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Japanese pronouns#List of Japanese personal pronouns

{{Short description|Words in Japanese that substitute for a noun or noun phrase}}

{{More citations needed|date=February 2023}}

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Japanese {{nihongo|pronouns|代名詞|daimeishi}} are words in the Japanese language used to address or refer to present people or things, where present means people or things that can be pointed at. The position of things (far away, nearby) and their role in the current interaction (goods, addresser, addressee, bystander) are features of the meaning of those words. The use of pronouns, especially when referring to oneself and speaking in the first person, vary between gender, formality, dialect and region where Japanese is spoken.

According to some Western grammarians, pronouns are not a distinct part of speech in Japanese, but a subclass of nouns, since they behave grammatically just like nouns.{{cite book|quote=The Japanese words corresponding to the personal pronouns of European languages are simply nouns whose original significations are in most cases perfectly clear, and which are indeed still often used with those significations. They answer to such English expressions as 'your humble servant' (meaning 'I').|chapter=Chapter IV. The Pronoun|page=13 |title=A Simplified Grammar of the Japanese Language|last=Chamberlain|first=Basil Hall|year=1886}}{{cite book|quote=The Japanese substitutes for the Personal Pronouns of Western languages are merely nouns which by process of time have become pronominal, and their discussion as separate parts of speech is merely to suit the convenience of the foreign student.|chapter=The Pronoun|page=16|title=Hossfeld's Japanese Grammar|publisher=Hirschfeld Brothers|year=1904|last=Weintz |first=Henry John}}{{cite book|quote=The distinction of person which holds so prominent a place in the Aryan languages has little place in Japanese. The verb has no grammatical inflections to indicate person, and although there are words which correspond in meaning to the personal pronouns of other languages, their grammar is the same as that of nouns, and the idea of placing them in a separate class has not even suggested itself to the native grammarians.|page=49|chapter=Pronouns|title=A Grammar of the Japanese Written Language|last=Aston|first=William George |edition=3rd|year=1904}}{{cite book|quote=Japanese pronouns are a class of nouns. Thus, the rules governing the use of pronouns are the same as those of nouns as shown below: |page=191|chapter=Pronouns|title=Handbook of Modern Japanese Grammar|last=Matsuoka McClain|first=Yoko|year=1981|publisher=The Hokuseido Press}} Among Japanese grammarians, whether pronouns should be considered a distinct {{nihongo|part of speech|品詞|hinshi}} has varied. Some considered them distinct,{{cite book|language=Japanese|title=語學新書|last=Tsurumine|first=Shigenobu|year=1831|volume=1}}{{efn|Of the {{nihongo|nine parts of speech|九品|kyūhin}}, there were {{nihongo|nouns|實體言／ヰコトバ|zittaigen/wikotoba}} and {{nihongo|pronouns|代名言／カヘコトバ|daimeigen/kahekotoba}}.}}{{cite book|language=Japanese|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/1857597/1/19|title=小學日本文典|volume=2|last=Tanaka|first=Yoshikado|year=1874}}{{efn|Of the {{nihongo|seven parts of speech|七品詞|shichihinshi}}, there were {{nihongo|nouns|名詞／ナコトバ|meishi/nakotoba}} and {{nihongo|pronouns|代名詞／カハリコトバ|daimeishi/kaharikotoba}}.}}{{cite book|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/1129527/1/22|language=Japanese|page=7|title=新文典別記 上級用|last=Hashimoto|first=Shinkichi|publisher=Fuzanbō|year=1935}}{{efn|Of the {{nihongo|nine parts of speech|九品詞|kyūhinshi}}, there were {{nihongo|nouns|名詞|meishi}} and {{nihongo|pronouns|代名詞|daimeishi}}.}} while others thought they were only nouns.{{cite book|last=Ōtsuki|first=Fumihiko|language=Japanese|year=1897|title=廣日本文典|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/992497/1/5}}{{efn|Of the {{nihongo|eight parts of speech|八品詞|happinshi}}, there were only {{nihongo|nouns|名詞|meishi}}, while {{nihongo|proper nouns|固有名詞|koyūmeishi}}, {{nihongo|pronouns|代名詞|daimeishi}} and {{nihongo|numerals|數詞|sūshi}} were their subclass.}}{{cite book|last=Matsushita|first=Daizaburō|language=Japanese|year=1927|title=改撰標凖日本文法|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/1225783/1/113}}{{efn|Of the {{nihongo|five parts of speech|五品詞|gohinshi}}, there were only {{nihongo|nouns|名詞|meishi}}, while {{nihongo|pronouns|代名詞|daimeishi}} were their subclass.}} The {{nihongo||学校文法|gakkō bunpō|{{lit|school grammar}}}} of today has followed Iwabuchi Etsutarō's model,{{cite thesis|last=Morita|first=Shingo|date=26 July 2021|language=Japanese|title=「学校文法」成立過程における指導内容の生成と収斂|degree=Doctor of Philosophy in Education|url=https://tsukuba.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/2000707/files/DB02992.pdf|publisher=University of Tsukuba|id=10.15068/0002000707}} which does not recognize pronouns as a distinct part of speech, but merely a subclass of nouns (see {{slink|Japanese grammar|Different classifications}}).

Use and etymology

In contrast to present people and things, absent people and things can be referred to by naming; for example, by instantiating a class, "the house" (in a context where there is only one house) and presenting things in relation to the present, named and sui generis people or things can be "I'm going home", "I'm going to Hayao's place", "I'm going to the mayor's place", "I'm going to my mother's place" or "I'm going to my mother's friend's place". Functionally, deictic classifiers not only indicate that the referenced person or thing has a spatial position or an interactional role but also classify it to some extent. In addition, Japanese pronouns are restricted by a situation type (register): who is talking to whom about what and through which medium (spoken or written, staged or in private). In that sense, when a male is talking to his male friends, the pronoun set that is available to him is different from those available when a man of the same age talks to his wife and, vice versa, when a woman talks to her husband. These variations in pronoun availability are determined by the register.

In linguistics, generativists and other structuralists suggest that the Japanese language does not have pronouns as such, since, unlike pronouns in most other languages that have them, these words are syntactically and morphologically identical to nouns.{{Cite journal |last=Noguchi |first=Tohru |title=Two types of pronouns and variable binding |journal=Language |volume=73 |pages=770–797 |year=1997 |issue=4 |doi=10.1353/lan.1997.0021|s2cid=143722779 }}{{Cite book |last=Kanaya |first=Takehiro |script-title=ja:日本語に主語はいらない |title=Nihongo ni shugo wa iranai |trans-title=In Japanese subjects are not needed|publisher=Kodansha |year=2002}} As functionalists point out, however, these words function as personal references, demonstratives, and reflexives, just as pronouns do in other languages.{{Cite book |last1=Akiyama |first1=Nobuo |last2=Akiyama |first2=Carol |title=Japanese Grammar |publisher=Barron's Educational |year=2002 |isbn=0764120611}}{{Cite thesis |last=Ishiyama |first=Osamu |title=Diachronic Perspectives on Personal Pronouns in Japanese |type=Ph.D. |publisher=State University of New York at Buffalo |year=2008}}

Japanese has a large number of pronouns, differing in use by formality, gender, age, and relative social status of speaker and audience. Further, pronouns are an open class, with existing nouns being used as new pronouns with some frequency. This is ongoing; a recent example is {{Nihongo||自分|jibun|'self'}}, which is now used by some young men as a casual first-person pronoun.

Pronouns are used less frequently in the Japanese language than in many other languages,Maynard, Senko K. An Introduction to Japanese Grammar and Communication Strategies, page 45. The Japan Times, 4th edition, 1993. {{ISBN|4-7890-0542-9}} mainly because there is no grammatical requirement to include the subject in a sentence. That means that pronouns can seldom be translated from English to Japanese on a one-to-one basis.

