the very casual omae and anta can be appropriate between two people who are close, but they are considered impolite if you aren’t close. Your boss is likely to be offended if you use omae for “you” when talking to them. 

Omitting Japanese words for ‘you’

Just like you can omit other Japanese pronouns in a sentence when the meaning is clear, you can omit “you” if it’s understood. That means instead of “you are” in Japanese, you would just say the verb “are.”

When you’re asking a question, it’s usually clear who the question is being posed to. If you’re talking directly to another person, you don’t need to add the person’s name or “you.” 

• Nani ga miemasu ka.（何が見えますか。）= What do you see? (Literally: What can be seen?)

Have you ever used the word “you” without meaning the specific person you’re talking to? That’s called an impersonal pronoun. Japanese doesn’t use the word “you” as an impersonal pronoun. Instead, the topic of a sentence goes in its place. 

The topic-marking particle wa (は) is used in a sentence to emphasize what you’re talking about; it doesn’t have to be the subject. In this example sentence, the Japanese particle wa is marking “in November” (jūichigatsu ni, 十一月に) as the topic.

• Jūichigatsu ni wa sukī o suru koto ga dekiru deshō.（十一月にはスキーをすることができるでしょう。）= You will be able to ski in November.

Although the impersonal pronoun “you” appears in the English translation, it’s not necessary in Japanese. The point of the statement is that skiing is possible in November.

Master ‘you’ in Japanese with Rosetta Stone

When you’re not sure what “you” to use, either use the person’s name in the third person with an appropriate honorific, their title (e.g., sensei for teachers), or anata if you don’t know their name or their position. If you’re sincere and pay attention to social cues, you’ll learn how to use the right “you” in Japanese through practice.

Because the usage of “you” in Japanese is so closely related to the formality of a conversation, learning each usage in context is the best way to remember them. With Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method, you can use new vocabulary in relevant sentences (paired with audio recorded by native speakers) right away to learn new languages like Japanese.

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