Saying "You" in Japanese

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  • čas přidán 11. 11. 2023
  • How to say "you" in Japanese? You can use あなた, if you are criticizing someone. It is hard to judge when to use which second-person pronoun in Japanese. Even Japanese people have some trouble thinking "how should I call this person..." So in this video, I'm going to introduce to you different ways of calling "you" in Japanese so that you can judge by yourself what kind of "you" you should use.
    Support the channel at: / kanamenaito

Komentáře • 704

  • @damian_madmansnest
    @damian_madmansnest Před 6 měsíci +174

    - How to say ‘you’ in Japanese?
    - We don’t do that here.

  • @MSinclairStevens
    @MSinclairStevens Před 7 měsíci +2061

    When my younger brother visited me in Japan some shy elementary school kids called him “gaijin-san”. After he was friendly to them and posed for photos, they began addressing him as ojisan. I told him he’d gotten promoted from distant Mr. Foreigner to comfortable Uncle. This was 30 years ago in Miyazaki.

    • @sophovot5079
      @sophovot5079 Před 7 měsíci +261

      gaijin-san is really funny

    • @drewbabe
      @drewbabe Před 7 měsíci

      If American kids called a foreigner visiting "Mr. Foreigner" there'd be at least 3 helicopter families rushing in there accusing the teachers of making the kids racist and then a bunch of conservative pundits would try to make it the new culture war rofl

    • @DanielSHIRO
      @DanielSHIRO Před 7 měsíci +52

      Hello mr 50 year old experience person

    • @NorseGraphic
      @NorseGraphic Před 6 měsíci +10

      What about ‘Sir’ or ‘madam’? Do these words have a negative connotation in Japanese?

    • @cecilehonda2234
      @cecilehonda2234 Před 6 měsíci +57

      @@NorseGraphic 'Sir' or 'Madam' (aka 'さん' in Japanese) is the base in Japanese.

  • @indrabar
    @indrabar Před 7 měsíci +1314

    "Men of middle ages are difficult" .... a sentiment true no matter what country you are from.

    • @dogwalk3
      @dogwalk3 Před 7 měsíci +130

      that and "some people will be upset no matter what you do."
      nuggets of wisdom here 🤭

    • @MyOnlyYans
      @MyOnlyYans Před 6 měsíci +14

      Came here to post this 😂

    • @kitschking
      @kitschking Před 3 měsíci +1

      lol true

    • @languageteacher7558
      @languageteacher7558 Před 3 měsíci +2

      hahaha. woman of middle age are difficult xD with the extra added flavor of menopause

    • @washitokusei6801
      @washitokusei6801 Před 2 měsíci

      Middle aged women are still worse 😂

  • @andyyang5234
    @andyyang5234 Před 7 měsíci +58

    Came to learn Japanese, stayed for the drama.
    Will bring popcorn next time.

  • @Laverntempleton
    @Laverntempleton Před 7 měsíci +1211

    If Kaname-san wrote a TV drama I'd binge watch it for sure.
    His dialogues in these videos are so good.

    • @DaveLopez575
      @DaveLopez575 Před 7 měsíci +45

      Yes the dialogues are good and useful. More “every day” dialogues that teach more than what I have ever found on a Japanese lesson.

    • @jakoborrazor4059
      @jakoborrazor4059 Před 7 měsíci +27

      Shit, if he made a manga I’d illustrate it for him lmao

    • @andresmontero1122
      @andresmontero1122 Před 7 měsíci +15

      That last convo was spicy 🔥

    • @user-ug6gr8lj1d
      @user-ug6gr8lj1d Před 5 měsíci

      some dramas I couldn't stop watching 10 years ago:
      proposal daisakusen
      switch girl

    • @lilyofluck371
      @lilyofluck371 Před 4 měsíci

      ​@@andresmontero1122Exactly what I was thinking lol

  • @pvbaum1334
    @pvbaum1334 Před 7 měsíci +288

    this man could tell something completely wrong on purpose and i'd still follow his advice 💀

    • @geruto17760
      @geruto17760 Před 7 měsíci +10

      This man... 😅

    • @AshkanKiani
      @AshkanKiani Před 7 měsíci +45

      こいつ*

    • @zehanimohamedyoussef3736
      @zehanimohamedyoussef3736 Před 2 měsíci +11

      「こいつ」seems very rude ❌ ✖
      この男・この人・この方「かた」is the right way

  • @gymleaderbubbles
    @gymleaderbubbles Před 4 měsíci +24

    "Some people get offended no matter what you do" -- I couldn't agree more 😂

    • @Aabil11
      @Aabil11 Před 16 dny +1

      Not even in a Japanese context, this is true for the internet in general!