The common English personal pronouns, such as "I", "you", and "they", have no other meanings or connotations. However, most Japanese personal pronouns do. Consider for example two words corresponding to the English pronoun "I": {{nihongo krt||私|watashi}} also means "private" or "personal". {{nihongo krt||僕|boku}} carries a masculine impression; it is typically used by males, especially those in their youth.{{Cite web|url=http://nihonshock.com/2009/11/the-many-ways-to-say-i/|title=The many ways to say "I" in Japanese |website=nihonshock |access-date=2016-10-17}}

Japanese words that refer to other people are part of the encompassing system of honorific speech and should be understood within that context. Pronoun choice depends on the speaker's social status (as compared to the listener's) as well as the sentence's subjects and objects.

The first-person pronouns (e.g., {{nihongo krt||私|watashi}}) and second-person pronouns (e.g., {{nihongo krt||貴方|anata}}) are used in formal contexts (however the latter can be considered rude). In many sentences, pronouns that mean "I" and "you" are omitted in Japanese when the meaning is still clear.

When it is required to state the topic of the sentence for clarity, the particle {{nihongo krt||は|wa}} is used, but it is not required when the topic can be inferred from context. Also, there are frequently used verbs that imply the subject and/or indirect object of the sentence in certain contexts: {{nihongo||くれる|kureru}} means "give" in the sense that "somebody other than me gives something to me or to somebody very close to me". {{nihongo||あげる|Ageru}} also means "give", but in the sense that "someone gives something to someone other than me". This often makes pronouns unnecessary, as they can be inferred from context.

In Japanese, a speaker may only directly express their own emotions, as they cannot know the true mental state of anyone else.{{cn|date=November 2024}} Thus, in sentences comprising a single adjective (often those ending in {{lang|ja|-shii}}), it is often assumed that the speaker is the subject. For example, the adjective {{nihongo||寂しい|sabishii}} can represent a complete sentence that means "I am lonely". When speaking of another person's feelings or emotions, {{nihongo||寂しそう|sabishisō|'seems lonely'}} would be used instead. Similarly, {{nihongo||猫が欲しい|neko ga hoshii|'I want a cat'}}, as opposed to {{nihongo||猫を欲しがっている|neko wo hoshigatte iru|'seems to want a cat'}} when referring to others.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZuPKAgAAQBAJ&q=japanese+other+people%27s+emotions+%E3%81%9D%E3%81%86&pg=PA314|title=Nakama 1: Japanese Communication Culture Context|last1=Hatasa|first1=Yukiko Abe|last2=Hatasa|first2=Kazumi|last3=Makino|first3=Seiichi|publisher=Cengage Learning|year=2014|isbn=9781285981451|pages=314}} Thus, the first-person pronoun is usually not used unless the speaker wants to put a special stress on the fact that they are referring to themselves or if it is necessary to make it clear.

In some contexts, it may be considered uncouth to refer to the listener (second person) by a pronoun. If it is required to state the second person, the listener's surname, suffixed with {{nowrap|{{lang|ja|-san}}}} or some other title (like "customer", "teacher", or "boss"), is generally used.

Gender differences in spoken Japanese also create another challenge, as men and women refer to themselves with different pronouns. Social standing also determines how people refer to themselves, as well as how they refer to other people.

Most common Japanese first-person pronouns by speakers and situations according to Yuko Saegusa, [http://www.dbpia.co.kr/journal/articleDetail?nodeId=NODE01290792 Concerning the First Personal Pronoun of Native Japanese Speakers] (2009):

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+ First-person pronouns by elementary school pupils (2008)

! Speaker !! Situation !! First !! Second !! Third

rowspan="5" | Female

! To friends

| {{nihongo||うち|uchi}} 49% || First name 26% || {{nihongo||あたし|atashi}} 15%

In the family

| First name 33% || {{nihongo||あたし|atashi}} 29% || {{nihongo||うち|uchi}} 23%

In a class

| {{nihongo||わたし|watashi}} 86% || {{nihongo||あたし|atashi}} 7% || {{nihongo||うち|uchi}} 6%

To an unknown visitor

| {{nihongo||わたし|watashi}} 75% || colspan="2" | {{nihongo||あたし|atashi}}, first name, {{nihongo||うち|uchi}} 8% each

To the class teacher

| {{nihongo||わたし|watashi}} 66% || First name 13% || {{nihongo||あたし|atashi}} 9%

rowspan="5" | Male

! To friends

| {{nihongo||おれ|ore}} 72% || {{nihongo||ぼく|boku}} 19% || First name 4%

In the family

| {{nihongo||おれ|ore}} 62% || {{nihongo||ぼく|boku}} 23% || Others (not including {{nihongo||うち|uchi}}) 9%

In a class

| {{nihongo||ぼく|boku}} 85% || {{nihongo||おれ|ore}} 13% || First name, nickname 1% each

To an unknown visitor

| {{nihongo||ぼく|boku}} 64% || {{nihongo||おれ|ore}} 26% || First name 4%

To the class teacher

| {{nihongo||ぼく|boku}} 67% || {{nihongo||おれ|ore}} 27% || First name 3%

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+ First-person pronouns by university students (2009)

! Speaker !! Situation !! First !! Second !! Third

rowspan="5" | Female

! To friends

| {{nihongo||うち|uchi}} 39% || {{nihongo||あたし|atashi}} 30% || {{nihongo||わたし|watashi}} 22%

In the family

| {{nihongo||あたし|atashi}} 28% || First name 27% || {{nihongo||うち|uchi}} 18%

In a class

| {{nihongo||わたし|watashi}} 89% || {{nihongo||あたし|atashi}} 7% || {{nihongo||じぶん|jibun}} 3%

To an unknown visitor

| {{nihongo||わたし|watashi}} 81% || {{nihongo||あたし|atashi}} 10% || {{nihongo||じぶん|jibun}} 6%

To the class teacher

| {{nihongo||わたし|watashi}} 77% || {{nihongo||あたし|atashi}} 17% || {{nihongo||じぶん|jibun}} 7%

rowspan="5" | Male

! To friends

| {{nihongo||おれ|ore}} 87% || {{nihongo||うち|uchi}} 4% || {{nihongo||わたし|watashi}}, {{nihongo||じぶん|jibun}} 2% each

In the family

| {{nihongo||おれ|ore}} 88% || colspan="2" | {{nihongo||ぼく|boku}}, {{nihongo||じぶん|jibun}} 5% each

In a class

| {{nihongo||わたし|watashi}} 48% || {{nihongo||じぶん|jibun}} 28% || {{nihongo||ぼく|boku}} 22%

To an unknown visitor

| {{nihongo||ぼく|boku}} 36% || {{nihongo||じぶん|jibun}} 29% || {{nihongo||わたし|watashi}} 22%

To the class teacher

| {{nihongo||じぶん|jibun}} 38% || {{nihongo||ぼく|boku}} 29% || {{nihongo||わたし|watashi}} 22%

List of Japanese personal pronouns

The list is incomplete, as there are numerous Japanese pronoun forms, which vary by region and dialect. This is a list of the most commonly used forms. "It" has no direct equivalent in Japanese (though in some contexts the demonstrative pronoun {{nihongo||それ|sore}} is translatable as "it"). Also, Japanese does not generally inflect by case, so, I is equivalent to me.

class="wikitable sortable"
Romaji

!Hiragana

!Kanji

!Level of speech

!Gender

!Notes

colspan=6 | first-person singular (I/me)
watashi

|わたし

|私

|formal/informal

|both

|In formal or polite contexts, this is gender neutral; in casual speech, it is typically only used by women. Use by men in casual contexts may be perceived as stiff.

