When you talk about someone as the subject of a sentence, you’ll use a subject pronoun to replace the noun. Japanese subject pronouns function in much the same way as in English. You have several Japanese pronouns to choose from for yourself and others, but you won’t have to worry about subject-verb agreement in Japanese or about learning object pronouns!
Included here are the common pronouns you need to know and how to use them depending on the formality of a situation. Examples show you how Japanese pronouns fit in a sentence when they’re the subject, and you’ll see when you don’t need to use them at all.
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What are Japanese subject pronouns?
Like in English, Japanese subject pronouns (shukaku daimeishi, 主格代名詞) are a type of pronoun (one of the nine Japanese parts of speech) that replace the nouns performing the action described by the verb of a sentence.
Japanese has a wide selection of pronouns for “I” and “you,” each with their own nuances, but these are the most useful.
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | English |
| 私 | watashi | wah-tah-shee | I (general, polite) |
| 僕 | boku | boh-koo | I (masculine, neutral) |
| あなた | anata | ah-nah-tah | you (polite) |
| 君 | kimi | kee-mee | you (neutral/casual) |
| 彼 | kare | kah-reh | he |
| 彼女 | kanojo | kah-noh-joh | she |
| ～ら | ~ra | rah | casual plural suffix (we; you all; they) |
| ～たち | ~tachi | tah-chee | polite plural suffix (we; you all; they) |
Using subject pronouns is as easy as using any other subject. Subjects in Japanese word order go at the beginning of the sentence, usually followed by the Japanese particles that identify the topic (wa, は) or the subject (ga, が). When subject pronouns are used, they usually go before wa or ga.
- Watashi wa akai hon o motte imasu.（私は赤い本を持っています。）= I have a red book.
- Watashi ga utaimasu. Soshite, anata ga gitaa o ensou shimasu.（私が歌います。そして、あなたがギターを演奏します。）= I will sing, and you will play the guitar.
When to use each of the Japanese subject pronouns
Grammatically speaking, each subject pronoun usually fits into a sentence the same way. Because the verb conjugation doesn’t change, applying different pronouns to a sentence is easy.
However, some nuances still exist. Use these example sentences to get a feeling for when each pronoun is appropriate.
Watashi is a general, polite ‘I’
The standard first-person subject pronoun in Japanese is watashi. It’s gender neutral, polite (although you can also use it in casual conversations), and the most universal way to refer to yourself.
- Watashi wa kodomo no toki kara nihon ni sunde imasu.（私は子供の時から日本に住んでいます。）= I have lived in Japan since I was a baby.
- Tsuma to watashi wa kekkon shite kara sanjūgo nen ni narimasu.（妻と私は結婚してから三十五年になります。）= My wife and I have been married for thirty-five years.
Boku is a masculine, polite ‘I’
Boku is a masculine first-person subject pronoun that boys and men use as an alternative for watashi. It’s slightly more informal than watashi, but it can still be used in both polite and casual situations.
- Boku wa goji sanjuppun ni shuppatsu suru hikōki ni norimasu.（僕は五時三十分に出発する飛行機に乗ります。）= I am taking the flight that departs at five thirty p.m.
- Boku wa beddo kara tobiorita!（僕はベッドから飛び降りた！）= I jumped off the bed!
Anata is a polite ‘you’
If you don’t know a person’s name or title and you need to use a second-person pronoun, anata is the standard polite option.
- Itsuka, anata wa se ga takaku naru deshō.（いつか、あなたは背が高くなるでしょう。）= Someday you will be tall.
- Anata wa oishasan desu ka.（あなたはお医者さんですか。）= Are you a doctor?
It’s more common to refer to people you’re talking to in the third person by using their name or title, so you’re more likely to use the third person or no pronoun at all than use anata. Overusing second-person pronouns like anata can come off as rude and aggressive.
- Tanaka san wa oishasan desu ka.（田中さんはお医者さんですか。）= Are you a doctor? (Literally: Is Mr./Ms. Tanaka a doctor?)