  • @mm-yt8sf
    @mm-yt8sf Před 7 měsíci +403

    a: call people by their name and suffix
    b: what if i don't know them?
    a: then why are you bothering them by talking to them? 🙂

    • @RT-qd8yl
      @RT-qd8yl Před 7 měsíci +49

      This is how I live my everyday life

    • @xemonkey
      @xemonkey Před 7 měsíci +9

      What about shopkeepers?

    • @kadoferusuraimu
      @kadoferusuraimu Před 7 měsíci +34

      I forget my friends’ names all the time; it would be awkward if I had to use them instead of “you,” but maybe that way I would stop forgetting their names.

    • @Spiriax
      @Spiriax Před 7 měsíci +25

      I'd just get their attention with an あのぉ and then say すみません etc, but you can use 店員さん in that moment (てんいんさん, pronounced "teinsan", despite the ん being there).

    • @candydream16
      @candydream16 Před 7 měsíci +11

      c: how do you know people without ever talking to them?

  • @TheJohnblyth
    @TheJohnblyth Před 7 měsíci +504

    I visited Japan recently for the first time (after 3+ years of self-directed study). In 2 weeks I only heard ‘anata’ once, from a young bookshop girl who was helping me-I’m a 67-year-old male, btw. Otherwise we all seemed to get on quite well without second-person pronouns (well, except for ‘o-kiaku-sama’.) I only very occasionally needed to use ‘boku’ (I couldn’t bring myself to say ‘watashi’ at all). I did find ‘sumimasen’, ‘suimasen’ and ‘anou’ very useful though. Eventually I realized that even ‘sumimasen’ is often unnecessary if I want to get through a crowd, whether on the train or on the sidewalk-people just seem to be aware of each other and give each other space without needing to be asked. Also hearing train announcements and reading signs made me feel that ‘kudasai’ was too unfriendly, and ‘onegaishimasu’ was maybe a bit closer to how I felt. Or have I unwttingly made numerous faux-pas? In any case, the witty dialogues and clear diction in these videos are wonderful models for learners like me, so I hope you can make many more of them. Thank you.

    • @kanamenaito
      @kanamenaito  Před 7 měsíci +381

      Japanese people tend to talk casually to non-Japanese-natives. Some people just talk in casual form when they talk to foreigners, partly because they think speaking in very polite form is difficult for them to understand, and partly because they think foreigners don’t demand that high standard of politeness like many Japanese people do. There might be differences in how they talk to you and how they talk to Japanese natives.

    • @iclicklike3397
      @iclicklike3397 Před 7 měsíci +62

      In my Japanese course, it says that ください is kind of assertive. It seems it is more for instructions from officials and such and in announcements like you said. Or where お願いします cannot be used. Even in English, if you want someone to move for you to go through, the "can I please get through?" feels kid of pushy.

    • @blasianking4827
      @blasianking4827 Před 7 měsíci +64

      The connotation of 'kudasai' and 'onegaishimasu' are kind of the different; both are polite but the latter tends to be more polite than the former, however they're not necessarily interchangeable.
      Kudasai is used when telling/asking someone to do something, it's like saying 'please do X'. Onegaishimasu can have a few meanings but in the context of telling someone to do something, it's a bit more like 'I kindly request that you do X', it's more passive and less commanding. I am oversimplifying but hey.

    • @bghost3636
      @bghost3636 Před 7 měsíci +24

      @@kanamenaito I noticed this immediately when I traveled around with my Japanese friends when I visited Japan for the first time. When I asked them, they didn't even realize they were doing it. I can kind of understand though, I think we all have little switches that we turn off or on during certain situations without consciously realizing it in our native languages.

    • @TheJohnblyth
      @TheJohnblyth Před 7 měsíci +8

      @@kanamenaito
      Ah, that make sense to me. My longest conversations did tend to get into casual form pretty quickly, and I tried to do that too, because it *is* easier :)

  • @mimisheean6648
    @mimisheean6648 Před 7 měsíci +350

    I was surprised to find out that Japanese doesn’t have the equivalents to “sir,” “ma’m,” “miss” and “young man.” So addressing strangers politely is challenging. I was told to just stick with すみません as Kaname-san says!

    • @yagruumbagaarn
      @yagruumbagaarn Před 7 měsíci +35

      Two of those do exist though...
      おにいさん young man
      おじょうさん miss

    • @phantomsinthemist
      @phantomsinthemist Před 7 měsíci +12

      Doesn't the first one mean brother, or am I remembering wrong?

