There’s not really ever a situation where わたし is going to be weird. All the others have that chance to them. If people want to plant that flag in the conversation, they can go for it.
I said I only use 私, right?
There’s not really ever a situation where わたし is going to be weird. All the others have that chance to them. If people want to plant that flag in the conversation, they can go for it.
I said I only use 私, right?
Oh, I see now. Well, that makes sense
Right! Thanks for taking the time to answer ^^
I don’t like the poll because it’s not one definite answer, right? I change between 私 and 俺 depending on the situation. But something I never use is 僕, that is for sure.
I attend university in Japanese, so most people around me are Japanese in their early twenties, I also share a room with other two Japanese guys, and all of them use 俺. Using anything other than that (with people you are close to and have no hierarchical relation) would feel incredibly weird.
Also the Japanese guys I date, even if we start more formal at the beginning, at the second date or a couple hours later everyone has became 俺 and that is totally fine. But I did find out that while my closest friends (not all classmates, tho) find it totally acceptable using お前 to each other, dating partners usually don’t, so I avoid it.
On formal situations I usually go for 私 (now and then I also use 自分), but I would say that I have one or two classmates who use 僕 for formal situations.
And I have asked my girlfriend what she thought about it. I wasn’t about to change what I use based on her answer, but she basically agreed with me that it would be weird if I used 僕 or 俺. Maybe it would stop being weird at some point. Maybe it’s just because she knew me using 私 for 6 months before it came up in conversation. If I get to native level, I’ll take the choices into consideration (i.e. probably won’t ever).
19, male.
I only speak Japanese with tandem patners, so I never had to use 私 yet. Instead I use 僕 (only if I have to). In a formal situation I would use 私, and sometimes 自分 to avoid beginning a sentence with 私は.
I don’t want to use 俺 before I start growing a beard.
im still a beginner when it comes to Japanese so I use 私 most often bc i hear it in anime and it’s the prime pronoun used in grammar examples. Sometimes I use おれ when 私 is too hard to say quickly
I’m a 25 (almost 26) year old female and I just use 私 (but try to omit first person pronouns when possible).
I like あたし cause it sounds so much cuter, but I just feel a little too old to be using it lol.
What I find interesting is that even native speakers tend evolve on this as they grow up and get older.
For example Ayane Sakura was a bit of tomboy and didn’t care for dresses when growing up. She referred to herself as 僕 and was made fun of by her school classmates.
OTH, Mayaa Uchida did the childish and girlish thing and referred to herself in the 3rd person.
That’s the way I feel about it too. In a related way my experience with native speakers is that I have to be very deliberate with my Japanese if I make a joke. Otherwise the assumption is that a made language error. I respect this as the intention is to not laugh at mistakes. I don’t have to do this to the same degree with people I’m closer to as they know me better.
I use 俺 when informal and 僕 when more formal.
I use 私 in most in-person situations when I don’t know someone and I’m trying to be polite. わたくし if I’m really using keigo. However, I use a smattering of 僕 or 俺.
僕 I use in conversations where I don’t need to be absolutely polite but I’m still at a distance (like some chat spaces, or everyday situations where I’m not at the bottom of the politeness chain), or with people I’m familiar with. It’s surprisingly versatile for my cases.
俺 is reserved for my friend in the Kansai area. That’s about all we use face-to-face.
I came across one guy who used わし seriously. He was a rather unpleasant fellow to be around.
One of the other foreign students in my class in Japan used it as well. It certainly surprised the teacher.
I use 私 in most situations: at work, meeting people for the first time, etc. 僕 with close friends and girlfriend.
I didn’t vote in the poll because the question is just too general. Everyday situations at home, at work, at school, with my buddies etc. would all change the use of the pronoun I would use. At work it’s usually going to be a mix of 私 and 僕 if I want to show deference to a superior or show a softer side to a coworker of the opposite sex. At home it’s usually 俺 or sometimes パパ. If I’m out with my buddies it’s probably going to be 俺. Sometimes it may depend more on my mood than the situation or who I’m talking to. Basically it is always changing.
Just mentioning that I accidentally answered the guys’ poll before noticing that there was a girls’ poll, too. So, my answer is 私 for the girls’ poll – please ignore my response to the guys’.
I use watashi in at school, atashi with friends. Although uchi sounds quite nice as well, I’ve been busy with kansaiben anyways.
I usually only use 私. あたし just feels weird to say. Maybe I’m too bashful for it? The formality and straightforwardness of 私 feels just right. My Japanese teacher has many qualms with うち (he’s like “Women referring to themselves as houses?! That’s sexist!”), so I never bother using it during verbal practice. Though it’s not like I really want to actually use it.
I have used 自分 a few times though. Mostly for when I want to hide my gender or sound mysterious. Works best on anonymous comments or things like that. Haven’t used 僕 and don’t feel the need to, personally.
23 y/o male who often sports a light beard. 私 for formal situations (boss, teacher maybe), 僕 for semi-casual (same level coworkers, people I’m not too familiar with, when I post a moment on HelloTalk), and 俺 for once I’ve become more familiar with people, like after having been their HelloTalk language partner for some time.
Generally, natives have told me that:
俺 can sound rough, but not necessarily. It’s especially appropriate for when you’re “cracking a cold one with the boys.” Not rude when used in appropriate situations. 僕 makes me sound like a little boy. Or someone nerdy/effeminate/scholarly perhaps. 私 makes me sound too feminine unless I’m talking to my boss or something and using it with friends can make me sound cold.
As for all the other miscellaneous stuff like 自分, わたくし, etc., sometimes as a joke or just if it feels right.
I use 俺. As a twenty-something male living in Japan, I quickly realized it’d almost be strange if I didn’t, excepting more formal situations.
I understand where people like Leebo are coming from, though, as far as it being a language flag. I view it more as a kind of very light character or situational awareness-indicator that can be considered at any level–it’s not like sonkeigo or teineigo or anything–so I say go with the flow and listen to how your peers use pronouns in various situations. But I can see that perspective as well.
I will say that when I’m unsure what the situation calls for, I go with 私, both because I’ve observed others doing the same and because it seems to make it clear I’m being deferential, where as 僕 might not.
I think foreign language instruction tends to make learners a little too fearful of 俺. Don’t use it if you’re really unsure, but it’s really not a rude word in casual situations, even among co-workers who aren’t directly above you. (At least it flies in school-settings between teachers; corporate environments may be different.) You don’t have to be some kind of super-jock to use it either.
I knew a French immigrant in my graduate writing program who was always thrilled with her ability to hide gender in English sentences, since it was something she couldn’t do in her native language. She admitted she was actually trying it a little too often in her writing.
Languages are funny stuff.
As a high-context language, though, Japanese is even better at “hiding” subjects (and objects, and times, and, and, and).