watakushi

|わたくし

|私

|very formal

|both

|The most formal personal pronoun. Outdated curriculums did not provide for any other kind of pronoun in everyday speech for foreigners, except for watakushi.Nechaeva, L. T. {{lang|ru|Японский язык для начинающих}} [Japanese for beginners], 2001, Moscow Lyceum, {{ISBN|5-7611-0291-9}} However, in modern student books, such a pronoun has been withdrawn from use.Maidonova S.V. {{lang|ru|Полный Курс Японского Языка}} [Complete Japanese course], 2009, Astrel, {{ISBN|978-5-17-100807-9}}

ware

|われ

|我, 吾

|very formal

|both

|Used in literary style writing. Also used as rude second person in western dialects.

waga

|わが

|我が

|very formal

|both

|Means "my" or "our". Used in speeches and formalities; {{nihongo krt

我が社|waga-sha}} (our company) or {{nihongo krt我が国|waga-kuni}} (our country).
{{vanchor|ore}}

|おれ

|俺

|informal

|males

|Frequently used by men. Establishes a sense of "masculinity". Can be seen as rude depending on the context. Emphasises one's own status when used with peers and with those who are younger or of lesser status. Among close friends or family, its use conveys familiarity rather than "masculinity" or superiority. It was used also by women until the late Edo period and still is in some dialects. Also oi in Kyushu dialect.

{{vanchor|boku}}

|ぼく

|僕

|formal/informal

|males

|Used by males of all ages; very often used by boys; can be used by females but then carries tomboyish or feminist connotations. Perceived as humble, but can also carry an undertone of "feeling young" when used by males of older age. Also used when casually giving deference; "servant" uses the same kanji ({{nihongo

僕|shimobe}}). Can also be used as a second-person pronoun toward male children (English equivalent – "kid" or "squirt").
washi

|わし

|儂

|formal/informal

|mainly males

|Often used in western dialects and fictional settings to stereotypically represent characters of old age. Also wai, a slang version of washi in the Kansai dialect.

jibun

|じぶん

|自分

|neutral

|mainly males

|Literally "oneself"; used as either reflexive or personal pronoun. Can convey a sense of distance when used in the latter way. Also used as casual second-person pronoun in the Kansai dialect.

ore-sama

|おれさま

|俺様

|informal

|mainly (fictional) males

|"My esteemed self", "Mr. I". Used in fiction by very self-important or arrogant characters,{{Cite book |last=Maynard |first=Senko K. |title=Fluid orality in the discourse of Japanese popular culture |date=2016 |isbn=978-90-272-6713-9 |location=Amsterdam |publisher=John Benjamins |pages=226 |oclc=944246641}} or humorously.

atai

|あたい

|私

|very informal

|females

|Slang version of {{nihongo krt

あたし|atashi}}.[http://www.jref.com/language/japanese_personal_pronouns.shtml "Personal pronouns in Japanese"]. Japan Reference. Retrieved on October 21, 2007
atashi

|あたし

|私

|informal

|females (but see notes)

|A feminine pronoun that strains from {{nihongo krt

わたし|watashi}}. Rarely used in written language, but common in conversation, especially among younger women. It was formerly used by male members of the merchant and artisan classes in the Edo area and continues to be used by male rakugo performers.
atakushi

|あたくし

|私

|informal

|females

|A feminine pronoun that strains from {{nihongo krt

わたくし|watakushi}}.
uchi

|うち

|家, 内

|informal

|mostly females

|Means "one's own". Often used in western dialects especially the Kansai dialect. Generally written in kana. Plural form uchi-ra is used by both genders. Singular form is also used by both sexes when talking about the household, e.g., {{nihongo

|uchi no neko|'my/our cat'}}, {{nihongo|uchi no chichi-oya|'my father'}}; also used in less formal business speech to mean "our company", e.g., {{nihongo|uchi wa sandai no rekkāsha ga aru|'we (our company) have three tow-trucks'}}).
(own name)

|

|

|informal

|both

|Used by small children and young women; considered cute and childish.

{{vanchor|oira}}

|おいら

|俺等, 己等

|informal

|males

|Similar to {{nihongo krt

俺|ore}}, but more casual. Evokes a person with a rural background, a "country bumpkin".
{{vanchor|ora}}

|おら

|俺等

|informal

|both

|Dialect in Kanto and further north. Similar to {{nihongo krt

おいら|oira}}, but more rural. Also ura in some dialects.
wate

|わて

|

|informal

|both

|Dated Kansai dialect. Also ate (somewhat feminine).

shōsei

|しょうせい

|小生

|formal, written

|males

|Used among academic colleagues. Lit. "your pupil".{{Cite web|url=http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=22618#comment-1505689|website=Language Log |title=Japanese first-person pronouns}}

colspan=6 | second-person singular (you)
(name and honorific)

|

|

|formality depends on the honorific used

|both

|

anata

|あなた

|貴方, 貴男, 貴女

|formal/informal

|both

|The kanji are very rarely used. The only second-person pronoun comparable to English "you", yet still not used as often in this universal way by native speakers, as it can be considered having a condescending undertone, especially towards superiors.[http://www.sf.airnet.ne.jp/ts/japanese/pronoun.html 8.1. Pronouns] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322140018/http://www.sf.airnet.ne.jp/ts/japanese/pronoun.html |date=22 March 2018 }} sf.airnet.ne.jp Retrieved on October 21, 2007{{Better source needed |reason="Teach yourself Japanese" is a self-published web site. |date=June 2012}} For expressing "you" in formal contexts, using the person's name with an honorific is more typical. More commonly, anata may be used when having no information about the addressed person; also often used as "you" in commercials, when not referring to a particular person. Furthermore, commonly used by women to address their husband or lover, in a way roughly equivalent to the English "dear".

anta

|あんた

|貴方

|informal

|both

|Contraction of {{nihongo

あなた|anata}}. Can express contempt, anger or familiarity towards a person. Generally seen as rude or uneducated when used in formal contexts.
otaku

|おたく

|お宅, 御宅

|formal, polite

|both

|A polite way of saying "your house", also used as a pronoun to address a person with slight sense of distance. Otaku/otakki/ota turned into a slang term referring to a type of geek/obsessive hobbyist, as they often addressed each other as otaku.

omae

|おまえ

|お前

|very informal

|both

|Similar to anta, but used by men with more frequency. Expresses the speaker's higher status or age, or a very casual relationship among peers. Often used with {{nihongo

おれ|ore}}. Very rude if said to elders. Commonly used by men to address their wife or lover, paralleling the female use of anata.
temē, temae

|てめえ,
てまえ

|手前

|rude and confrontational

|mainly males

|Literal meaning "the one in front of my hand". Temē, a reduction of temae, is more rude. Used when the speaker is very angry. Originally used for a humble first person. The Kanji are seldom used with this meaning, as unrelated to its use as a pronoun, 手前 can also mean "before", "this side", "one's standpoint" or "one's appearance".

kisama

|きさま

|貴様

|extremely hostile and rude

|mainly males

|Historically very formal, but has developed in an ironic sense to show the speaker's extreme hostility / outrage towards the addressee.

kimi

|きみ

|君

|informal

|both

|The kanji means "lord" (archaic) and is also used to write {{nowrap|-kun.{{Cite web|url=http://kanjidict.com/demo/541b.html |title=old boy |publisher=Kanjidict.com |access-date=2012-05-07}}}} Informal to subordinates; can also be affectionate; formerly very polite. Among peers typically used with {{nihongo

僕|boku}}. Often seen as rude or assuming when used with superiors, elders or strangers.
kika

|きか

|貴下

|informal, to a younger person

|both

|

kikan

|きかん

|貴官

|very formal, used to address government officials, military personnel, etc.

|both

|

on-sha

|おんしゃ

|御社

|formal, used to the listener representing your company

|both

|Only used in spoken language.

ki-sha

|きしゃ

|貴社

|formal, similar to onsha

|both

|Only used in written language as opposed to onsha.

