Pronoun Course

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Basic Course
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  • 9 lessons
  • 0 quizzes
  • 96 week duration

Pronoun Course

Lesson 1: I, We

In this lesson, I will teach you how to say “I” and “We” in Japanese.


If you are a male, You can use わたくしわたしぼくおれ to say “I”.

Explanation
わたくし
The most formal one. Only use in formal situation such as interview. (Both male and female can use it)
わたし
Less formal than わたくし, but it’s polite enough to use in an interview. (Both male and female can use it)
ぼく
ぼく can only be used by male. And in fact Japanese male usually use ぼく instead of わたし. But it is said it’s impolite to use ぼく to your superior. So you’d better use わたし to your superior, and use ぼく/おれ to your friends.
おれ
おれ can only be used by male. The least formal one.  You can only use it with your friends. 
I for Male

If you are a female, You can use わたくしわたし、あたし to say “I”.

Explanation
わたくし
The most formal one. Only use in formal situation such as interview. (Both male and female can use it)
わたし
Less formal than わたくし, but it’s polite enough to use in an interview. (Both male and female can use it)
あたし
can only be used by female. The least formal one.  You can only use it with your friends. 

As for the “We”, you can refer to below.

(The order is: The most polite … → The least polite). Usually, you can use わたしたち.

Pronoun
Male
わたくしども>わたくしたち>我々われわれわたしども>わたしたち>ぼくたち>ぼくら>おれたち>おれ
Female
わたくしども>わたくしたち>我々われわれわたしども>わたしたち>あたしたち>うちら

Examples:

わたし学生がくせいです。
I’m a student.

ぼく先生せんせいではない。
I’m not a teacher.

おれ天才てんさいだ。
I’m a genius.

わたしたちは観光かんこうきゃくです。
We are visitors.

ぼくらと関係かんけいない。
None of our business.
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