You’d think that saying “I” in Japanese would be pretty straightforward. A lot of times it is. But because Japanese has different levels of formality and words that are inherently masculine or feminine, it can get a bit more complicated.
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How to Say First person pronouns “I” in Japanese
First, I’ll put a chart of common ways to refer to yourself in Japanese(“I” in Japanese), and then we can break those down into a bit more detail.
| Word | Masculine or Feminine? | Formality Level | Do People Say It? |
| Watashi (私) | Neutral | Kind of in the middle | Yes |
| Boku (僕) | Masculine | Casual | Yes |
| Ore (俺) | Masculine | Casual | Yes |
| Uchi | Neutral | Casual | Yes |
| Watakushi (私) | Neutral | Formal | In certain situations |
| Kochira (こちら) | Neutral | Formal | In certain situations |
| Atashi (あたし) | Feminine | Casual (cutesy) | Not really |
| Jibun(自分) | Masculine | Casual | In certain situations |
Watashi and Friends
By far, the most common way to refer to yourself will be “watashi.” It’s the first word you learn to use for a reason. Everyone can use “watashi,” and it fits with pretty much any formality. I’ve heard it used in both formal and casual contexts.
“Watashi” is particularly good for feminine speakers because there aren’t as many options when you want to sound feminine, and it works in so many situations.
If you aren’t sure which word to use, pick “watashi.” It always works.
Looking further down on the chart, you might notice that “watakushi” has the same kanji (私). “Watakushi” is also gender-neutral, but it’s the more formal version of “watashi.” This is good if you want to add that extra bit of formality, especially if you are speaking in a business context.
There are also a lot of shortened versions of “watashi,” including “washi.” These are usually used by older men in super casual context. So if you aren’t a Japanese jii-chan, I’d suggest avoiding these ones.
Let’s Get Casual
Masculine speakers have a few options for casual conversation.
“Boku” is commonly used in more casual conversation, but also when speaking to someone of higher status than you. “Boku” is a word that puts the speaker (you) at a lower level than the person you’re addressing. A lot of guys will use this when they want their speaking to be softer.
The other masculine word used in casual conversations is “ore.” You’ll probably hear “boku” and “ore” both used regularly, but “ore” is used more when speaking to friends. While “boku” puts you below the person you address, “ore” puts you on the same level, or above them.
Both of these words are used all the time, so feel free to sprinkle them into your conversation (as long as you want to sound masculine).
For feminine speakers, “watashi” will work just fine, but you can also use the gender-neutral “uchi.” Although this one is gender-neutral, I mostly heard women use it. This is probably because masculine speakers can just use “boku” or “ore” and it’s fine. If you want to sound more casual and still be feminine, you can use this one. This one is also used a lot in the Kansai region.
One casual feminine word you may have heard (probably in anime, let’s be real) is “atashi.” It’s a cut off version of “watashi,” and it sounds super cutesy. So if you’re going for cutesy, you can say it. But in normal conversation, you probably won’t be using this.
You can also be cutesy (and a bit childish) by referring to yourself in the third person. I’ve only heard this from high school girls trying to sound really cute, so take that with a grain of salt.
How to Be Formal
For formal conversation, “watakushi” works just fine. But you can also refer to yourself as “kochira,” which is literally “this way.” This one is good in business context, because it can be used to mean “we, the company,” as well.
With “kochira,” you can take it back to informal by changing it to “kocchi,” and it can also mean either “I” or “we” depending on context.
If you want to get really formal, you can say “ware” (我), but it sounds a little weird because it’s rarely used.
Words to Not Use
If you study Classical Japanese literature, like I do, you’re going to run into a lot of out-of-date ways to refer to yourself. You’re not going to use these unless you’re really determined to sound like a samurai. If you are determined, I’m going to advise you to reconsider. Using these words in modern conversation is like saying “thee” and “thou” in normal English conversation.
You might see words like “wagahai” (我輩) and “sessha” (拙者), which are really fun to say, but they’ll sound super weird if you choose to go with those ones.
You’ll be better off if you choose to stick with the more common words listed above. And remember, when in doubt, use “watashi.”