colspan=6 | third-person singular (he / she)
ano kata

|あのかた

|あの方

|very formal

|both

|Sometimes pronounced ano hou, but with the same kanji. 方 means "direction", and is more formal by avoiding referring to the actual person in question.

ano hito

|あのひと

|あの人

|neutral

|both

|Literally "that person".

yatsu

|やつ

|奴

|informal

|both

|A thing (very informal), dude, guy.

koitsu, koyatsu

|こいつ, こやつ

|此奴

|very informal, implies contempt

|both

|Denotes a person or material nearby the speaker. Analogous to "he/she" or "this one".

soitsu, soyatsu

|そいつ, そやつ

|其奴

|very informal, implies contempt

|both

|Denotes a person or material nearby the listener. Analogous to "he/she" or "that one".

aitsu, ayatsu

|あいつ, あやつ

|彼奴

|very informal, implies contempt

|both

|Denotes a person or (less frequently) material far from both the speaker and the listener. Analogous to "he/she" or "that one".

colspan=6 | third-person singular masculine (he)
kare

|かれ

|彼

|formal (neutral) and informal (boyfriend)

|both

|Can also mean "boyfriend". Formerly {{nihongo

彼氏|kareshi}} was its equivalent, but this now always means "boyfriend".{{Citation needed|reason=The last part is WP:TRUE, and the first part seems like a logical extrapolation, but lacking a source that's WP:OR.|date=August 2021}} Literally meaning "that one", in classical Japanese it could mean "he", "she", or "it".Haruo Shirane (2005). Classical Japanese: A Grammar. Columbia University Press. p. 256
colspan=6 | third-person singular feminine (she)
kanojo

|かのじょ

|彼女

|formal (neutral) and informal (girlfriend)

|both

|Originally created in the 19th century as an equivalent to female pronouns in European languages. Initially pronounced kano onna, it literally means "that female".{{Cite web |url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%BD%BC%E5%A5%B3-465534|title=彼女とは}} Can also mean "girlfriend".{{Cite web|url=http://kanjidict.com/demo/5f7c.html |title=he |publisher=Kanjidict.com |access-date=2012-05-07}}

colspan="6" style="text-align:center;"| first-person plural (we) (see also list of pluralising suffixes, below)
ware-ware

|われわれ

|我々

|formal

|both

|Mostly used when speaking on behalf of a company or group.

ware-ra

|われら

|我等

|informal

|both

|Used in literary style. ware is never used with -tachi.

hei-sha

|へいしゃ

|弊社

|formal and humble

|both

|Used when representing one's own company. From a Sino-Japanese word meaning "low company" or "humble company".

waga-sha

|わがしゃ

|我が社

|formal

|both

|Used when representing one's own company.

colspan="6" style="text-align:center;"| third-person plural (they) (see also list of pluralising suffixes, below)
kare-ra

|かれら

|彼等

|common in spoken Japanese and writing

|both

|

=Archaic personal pronouns=

class="wikitable"
Romaji

!Hiragana

!Kanji

!Meaning

!Level of speech

!Gender

!Notes

asshi

|あっし

|私

|I

|

|males

|Slang version of watashi. From the Edo period.

sessha

|せっしゃ

|拙者

|I

|

|males

|Used by samurai during the feudal ages (and often also by ninja in fictionalised portrayals). From a Sino-Japanese word meaning "one who is clumsy".

wagahai

|わがはい

|我が輩, 吾輩

|I

|

|males

|Literally "my fellows; my class; my cohort", but used in a somewhat pompous manner as a first-person singular pronoun.

soregashi

|それがし

|某

|I

|

|males

|Literally "So-and-so", a nameless expression. Similar to sessha.

warawa

|わらわ

|妾

|I

|

|females

|Literally "child". Mainly used by women in samurai families. Today, it is used in fictional settings to represent archaic noble female characters.

wachiki

|わちき

|

|I

|

|females

|Used by geisha and oiran in Edo period. Also {{nihongo

あちき|achiki}} and {{nihongoわっち|wacchi}}.
yo

|よ

|余, 予

|I

|

|males

|Archaic first-person singular pronoun.

chin

|ちん

|朕

|We

|

|both

|Used only by the Emperor, mostly before World War II.

maro

|まろ

|麻呂, 麿

|I

|

|males

|Used as a universal first-person pronoun in ancient times. Today, it is used in fictional settings to represent Court noble male characters.

onore

|おのれ

|己

|I or you

|

|males

|The word onore, as well as the kanji used to transcribe it, literally means "oneself". It is humble when used as a first-person pronoun and hostile (on the level of {{nihongo krt

てめえ|temee}} or {{nihongokrtてまえ|temae}}) when used as a second-person pronoun.
kei

|けい

|卿

|you

|

|males

|Second-person pronoun, used mostly by males. Used among peers to denote light respect, and by a superior addressing his subjects and retainers in a familiar manner. Like {{nihongo krt

君|kimi}}, this can also be used as an honorific (pronounced as {{nihongo krtきょう|kyou}}), in which case it's equivalent to "lord/lady" or "sir/dame".
nanji

|なんじ

|汝, less commonly also 爾

|you, often translated as "thou"

|

|both

|Spelled as {{nihongo krt

なむち|namuchi}} in the most ancient texts and later as {{nihongo krtなんち|nanchi}} or {{nihongo krtなんぢ|nanji}}.
onushi

|おぬし

|御主, お主

|you

|

|both

|Used by elders and samurai to talk to people of equal or lower rank. Literally means "master".

sonata

|そなた

|其方 (rarely used)

|you

|

|both

|Originally a mesial deictic pronoun meaning "that side; that way; that direction"; used as a lightly respectful second-person pronoun in previous eras, but now used when speaking to an inferior in a pompous and old-fashioned tone.

sochi

|そち

|其方 (rarely used)

|you

|

|both

|Similar to {{nihongo krt

そなた|sonata}}. Literally means "that way". (Sochira and kochira, sometimes shortened to sotchi and kotchi, are still sometimes used to mean roughly "you" and "I, we", e.g. kochira koso in response to thanks or an apology means literally "this side is the one" but idiomatically "no, I (or we) thank/apologise to you"; especially common on the telephone, analogous to phrases like "on this end" and "on your end" in English. Kochira koso is often translated as "me/us, too" or "likewise" – it is certainly a reciprocation gesture, but sometimes a little more.)

Suffixes

Suffixes are added to pronouns to make them plural.

class="wikitable"
Romaji

!Hiragana

!Kanji

!Level of speech

!Notes

tachi

|たち

|達

|informal; examples:

  • {{nihongo krt
僕達|boku-tachi}}
  • {{nihongo krt
    		• 私達|watashi-tachi}}
  • {{nihongo krt
    		• あなた達|anata-tachi}}
  • {{nihongo krt
    		• 君達|kimi-tachi}}

    |Also can be attached to names to indicate that person and the group they are with (Ryuichi-tachi = "Ryuichi and friends").

    kata,
    gata

    |かた,
    がた

    |方

    |formal (e.g. {{nihongo krt

    		あなた方|anata-gata}})

    |More polite than {{nihongo krt

    		達|tachi}}. gata is the rendaku form.
    domo

    |ども

    |共

    |humble (e.g. {{nihongo krt

    		私ども|watakushi-domo}})

    |Casts some aspersion on the mentioned group, so it can be rude. domo is the rendaku form.

    ra

    |ら

    |等

    |informal (e.g. {{nihongo krt

    		彼ら|karera}}. {{nihongo krt俺ら|ore-ra}}. {{nihongo krt奴ら|yatsu-ra}}. {{nihongo krtあいつら|aitsu-ra}})

    |Used with informal pronouns. Frequently used with hostile words. Sometimes used for light humble as domo (e.g. {{nihongo krt

    		私ら|watashi-ra}}).