- Oishasan desu ka.（お医者さんですか。）= Are you a doctor? (Literally: Are [you] a doctor?)
Kimi is a neutral ‘you’
Kimi is a more familiar form of the second-person pronoun “you,” but it’s still appropriate in both polite and casual situations depending on who you’re talking to.
If you choose to use kimi instead of the person’s name or omitting the subject entirely, reserve it for people who are either at or below your social level (in other words, don’t use it for superiors like your boss). Understanding how your language fits into social relationships at work is a great way to make a strong first impression.
- Kimi wa doko no shusshin desu ka.（君はどこの出身ですか。）= Where are you from?
- Kimi wa nani o shiteiru?（君は何をしている？）= What are you doing?
Kare is the pronoun for ‘he’
Use the subject pronoun kare to refer to boys and men. It’s neither formal nor informal, and it can be used at any level of formality.
- Kare wa Furansu no shusshin desu.（彼はフランスの出身です。）= He is from France.
- Kare wa nansai desu ka.（彼は何歳ですか。）= How old is he?
Another term for “he” is kareshi (彼氏), but be careful with this one, as it also means “boyfriend.” When you use kareshi as a subject pronoun, it usually refers to someone’s boyfriend.
- Kareshi wa ai ni kita.（彼氏は会いに来た。）= He came to see me. (Alternatively: My boyfriend came to see me.)
As with second-person pronouns, it’s better to use the person’s name than a pronoun, but it’s less rude than repeatedly using pronouns for “you.”
Kanojo is the pronoun for ‘she’
Kanojo is the second-person subject pronoun for “she” in Japanese. Like kare, it’s a neutral word that can be used to refer to girls and women in both polite and casual conversations.
- Kanojo wa shigoto ni ikimasu.（彼女は仕事に行きます。）= She is going to work.
- Kanojo wa juppun de kono hon o yomu koto ga dekimasu.（彼女は十分でこの本を読むことができます。）= She can read this book in ten minutes.
Perhaps confusingly, kanojo also means “girlfriend.” When you use it to mean “she,” make sure it’s clear who you’re talking about. If it’s unclear, it may sound like you’re referring to your girlfriend rather than another person. In the below example, it should be obvious that you’re referring to someone specific (such as someone that you’ve already been talking about in the conversation).
- Kanojo wa yūmei desu.（彼女は有名です。）= She is famous. (Alternatively: My girlfriend is famous.)
How and when to use ~tachi and ~ra to make Japanese pronouns plural
Rather than specific plural pronouns for “we,” “you all,” and “they,” Japanese has two main pluralizing suffixes that make singular pronouns plural.
Both ~tachi (～たち or ～達) and ~ra (～ら or ～等) can go at the end of a pronoun to make that pronoun plural. It essentially adds “and the others” to the pronoun.
Because ~tachi is more formal than ~ra, some pronouns are more commonly used with one than the other. While it’s technically possible to use either suffix with any pronoun, the wrong combination can come off sounding slightly odd.
Use suffix ~tachi for polite situations and for ‘she’
The suffix ~tachi is the suffix you’ll add to pronouns that are more polite or neutral like watashi (“I”), anata (polite “you”), and kimi (casual or neutral “you”). If you’re not sure which suffix is appropriate for your situation, default to ~tachi.
- Watashitachi wa isha desu.（私たちは医者です。）= We are doctors. (Literally: The others and I are doctors.)
For the third-person pronoun kanojo (“she”), ~tachi is preferable to ~ra.
- Kanojotachi wa kaite imasu.（彼女たちは書いています。）= They are writing. (Literally: She and the others are writing)
Use suffix ~ra for casual situations and for ‘he’
The more casual way to make pronouns plural is to add ~ra to the end. It works best in casual situations, like if you’re using boku (masculine “I”) or kimi (casual or neutral “you”) among friends.
