Questions tagged [pronouns]

代名詞. Words that substitute for a noun or noun phrase.

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118 questions
8
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4 answers

Is 僕 (boku) only appropriate for cisgendered men?

I'm enrolled in Japanese at my university, and we recently had a review of personal pronouns. The professor encourage us to understand and practice casual speech, and as part of that, to try finding personal pronouns that we feel comfortable with in…
5
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2 answers

Are first, second, and third person in Japanese all the same as in English?

Are first, second, and third person nominals in Japanese used in the same way as in English? What should English speakers keep in mind when considering the three persons in Japanese? Particularly for the second person, English you is used to…
Miguel
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3
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1 answer

「その」or「あの」or「この」to refer to what has been said?

In a conversation, when the speaker wants to refer to something that has been said, should he use 「その/それ」or「あの/あれ」or「この/これ」? Example 1 先週怖い新聞記事を見た。その/あの/この記事ではある男が人を傷つけて逃げたということが述べられていた。その/あの/この犯人はまだ見つかっていないようだ。 Example…
vincentlin
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2
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1 answer

How to address readers/viewers in an article or video?

How should one address readers or viewers in a published work? For example, it is common in English language articles and videos these days to end by asking the viewer to share their opinion in a reply or comment. Ex. "What do you think - do you…
duggulous
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2
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1 answer

How do I say "the other person"?

I want to write a small dialogue. How do I say "the other person says/answers etc."? Then, one said...and the other replied... When names are available I usually use those to indicate who says what, but when there are no names available, what do…
Narktor
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2
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2 answers

use of 〜ちゃん as a generic term

In a Shimajiro educational book I saw a line similar to this: ___ちゃんが知ってる乗り物は何ですか? (the actual one had less Kanji but you get the point) The question is why was ちゃん used here as a generic term. I thought ちゃん was used more for girls and くん for…
Locksleyu
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2
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1 answer

こちらの vs この when referring to something

Is there a actual usage difference between these two pronouns? Or is it simply that こちらの is more formal than この?
2
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1 answer

indefinite pronoun equivalent of "one" e.g. "one must...", "one might..."

What is the best way to formulate a natural equivalent in Japanese? From my experience, the most common way seems to be contextual inference. Pronoun dropping is obviously super common, but whether or not that is a way to do doesn't interest me;…
metasyn
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1
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0 answers

Which pronoun to use for a teacher addressing students

Which pronoun should I use as a teacher when I address my students? For instance, in this sentence "Please submit your essay on Monday" As far as I know, あなたたち sounds rude
Starckman
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1
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1 answer

Are there rules for when pronouns in Japanese can be omitted?

Are there rules for when pronouns in Japanese can be omitted or you learn that by experience only?
Pablo
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0
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1 answer

Why 誰か and not 誰?

I thought that 誰 meant 'who', such as in: 彼は誰ですか。'Who is he?' Then, why in this sentence it is 誰か ('someone') which is used and not 誰? 彼女が誰か知っていますか。'Do you know who she is ?'
Starckman
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How should say I: 僕、俺、私?

I want to know the difference among all the ways of saying I, both men and women. I know there are 私、僕 and 俺 for men; 私、あたし and うち for women; and also for elder people I've heard わしゅ. I'm not sure what's the diference of all these forms and I know…
Jaume
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