    Demonstrative and interrogative pronouns

    Demonstrative words, whether functioning as pronouns, adjectives or adverbs, fall into four groups. Words beginning with {{nowrap|ko-}} indicate something close to the speaker (so-called proximal demonstratives). Those beginning with {{nowrap|so-}} indicate separation from the speaker or closeness to the listener (medial), while those beginning with {{nowrap|a-}} indicate greater distance (distal). Interrogative words, used in questions, begin with {{nowrap|do-.}}

    Demonstratives are normally written in hiragana.

    class="wikitable"
    Romaji

    !Hiragana

    !Kanji

    !Meaning

    kore

    |これ

    |此れ

    |this thing / these things (close to the 1st person)

    sore

    |それ

    |其れ

    |that thing / those things (close to the 2nd person)

    are

    |あれ

    |彼れ

    |that thing / those things (far from both the 1st and 2nd persons)

    dore

    |どれ

    |何れ

    |which thing(s)?

    kochira or kotchi

    |こちら / こっち

    |此方

    |this / here (close to the 1st person)

    sochira or sotchi

    |そちら / そっち

    |其方

    |that / there (close to the 2nd person)

    achira or atchi

    |あちら / あっち

    |彼方

    |that / there (far from both the 1st and 2nd persons)

    dochira or dotchi

    |どちら / どっち

    |何方

    |what / where

    When a Japanese speaker uses ko-, so- and a- forms, they are not necessarily considering spatial distance, but also psychological, temporal and topical distance.Daijirin

    For more forms, see Japanese demonstratives on Wiktionary.

    Other interrogative pronouns include {{nihongo krt||何 なに|nani|'what?'}} and {{nihongo krt||誰 だれ|dare|'who(m)?'}}.

    Reflexive

    Japanese has only one word corresponding to reflexive pronouns such as myself, yourself, or themselves in English. The word {{Nihongo|自分||jibun}} means "one's self" and may be used for some animals, including humans. It is not used for cold-blooded animals or inanimate objects.{{Better source needed|reason=Assuming this isn't a Wikipedian's error but rather an accurate reflection of the source, this is wrong, but it can't be fixed with the citation attached unless someone has access to the source. Mizukara and onore are both clearly reflexive pronouns, and there might be others worth noting (jishin, while not a pronoun according to Japanese grammar, is used similarly to how Xself is used in English).|date=August 2021}}

    Old Japanese pronouns

    Each Old Japanese pronoun has a "long" form that ends in -re, and a "short" form without -re. When combining with a genitive particle, the short forms of personal pronouns, as well as animate nouns, notably combined only with ga, while demonstratives (ko, so, (k)a) and inanimate nouns combined with no, only with ga in limited circumstances; in contrast, modern Japanese pronouns (many of which were originally nouns) and nouns only combine with no. The short forms are used with ga and in compounds, while the long forms are used independently.{{cite book |last=Frellesvig|first=Bjarke |title=A History of the Japanese Language|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2010 |chapter=Part I: Old Japanese}}

    class="wikitable"

    |+ Old Japanese personal pronouns

    !Person

    !Long form

    !Short form

    !Genitive form

    1st

    |(w)are
    "I/me"

    |(w)a

    |(w)a-ga
    "my/mine"

    2nd

    |nare
    "thou/thee"

    |na

    |na-ga
    "thy/thine"

    3rd

    |

    |si

    |si-ga
    "his/her(s)"

    |tare
    "who(m)"

    |ta

    |ta-ga
    "whose"

    Of these, tare evolved into modern dare, whose genitive form is simply dare-no. Ta-ga is sometimes used for literary effect, for example in the Japanese title of {{nihongo|For Whom the Bell Tolls|誰がために鐘は鳴る|Ta-ga Tame-ni Kane-wa Naru}}. Ware is often used in fiction, and wa-ga in fixed expressions, such as {{nihongo krt||我が国|wa-ga kuni|'my/our country'}}.

    Genitive forms, when combining with a noun that began in a vowel, may fuse with it. For example, wa-ga "my" + imo "sister" → wa-gimo "my sister"; wa-ga + ipe1 "house" → wa-gipe1 "my house" (wa-gie in modern Japanese).Daijirin

    class="wikitable"

    |+ Old Japanese demonstratives

    !Type

    !Long form

    !Short form

    !Genitive form

    Proximal (close to the 1st person)

    |kore

    |ko

    |ko-no

    Mesial (close to the 2nd person)

    |sore

    |so

    |so-no

    Distal (far from both the 1st and 2nd persons)

    |kare

    |ka

    |ka-no

    These demonstratives largely survived intact into modern Japanese. Kare came to be used as a gender-neutral third-person personal pronoun, and eventually used to translate masculine third-person pronouns specifically in European languages ("he/him"), while ka-no was used to create kanojo and to translate feminine pronouns ("she/her").{{cite book|last=Frellesvig|first=Bjarke|title=A History of the Japanese Language|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2010|chapter=Part IV: Modern Japanese}}

    The modern pronouns ''kanojo'' and ''kareshi''

    The third-person feminine pronoun, {{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼|かの}}{{ruby-ja|女|じょ}}|kanojo}}, had not existed until sometime around the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the beginning of the Meiji era.Nihon Kokugo Daijiten Prior to this, the distal demonstrative pronoun {{nihongo||彼|kare, are|{{lit|that}} (locationally, someone or something far from both the 1st and 2nd persons)}} was used as a gender-neutral personal pronoun.{{cite book|script-title=ja:日本語文法大辞典|language=ja|editor-last=Yamaguchi|editor-first=Akiho|editor-last2=Akimoto|editor-first2=Morihide|publisher=Meiji Shoin|date=1 March 2001}}{{cite web |url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%BD%BC%E5%A5%B3-465534|script-title=ja:彼女 |website=コトバンク}}