- Bokura wa daijōbu da yo.（僕らは大丈夫だよ。）= We’re okay. (Literally: The others and I are okay.)
When you use kare (“he”), it’s more common to add ~ra than ~tachi regardless of the formality of the situation.
- Karera wa oyoide imasu.（彼らは泳いでいます。）= They are swimming. (Literally: He and the others are swimming.)
Use Japanese demonstrative pronouns as the subject pronoun ‘it’
Japanese doesn’t have a direct translation for the pronoun “it.” Instead, you use demonstrative pronouns in Japanese, which are closer to “this” or “that.”
Japanese demonstrative pronouns generally revolve around words that start with the same sounds:
- ko~ (こ～): this [thing/person/place, etc.]
- so~ (そ～): that [thing/person/place, etc.]
- a~ (あ～): that [thing/person/place, etc.] over there
If you use a pronoun to replace an object, it will be one of those pronouns (usually sore, or “that”).
- Sore wa akai desu.（それは赤いです。）= It is red. (Literally: That is red.)
Japanese sentences that omit the subject entirely (and therefore subject pronouns) can also translate the implied subject as “it.” For example, the second sentence below doesn’t include the subject (chūgoku no dōbutsu) at all.
- Kore wa chūgoku no dōbutsu desu. Demo, chūgokugo o hanashimasen.（これは中国の動物です。でも、中国語を話しません。）= This animal is from China. It does not speak Chinese.
Japanese subject pronouns vs. object pronouns
Keep in mind that Japanese subject pronouns and object pronouns (mokuteki daimeishi, 目的格代名詞) are identical in Japanese grammar. Object pronouns replace the noun being acted on by the verb.
For example, “he” is a subject pronoun while “him” is an object pronoun in English. In Japanese, they’re the same word: kare.
- Kare wa hashitte imasu.（彼は走っています。）= He is running.
- Sensei wa kare ni nōto o agemashita.（先生は彼にノートをあげました。）= The teacher gave a notebook to him.
Verb conjugation does not change based on pronoun
Conveniently, Japanese verb conjugation is the same regardless of pronoun. No matter what your subject is (including whether it’s singular or plural), the verb will conjugate the same way.
- Kare wa ryōri shite imasu.（彼は料理しています。）= He is cooking.
- Kanojo wa ryōri shite imasu.（彼女は料理しています。）= She is cooking.
- Karera wa ryōri shite imasu.（彼らは料理しています。）= They are cooking.
When not to use Japanese pronouns at all
Japanese subjects (including subject pronouns) are often omitted from sentences entirely. This usually happens when the subject is obvious from context.
For example, consider this exchange where there is no subject, let alone subject pronouns:
- Genki desu ka.（元気ですか。）= How are you? (Literally: [Are you] doing well?)
- Genki desu.（元気です。）= I am fine. (Literally: [I am] doing well.)
It’s safe to assume that these two people are talking directly to each other, so it’s obvious that the question is directed at “you,” while the second person knows that they’re responding for themself (“I”).
In particular, try to avoid using “you” in Japanese when possible. It’s better to use the person’s name or title or no subject at all, as long as your meaning is still clear.
You can use an appropriate subject pronoun if necessary, but if it’s already clear who you’re talking about, including the subject can feel clunky and overly wordy, and it can put unnecessary emphasis on the person being discussed.
Key takeaways for Japanese subject pronouns
The nice thing about Japanese subject pronouns that makes them easy to remember is that they’re the same as the corresponding object pronouns. If you learn the larger category of second-person pronouns, one word will suffice where English might have multiple.
Carry these key takeaways with you as you prepare how to learn Japanese:
- Japanese subject pronouns are the same as Japanese second-person pronouns (including object pronouns).
- Add suffixes ~ra (casual) and ~tachi (polite) to make singular subject pronouns plural (“we,” “you all,” and “they”).
- Verb conjugations do not change based on the subject pronoun in Japanese.
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