    • @user-by9xu5kz5n
      @user-by9xu5kz5n Před 7 měsíci +14

      「おにいさん」「おにいちゃん」は自分の兄のことだったり、息子たちに呼びかける時に上の子のことを指す場合に使います。
      ただ、街を歩いてると
      👩👱🏽‍♀️「ちょっと、オニーサン、うちによってかない?」
      👴🏻「おっ、にいちゃん良い服を着てるねえ」
      と言われたりします。

    • @prezentoappr1171
      @prezentoappr1171 Před 7 měsíci +12

      ​@@phantomsinthemistit's pronoun avoidance, these kinship terms swapping are not obligatory to have blood related meaning, basically the phrase and concept of brother in arms, blood sworn brother in Yakuza game eg ani-bun kyoudai etc tho specific Yakuza game term would be actually anigo and anego.
      It's like a usual word in a dictionary entry vs the technical entry marked (botany) etc

    • @prezentoappr1171
      @prezentoappr1171 Před 7 měsíci +1

      ​@@phantomsinthemistexamples
      Pak Budi
      Bang Rudi
      Hyeong/Oppa Kim
      Yamamoto nii-san
      Tho there are suffix too for Korean and JP eg Jun-nim and Shirasaka-san

  • @BDRabbitHole
    @BDRabbitHole Před 6 měsíci +25

    As a Korean, this man is really helpful to learn Japanese and English at the same time. Additionally, the situations he's acting are hilarious 🤣

  • @Alina_the_Hedgehog
    @Alina_the_Hedgehog Před 7 měsíci +264

    When I learn something about Japan, I'm either impressed by how orderly everything is, or, like in this case, I'm shocked by how much you can do wrong in a short amount of time without meaning to do any harm. In German, it's only children calling strangers grandpa, aunt, etc., and we just have one informal an one formal pronoun for second person singular. In Japanese, there is much more nuance and caution involved in how to call someone else. In translation, that nuance has to be correctly analysed in order to produce a translation fitting for the character and the situation. As a future translator, I am, on the one hand, intrigued by, and, on the other hand, anxious of these issues.

    • @JustPlainRob
      @JustPlainRob Před 7 měsíci +59

      If you're not ethnically Japanese or your Nihongo is not that jouzu you will likely get the "gaijin pass" and they understand you're just learning. They won't be offended or think it's rude (but if you call someone "temee" they will probably think you watch too many yakuza movies).

    • @Alina_the_Hedgehog
      @Alina_the_Hedgehog Před 7 měsíci +7

      @@JustPlainRob It's true that I'm still learning but if I want to use Japanese for my future work as a translator, I should also learn how to do it correctly

    • @ssjkaryuusennin
      @ssjkaryuusennin Před 7 měsíci +20

      ​@@JustPlainRobWould this be friendly:
      "Oi, Temee nani shitendayo? Kusoyaro! Fuzakenna, buchi korosu konoyaro!"
      I picked this up in a documentary about tea ceremonies. Can I use that in Keigo?

    • @ssjkaryuusennin
      @ssjkaryuusennin Před 7 měsíci +5

      Tja, wie sagt man so schön. "Deutsche Sprache schwere Sprache, aber Japanisch ist nochmal eine andere Sache."

    • @Alina_the_Hedgehog
      @Alina_the_Hedgehog Před 7 měsíci +4

      @@ssjkaryuusennin Zum Sprachenlernen gehören aber nicht nur Sachen wie Vokabeln und Grammatik, sondern auch Kultur ;-)

  • @stevezodiacXL5
    @stevezodiacXL5 Před 7 měsíci +49

    I low-key studied Japanese for a few years, and you are right, we were taught that あなた is used between married couples etc. When I was in Japan, I tried to avoid it as much as possible, but I didn't have the skills to use the correct alternatives, so I used あなた-san!
    Of course that was well over a decade ago - back in those days, if I was sitting alone in an izakaya, someone or other would always talk to me - after they had had two or more beers! I could guarantee I'd have a conversation during the evening. At the time I was over 50 years of age - just a guy from England, travelling alone.
    But over the years, I saw the tourist numbers grow and grow, and for my most recent trips, no-one talks to us foreigners any more! There are too many of us - we are not a rarity now, so not as interesting to slightly drunk salarymen!
    I've said it before - I wish I had seen your lessons back then. They are so clear, and the examples are so relatable. Thank you.
    I may return for my 70th birthday (I have 6 temples still to visit to complete my second Henro trip round Shikoku, so visiting them, and getting my second complete pilgrimage, will be a nice way to round things off).