    彼女 started out as a mere shortened spelling of the phrase {{nihongo||かのをんな|ka-no wonna}}, which could be spelt in full as {{ruby-ja|彼|か}}の{{ruby-ja|女|をんな}}, literally simply means "that female person", and is composed of the genitive form of kare, ka-no, and the noun wonna (now onna). Although not being a pronoun in a lexicographic sense, this phrase can be used pronominally like modern expressions such as {{nihongo||あの人|a-no hito|{{lit|that person}}}} or {{nihongo||あの者|a-no mono|{{lit|that individual}}}} for the singular "they/them", {{nihongo||あの男|a-no otoko|{{lit|that male person}}}} for "he/him", and of course, {{nihongo||あの女|a-no onna|{{lit|that female person}}}} for "she/her". The pronunciation of this phrase was consistently listed as {{nihongo||カノヲンナ|ka-no wonna}} across various pronunciation dictionaries for elementary students during the Meiji era.{{cite book |language=ja |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/867967/1/4|page=3 |title=改正小𭓕讀本字引|editor=師範学校|editor-first2=Genpei|editor-last2=Ban|publisher=Akashi Chūshichi |date=May 1875}}{{cite book|language=ja|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/810965/1/24 |page=20|title=小學入門小學讀本字引|editor-last=Nishino|editor-first=Kokai|publisher=弘成堂|date=November 1875}}{{cite book|language=ja |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/811084/1/21 |page=6|title=地理初歩小學讀本字引|editor-last=Nishino|editor-first=Kokai|publisher=萬笈閣|date=February 1876}}{{cite book|language=ja |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/868332/1/22 |page=18|title=小𫝯讀本字引|editor-last=Fujii|editor-first=Suiben|publisher=甘泉堂|date=May 1876}}{{cite book|language=ja|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/868338/1/8 |page=5|title=小𫝯讀本字引|editor-last=三宅|editor-first=秀一|publisher=森本太助|date=June 1876}}{{efn|Also {{nihongo||アノヲンナ|a-no wonna}}.|name=also-ano}}{{cite book|language=ja |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/867937/1/4 |page=3|title=改正小學讀本字引|editor-last=Emoto|editor-first=Kahee|publisher=𮎰川藤兵衛|date=November 1878}}{{efn|Spelt {{nihongo||カノオンナ|ka-no onna}}. Also {{nihongo||ヒジヨ|hizyo}}.}}{{cite book|language=ja |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/867943/1/6 |page=3|title=改正小學讀本字引|editor-last=Sugiyama|editor-first=Yoshitoshi|publisher=東崖堂|date=March 1879}}{{efn|Also {{nihongo||アノムスメ|a-no musume|{{lit|that daughter/girl}}}}.}}{{cite book|language=ja |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/867959/1/6 |page=5|title=改正小學讀本字引|editor-last=藤井|editor-first=幸三郎|date=November 1882}}{{cite book|language=ja|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/868327/1/7 |page=7|title=小學讀本字引|editor-last=名和|editor-first=喜七|publisher=池善平|date=June 1884}}{{cite book|language=ja|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/868295/1/5 |page=3|title=小學讀本字引|editor-last=朝野|editor-first=泰彥 |publisher=正文書堂|date=March 1886}} The earliest exception was the 1876 dictionary {{nihongo||改正小學讀本字引|Kaisei Syougaku Tokuhon Zibiki}} by 田中𦤺知, which listed {{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼|カノ}}{{ruby-ja|女|ジヨ}}　ムカウニヰルムスメ|KA-NO ZYO Mukau-ni wiru musume|{{lit|THAT FEMALE-PERSON: The girl who is way over there}}}}.{{cite book|language=ja |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/867946/1/4 |date=December 1876|title=改正小學讀本字引|editor-last=田中|editor-first=𦤺知|publisher=内藤半七|page=3}}{{efn|{{nihongo||ムカウニヰルムスメ|Mukau-ni wiru musume}} would be spelt in modern Japanese as {{nihongo||向こうにいる娘|mukō-ni iru musume}}. This gloss is very literal in that it conveys the demonstrative meaning of kare and ka-no as referring to persons or things physically far away from both the 1st and 2nd persons, rather than the abstract pronomimal usage of such expression as "that female person."}} It has been suggested that the editor may have simply used ka-no zyo (now kanojo) for novelty back when {{nihongo||女|jo}} was still commonly used as a free noun. This unique pronunciation was listed in a few later dictionaries.{{cite book|language=ja |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/867957/1/10 |page=7|title=改正小學讀本字引|editor=濱眞砂|publisher=藤森平五郎|date=July 1879}}{{efn|name=also-ano}}{{cite book|language=ja |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/868296/1/7 |page=5|title=小學讀本字引|editor-last=伊藤|editor-first=頴男|publisher=文海堂 |date=September 1882}}{{cite book|language=ja |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/868305/1/8 |page=6|title=小學讀本字引|editor-last=北川|editor-first=正兵衛|publisher=濱本三郎|date=March 1884}} The same aforementioned dictionaries and more also listed {{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼|カノ}}{{ruby-ja|男|ヲトコ}}|ka-no wotoko|{{lit|that male person}}}},{{cite book|language=ja |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/810965/1/44 |page=40|title=小學入門小學讀本字引|editor-last=Nishino|editor-first=Kokai|publisher=弘成堂|date=November 1875}}{{cite book|language=ja |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/867967/1/11|page=10 |title=改正小𭓕讀本字引|editor=師範学校|editor-first2=Genpei|editor-last2=Ban|publisher=Akashi Chūshichi|date=May 1875}}{{cite book|language=ja|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/868332/1/36 |page=32|title=小𫝯讀本字引|editor-last=Fujii |editor-first=Suiben|publisher=甘泉堂|date=May 1876}}{{efn|Spelt {{nihongo||カノオトコ|ka-no otoko}}.}}{{cite book|language=ja |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/868338/1/21 |page=5|title=小𫝯讀本字引|editor-last=三宅|editor-first=秀一|publisher=森本太助|date=June 1876}}{{efn|Also {{nihongo||アノヲトコ|a-no wotoko}}.}}{{cite book|language=ja|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/867937/1/12 |page=12|title=改正小學讀本字引|editor-last=Emoto|editor-first=Kahee|publisher=𮎰川藤兵衛|date=November 1878}}{{efn|Spelt {{nihongo||カノオトコ|ka-no otoko}}. Also {{nihongo||ヒナン|hinan}}.}}{{cite book|language=ja|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/867957/1/27 |page=24|title=改正小學讀本字引|editor=濱眞砂 |publisher=藤森平五郎|date=July 1879}} {{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼|カノ}}{{ruby-ja|者|モノ}}|ka-no mono|{{lit|that individual}}}}{{cite book |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/867910/1/24 |page=21|title=画入小學讀本字引|volume=4 and 5|editor-last=森口|editor-first=永太|publisher=濱本三郎 |date=September 1882|language=ja}}{{cite book|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/868481/1/54 |page=49|title=新撰小學讀本字引|editor-last=木村 |editor-first=敏|publisher=伊勢安右衞門|date=May 1883|language=ja}}{{cite book|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/868446/1/14 |page=12|title=畵入尋常小𭓕讀本字引|editor-last=大塚|editor-first=宇三郎|publisher=田中宋榮堂|date=December 1889|language=ja}}{{cite book |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/868450/1/10 |page=19|title=尋常小𭓕讀本字引|editor-last=竹田|editor-first=肇|publisher=竹田肇|date=March 1893 |language=ja}}{{efn|Also {{nihongo||アノモノ|a-no mono}}.}} and {{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼|カノ}}{{ruby-ja|人|ヒト}}|ka-no hito|{{lit|that person}}}}.{{cite book|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/868330/1/10 |page=7|title=小學讀本字引|volume=5|editor-last=原|editor-first=鐵城|publisher=有斐堂 |date=October 1876|language=ja}}{{cite book|language=ja|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/811084/1/170 |page=82|title=地理初歩小學讀本字引 |editor-last=Nishino|editor-first=Kokai|publisher=萬笈閣|date=February 1876}}{{cite book |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/868481/1/53 |page=48|title=新撰小學讀本字引|editor-last=木村|editor-first=敏|publisher=伊勢安右衞門|date=May 1883 |language=ja}}

    The phrase ka-no wonna (and its alternative ka-no zyo) rose to prominence due to Meiji writers' need to translate third-person feminine pronouns in European languages, such as she and her in English or elle and elles in French, which they eventually incorporated into their own writings. An 1871 French-Japanese dictionary translated elle as {{nihongo||彼女ハ。彼女ニ。夫|ka-no wonna-ha. ka-no wonna-ni. tuma|{{lit|that-Genitive case female-person-Topic and comment; that-{{sc|gen}} female-person-Dative case; spouse}}}}, and elles as {{nihongo||彼等|kare-ra|{{lit|those}}}};{{cite book|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/993771/1/76 |page=147|title=官許佛和辭典|trans-title=Nouveau dictionnaire français-japonais|location=Shanghai|year=1871|publisher=American Presbyterian Mission Press|translator=好樹堂|language=fr, ja|editor-last=Nugent|editor-first=M.}} an 1885 English-Japanese dictionary translated her as {{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼|カ}}ノ{{ruby-ja|女|ヲンナ}}。彼ノ女ニ。彼ノ女ヲ|ka-no wonna. ka-no wonna-ni. ka-no wonna-wo|{{lit|that-{{sc|gen}} female-person; that-{{sc|gen}} female-person-{{sc|dat}}; that-{{sc|gen}} female-person-Accusative case}}}},{{cite book |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/870085/1/129 |date=September 1885|page=247|title=英和正辭典|language=en, ja |publisher=Shosekikaisha |editor-last=Taki|editor-first=Hichizō|location=Ōsaka|trans-title=An English and Japanese Dictionary}} herself as {{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼女自身|カノヲンナジシン}}ニ|ka-no wonna zisin-ni|{{lit|that-{{sc|gen}} female-person self-Instrumental case}}}},{{cite book |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/870085/1/130 |date=September 1885 |page=248|title=英和正辭典|publisher=Shosekikaisha|editor-last=Taki |language=en, ja |editor-first=Hichizō|location=Ōsaka|trans-title=An English and Japanese Dictionary}} and she as {{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼女。雌|カノヲンナメス}}|ka-no wonna. mesu|{{lit|that-{{sc|gen}} female-person; female}}}}.{{cite book |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/870085/1/235 |date=September 1885|page=459|title=英和正辭典|publisher=Shosekikaisha|editor-last=Taki|language=en, ja |editor-first=Hichizō|location=Ōsaka |trans-title=An English and Japanese Dictionary}} In contrast, masculine pronouns such as he{{efn|{{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼|カレ}}ガ。彼ハ。{{ruby-ja|彼人|カレヒト}}ガ。|kare-ga. kare-ha. karehito-ga|{{lit|that-Nominative case; that-{{sc|top}}; that-person-{{sc|nom}}}}}}}}{{cite book |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/870085/1/128 |date=September 1885|page=244|title=英和正辭典 |language=en, ja |publisher=Shosekikaisha|editor-last=Taki|editor-first=Hichizō|location=Ōsaka|trans-title=An English and Japanese Dictionary}}/him{{efn|{{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼|カレ}}ヲ。{{ruby-ja|彼|カレ}}ニ|kare-wo. kare-ni|{{lit|that-{{sc|acc}}; that-{{sc|dat}}}}}}}}/his{{efn|{{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼|カレ}}ノ。{{ruby-ja|彼人|カレヒト}}ノ|kare-no. karehito-no|{{lit|that-{{sc|gen}}; that-person-{{sc|gen}}}}}}}},{{cite book |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/870085/1/130 |date=September 1885 |page=249|title=英和正辭典|language=en, ja |publisher=Shosekikaisha|editor-last=Taki|editor-first=Hichizō |location=Ōsaka|trans-title=An English and Japanese Dictionary}} il{{efn|{{nihongo||彼。其|kare; sore|{{lit|that (far from both the 1st and 2nd persons); that (close to the 2nd person)}}}}}}{{cite book|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/993771/1/111 |page=216 |title=官許佛和辭典|trans-title=Nouveau dictionnaire français-japonais|location=Shanghai |year=1871|publisher=American Presbyterian Mission Press|translator=好樹堂|language=fr, ja|editor-last=Nugent|editor-first=M.}}/ils{{efn|{{nihongo||彼等|kare-ra}}}},{{cite book|url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/993771/1/111|page=217 |title=官許佛和辭典|trans-title=Nouveau dictionnaire français-japonais|location=Shanghai|year=1871|publisher=American Presbyterian Mission Press|translator=好樹堂 |language=fr, ja|editor-last=Nugent|editor-first=M.}} etc. were translated with {{nihongo||彼|kare}}{{cite web |url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%BD%BC-420496|title=彼|website=コトバンク}} and {{nihongo||彼等|kare-ra}}.