    • @joannagarcia2001
      @joannagarcia2001 Před 6 měsíci +2

      That makes me sad. I’m planning to go back to Japan next year and was hoping to be able to converse with some natives there. When I went in 2016, I was very lucky to have the person who sold me pocket WiFi at the airport show me how to use the trains. The only other interaction was with two little boys who told me I remind them of Taylor Swift 😂

    • @stevezodiacXL5
      @stevezodiacXL5 Před 6 měsíci +9

      @@joannagarcia2001
      But remember, I'm an old fart - people are not so inclined to talk to the likes of me!
      I've had some lovely encounters over the years - especially when hiking in rural areas. I remember sitting on a log for a rest, and the school day must have ended, because suddenly I was surrounded by little moppets wanting to know my name and where I was from. It was adorable!
      You may still get that sort of thing, but a lot of younger Western people do the pilgrim walk I did first in 2008 - when I walked for weeks without seeing anyone but Japanese people. I've been back to that island many times, and now I will see Western people *every day* walking the same path.

    • @JesusChrist2000BC
      @JesusChrist2000BC Před 6 měsíci +2

      It depends where you are at. Get out of Tokyo and it increases significantly.

    • @stevezodiacXL5
      @stevezodiacXL5 Před 6 měsíci +3

      @@JesusChrist2000BC
      First time I did the Shikoku Henro Pilgrimage, in 2008, I could walk for a couple of weeks without seeing any 'gaijin' (yes, I know I was one!), or speaking anything other than Japanese.
      I've been going back from time to time, just doing a few temples, but not even visiting Tokyo during the whole trip, and I was speaking to young people from all over the world EVERY DAY!
      And you don't get much more out in the sticks than up a mountain in Shikoku! ;-)
      Of course there are fewer outside of Tokyo - that would apply to anywhere really - Tokyo is the nearest thing you will get to a cosmopolitan city in Japan. Oh, and what about Kyoto? There are more people dressed in rental kimonos than there are Japanese people in the main shopping arcade! (forgot the name, runs along the top of Gion).

  • @waffleless
    @waffleless Před 7 měsíci +59

    Seems like I’ll need a full video on how to ask for a person’s name after I inevitably forget them.

    • @livannal.t.9068
      @livannal.t.9068 Před 7 měsíci +3

      HAHA😂🤣😂
      right and right!

    • @HaohmaruHL
      @HaohmaruHL Před 6 měsíci +13

      No need to. In Japan everyone's name is "Sumimasen" or "ano.."

  • @anubhavkumarc
    @anubhavkumarc Před 6 měsíci +15

    Thanks for including furigana, it really helped reading out the japanese as you were speaking

  • @MyLittleMagneton
    @MyLittleMagneton Před 7 měsíci +31

    It sounds like "anata" is very similar to someone using your full name in English.

    • @kariissmol9172
      @kariissmol9172 Před 7 měsíci +9

      So basically if your mother is screaming it up the stairs it's tome to run xD (possibly after seeing someone messed up)

    • @MamaAkina
      @MamaAkina Před 7 měsíci +11

      Right!!! Its completely the opposite here. I rarely get called even just my first name! It's hard for me to imagine being comfortable using people's names in place of "you" because it feels "too personal" to my english brain lol

    • @pauljordan4452
      @pauljordan4452 Před 22 dny +1

      German and Japanese both use the surname with a title - so it's actually less personal and more formal.