    Kanojo, as a lexicalized pronoun, was first attested in literature in its written furigana-glossed form as {{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼|かの}}{{ruby-ja|女|じよ}}|kanozyo}}{{cite book |language=ja|title=當世書生気質|last=Tsubouchi|first=Shōyō|publisher=晩青堂|year=1885 |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/887427/1/10|page=15 |quote={{ruby-ja|彼女|かのじよ}}ハ{{ruby-ja|活潑|くわつぱつ}}だ。}} in the 1885 novel {{nihongo||當世書生気質|Tousei Syosei Katagi}} by Tsubouchi Shōyō. Meanwhile, Sudō Nansui (Mitsuaki) used {{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼女|シー}}|sī|{{lit|she}}}}{{cite book |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/886870/1/48 |year=1887 |last=Sudō |first=Mitsuaki |page=79|chapter=第五回　{{ruby-ja|幽|いう}}{{ruby-ja|爽|さう}}の{{ruby-ja|靈|れい}}{{ruby-ja|地|ち}}には{{ruby-ja|明|めい}}{{ruby-ja|媚|び}}なる{{ruby-ja|新|しん}}{{ruby-ja|晴|せい}}を{{ruby-ja|觀|み}}るべし|language=ja|title=新粧之佳人|publisher=正文堂 |location=Tōkyō|trans-title=The Ladies of New Style|quote={{ruby-ja|彼|シ}}{{ruby-ja|女|ー}}もまんざら{{ruby-ja|心|こ〱ろ}}のない{{ruby-ja|女|をんな}}でもあるまいから}} and {{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼|かの}}{{ruby-ja|女|をんな}}|ka-no wonna}}{{cite book |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/886870/1/124 |year=1887|last=Sudō|location=Tōkyō|first=Mitsuaki|language=ja |page=214|chapter=第十二回　{{ruby-ja|彫|てう}}{{ruby-ja|琢|たく}}の{{ruby-ja|美|うつ}}くしき{{ruby-ja|玉|たま}}は{{ruby-ja|妨|ばう}}{{ruby-ja|害|がい}}なく{{ruby-ja|轉|てん}}{{ruby-ja|輾|〱}}すべし|title=新粧之佳人|publisher=正文堂|trans-title=The Ladies of New Style}} in his 1887 novel {{nihongo|The Ladies of New Style|新粧之佳人|Sinsou no Kazin}}; and Futabatei Shimei used {{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼女|あれ}}|are|{{lit|that}}}} in his novel Ukigumo published in the same year.{{cite book |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/885481/1/32 |year=1887 |last=Futabatei |first=Shimei |page=38 |chapter=　{{ruby-ja|第|だい}}二{{ruby-ja|回|くわい}}　{{ruby-ja|風|ふう}}{{ruby-ja|變|かわ}}りな{{ruby-ja|戀|こひ}}の{{ruby-ja|初|はつ}}{{ruby-ja|峯|みね}}{{ruby-ja|入|いり}}　上|title=新扁浮雲|publisher=金港堂 |language=ja |quote=「{{ruby-ja|彼女|あれ}}に{{ruby-ja|何|なに}}したのぢやアないのか{{ruby-ja|知|し}}らね」}} As a phrase, ka-no wonna/ka-no zyo referred to female non-relatives, but as a pronoun, kanojo came to be used for female family members in literature, for example by Natsume Sōseki in his 1912 novel {{nihongo|To the Spring Equinox and Beyond|彼岸過迄|Higan Sugi-made}}, where a character refers to his mother as {{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼|かの}}{{ruby-ja|女|ぢよ}}|kanodyo}};{{cite book|quote={{ruby-ja|母|はゝ}}の{{ruby-ja|性|せい}}{{ruby-ja|格|かく}}は{{ruby-ja|吾|われ}}{{ruby-ja|々|〱}}が{{ruby-ja|昔|むかし}}から{{ruby-ja|用|もち}}ひ{{ruby-ja|慣|な}}れた{{ruby-ja|慈|じ}}{{ruby-ja|母|ぼ}}といふ{{ruby-ja|言|こと}}{{ruby-ja|葉|ば}}で{{ruby-ja|形|けい}}{{ruby-ja|容|よう}}さへすれば、{{ruby-ja|夫|それ}}で{{ruby-ja|盡|つ}}さてゐる。{{ruby-ja|僕|ぼく}}から{{ruby-ja|見|み}}ると{{ruby-ja|彼|かの}}{{ruby-ja|女|ぢよ}}は{{ruby-ja|此|この}}二{{ruby-ja|字|じ}}の{{ruby-ja|爲|ため}}に{{ruby-ja|生|うま}}れて{{ruby-ja|此|この}}二{{ruby-ja|字|じ}}の{{ruby-ja|爲|ため}}に{{ruby-ja|死|し}}ぬと{{ruby-ja|云|い}}つても{{ruby-ja|差|さし}}{{ruby-ja|支|つかへ}}ない。まことに{{ruby-ja|氣|き}}の{{ruby-ja|毒|どく}}であるが、{{ruby-ja|夫|それ}}でも{{ruby-ja|母|はゝ}}は{{ruby-ja|生|せい}}{{ruby-ja|活|くわつ}}の{{ruby-ja|滿|まん}}{{ruby-ja|足|ぞく}}を{{ruby-ja|此|この}}一{{ruby-ja|點|てん}}にのみ{{ruby-ja|集|しふ}}{{ruby-ja|注|ちゆう}}してゐるのだから、{{ruby-ja|僕|ぼく}}さへ{{ruby-ja|充|じう}}{{ruby-ja|分|べん}}の{{ruby-ja|孝|かう}}{{ruby-ja|行|かう}}が{{ruby-ja|出|で}}{{ruby-ja|來|き}}れば、{{ruby-ja|是|これ}}に{{ruby-ja|越|こ}}した{{ruby-ja|彼|かの}}{{ruby-ja|女|ぢよ}}の{{ruby-ja|喜|よろこ}}びはないのである。 |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/945372/1/158|pages=301–302|year=1912 |last=Natsume|first=Sōseki|publisher=Shun'yōdō|title=彼岸過迄 |chapter=須永の話 |language=ja|trans-title=To the Spring Equinox and Beyond|translator-last=Ochiai|translator-first=Kingo |translator-last2=Goldstein|translator-first2=Sanford|trans-chapter=Sunaga’s Story|trans-quote=My mother’s character can be described most easily as that of an affectionate mother. From my point of view, she is certainly a woman who was born for the sake of those two words and who will die for them. Actually, that makes me feel sorry for her, yet since her one satisfaction in life is concentrated on this one point, I realize that as long as I do what I should as a good son, she’ll find no greater delight than that.}}{{efn|Dyo (now jo) was the kan'on pronunciation of the kanji 女.}} the regular phrase {{nihongo||{{ruby-ja|彼|かの}}{{ruby-ja|女|をんな}}|ka-no wonna}} still occurs in reference to a different woman.{{cite book|quote={{ruby-ja|所|ところ}}が{{ruby-ja|今|いま}}{{ruby-ja|後|うしろ}}から{{ruby-ja|見|み}}た{{ruby-ja|女|をんな}}は{{ruby-ja|身|から}}{{ruby-ja|體|だ}}といひ{{ruby-ja|氣|き}}{{ruby-ja|分|ぶん}}といひ{{ruby-ja|比|ひ}}{{ruby-ja|較|かく}}{{ruby-ja|的|てき}}{{ruby-ja|沈|ちん}}{{ruby-ja|靜|せい}}して{{ruby-ja|兩|りやう}}{{ruby-ja|方|はう}}の{{ruby-ja|間|あひだ}}に{{ruby-ja|旨|うま}}く{{ruby-ja|調|てう}}{{ruby-ja|子|し}}が{{ruby-ja|取|と}}れてゐる{{ruby-ja|樣|やう}}に{{ruby-ja|思|おも}}はれた。{{ruby-ja|彼|かの}}{{ruby-ja|女|をんな}}は{{ruby-ja|先|さつ}}{{ruby-ja|刻|き}}と{{ruby-ja|違|ちが}}つて、{{ruby-ja|別|べつ}}{{ruby-ja|段|だん}}{{ruby-ja|姿|し}}{{ruby-ja|勢|せい}}を{{ruby-ja|改|あらた}}めるでもなく、そろ〱{{ruby-ja|步|ある}}き{{ruby-ja|出|だ}}すでもなく、{{ruby-ja|寶|はう}}{{ruby-ja|石|せき}}{{ruby-ja|商|しやう}}の{{ruby-ja|窓|まど}}へ{{ruby-ja|寄|よ}}り{{ruby-ja|添|そ}}ふでもなく、{{ruby-ja|寒|さむ}}さを{{ruby-ja|凌|しの}}ぎかねる{{ruby-ja|風|ふ}}{{ruby-ja|情|ぜい}}もなく、{{ruby-ja|殆|ほと}}んど{{ruby-ja|閑|かん}}{{ruby-ja|雅|が}}とでも{{ruby-ja|形|けい}}{{ruby-ja|容|よう}}したい{{ruby-ja|樣|やう}}{{ruby-ja|子|す}}をして、一{{ruby-ja|段|だん}}{{ruby-ja|高|たか}}くなつた{{ruby-ja|人|じん}}{{ruby-ja|道|だう}}の{{ruby-ja|端|はし}}に{{ruby-ja|立|たつ}}てゐた。 |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/945372/1/89 |page=162 |year=1912 |last=Natsume|first=Sōseki|publisher=Shun'yōdō|title=彼岸過迄 |chapter=停留所|language=ja|trans-title=To the Spring Equinox and Beyond |translator-last=Ochiai|translator-first=Kingo|translator-last2=Goldstein|translator-first2=Sanford|trans-chapter=At the Streetcar Stop|trans-quote=Yet observed from behind, her body and mood were well balanced, both being quieter now than they had been before. Unlike a short while ago, she now gave no indication that she was going to begin to walk slowly away or stand up against a shop window, nor did she show any sign of being chilled, standing as she was at the edge of the elevated pavement in a way that could only be described as elegant.}} At this point, the phrase ka-no wonna and the pronoun kanojo/kanodyo coexisted with different usages even in the same work. Kanojo eventually acquired its status as a lexicalized noun meaning "girlfriend" during the late Taishō era.

    The third-person masculine pronoun {{nihongo||彼氏|kareshi}} was coined during the early Shōwa era as an alternative to the once-gender-neutral {{nihongo||彼|kare}} and as the opposite to the feminine {{nihongo||彼女|kanojo}}. Its first written attestation as a pronoun is attributed to Tokugawa Musei's 1929 essay collection {{nihongo||漫談集|Mandanshū}};{{cite web|title=彼氏 |url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%BD%BC%E6%B0%8F-468384#w-468384|website=コトバンク}}Daijisen as a noun meaning "boyfriend", to Nagai Kafū's 1934 novel {{nihongo||ひかげの花|Hikage-no Hana}}.{{cite web|title=ひかげの花 |url=https://www.aozora.gr.jp/cards/001341/files/58076_63548.html|website=青空文庫|quote=「{{ruby-ja|母|かあ}}さんの{{ruby-ja|彼|かれ}}{{ruby-ja|氏|し}}……。」}} Morphologically, {{nihongo||彼氏|kareshi}} is composed of the aforementioned demonstrative-turned-personal pronoun {{nihongo||彼|kare}} and {{nihongo||氏|-shi}}, the latter of which is an honorific suffix to names, mostly male names, and can be translated as "Mr."Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary Kareshi was often used in a tongue-in-cheek way; compare the masculine and self-aggrandizing {{nihongo||俺様|ore-sama}}, which also consists of a pronoun ({{nihongo||俺|ore|"I/me"}}) and an honorific suffix ({{nihongo||様|-sama}}).

    See also

    Notes

    {{notelist}}

    References

    {{Reflist}}

    External links

    {{Wiktionary|Category:Japanese pronouns}}

    • [http://www.wa-pedia.com/language/japanese_personal_pronouns.shtml Japan Reference: Personal pronouns in Japanese]
    • [http://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/pronoun.html sci.lang.japan FAQ: Japanese pronouns]

    {{Japanese language}}

    {{Language pronouns}}

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    {{DEFAULTSORT:Japanese Pronouns}}

    Pronouns

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    Pronouns

    Category:Pronouns by language

    Pronouns