  • @nanakadog
    @nanakadog Před 7 měsíci +51

    当然ですが、相手と親しいかそうでもないか初対面か、相手が目上か目下か、くだけた場面か仕事などのフォーマルな場面か、などで言葉の使い方は大きく異なります。日本語の場合は「You」にあたる語が沢山あって使い分けされているところが英語と比べて独特かもしれませんね。
    「あなた」という言葉は複雑で理解しにくく、使うのがリスキーな言葉です。基本的に冷たい感じのする言葉で、親しい相手や初対面にはまず使いません。例外として、妻が夫に「あなた」と言うことはありますが2:00で言われてるように一般的なものではありません。フォーマルな言葉ではあるけどSirのような無難な言葉ではなくて失礼になりやすい言葉です。仕事で上司が部下に「あなた」と言うのは問題になりにくいと思います。0:15のように文句を言う時にも使います。英語のdudeなどのように言い方でニュアンスが変わるということもあまりないです。特別な間柄ならば親しみを込めた意味になりえますが、基本的には冷たい意味や高圧的な意味です。
    「てめえ」は喧嘩を売る相手に使う言葉です。笑い。非常に軽蔑的で攻撃的なので絶対に使ってはいけません。「お前」もそれに近い所があるのでお勧めしません。
    無難な言い方は2:25のように「苗字+さん」です。単に名前(ここではfirst nameのこと)で呼ぶことは親しい相手じゃないと失礼になります。「名前+くん」や「名前+ちゃん」も仲良い相手じゃないと失礼です。2:25の「みかさん」のように「名前+さん」で呼ぶのは無難です。ただし好みもあるので相手に「なんとお呼びすればいいですか?」または「なんて呼んだらいいですか?」などと呼び方を尋ねるのが1番でしょう。
    ただし、5:05のように仕事で役職がある人に話す場合は役職名で呼ぶのが普通です。学校の先生や病院の医師だったら「先生」「○○先生」ですね。
    あるいは、1:44のように省略されることも多いです。例えば、前を歩いている人が何か落として"Excuse me, is this yours?"と聞きたい時に「これあなたのですか?」と言うよりは「これ落としましたよ」または「これ落としましたか?」と言うのが普通です。

    • @skungpid
      @skungpid Před 6 měsíci +1

      その通りです。

  • @nickbensema3045
    @nickbensema3045 Před 7 měsíci +106

    Sometimes "rude" is too vague a term, and implies that there's some special Japanese way of thinking that we don't understand in an English-speaking culture, especially in subcultures or regions where everyone uses first names and doesn't say "sir/ma'am". The same thing happens when we learn a European language with T-V distinction and are told that using "tu" is rude.
    But if you said instead, for example, that it assumes familiarity, or otherwise established the norm being broken, then we'd understand it better. There's lots of ways to do that in any culture or language. I don't know about Japan, but in the US, salesmen and pickup artists and con artists are often trained to do exactly that, to get really chummy and touchy and personal really quickly, to get inside your boundaries where the treasure is.
    Business culture being what it is in Japan, I don't know if that maps -- are there people who go yobisute and use plain-form verbs in order to assume familiarity, get close, and extract money or sex or other favors?

    • @ganqqwerty
      @ganqqwerty Před 7 měsíci +13

      when I was explaining the distinction between polite and informal you in Russian, I used the following analogy: imagine that you use "dude" when you talk to that person. If it feels right, it's an informal "you".

    • @yoshilovesyoshi
      @yoshilovesyoshi Před 6 měsíci +17

      I think that scammers and the like usually speak very formally in order to sound professional or official. That kind of speech is usually more comfortable for people to use. Most Japanese people are extremely uncomfortable with people acting so close so quickly. And pickup artists (in my experience) are basically non-existent.

    • @ferretyluv
      @ferretyluv Před 6 měsíci +4

      I’ve never been told “tu” is rude, just casual.

    • @GG-ee5hm
      @GG-ee5hm Před 4 měsíci +2

      @@ferretyluv If you use it with someone that shoud be addressed as their title(like teacher) it is rude. In italian I would have never said to my professors:"Come stai? Oggi fai lezione di diritto o economia politica? Ma sei stata te a dirmelo", I'd have to use lei:"Come sta? Oggi fa lezione di diritto o economia politica? Ma è stata lei a dirmelo"

    • @ferretyluv
      @ferretyluv Před 4 měsíci

      @@GG-ee5hm Well yeah, if you’re talking to the King with casual language, that’d be rude.

  • @CospunkPrince
    @CospunkPrince Před 7 měsíci +82

    I noticed that the word 'kimi' was not discussed; I assume it's the same as the other second-person pronouns, and I almost exclusively see the word used in song lyrics. Is it a dialect-specific term, or also just one that isn't used frequently/better to avoid in spoken language?
    Unrelated but the dialogue portions and rakugo approach to them (facing the other direction when it's a different character's dialogue and changing the voice slightly) is very fun to me and I always appreciate that!

    • @BullLRED
      @BullLRED Před 6 měsíci +42

      It's true that "kimi" is a fairly common second-person word, but it's a word that is rarely heard in colloquial speech.
      "Kimi" is a friendly way of addressing someone who is your equal or subordinate.
      Situations where "kimi" is commonly used include when a kindergarten teacher talks to students,
      It is used when a boss talks to his subordinates at work.
      The word "kimi" used in music lyrics is generally used to refer to someone close to the same age as you.

    • @MiMi_MoMo
      @MiMi_MoMo Před 6 měsíci +5

      I’ve also noticed (although anecdotally) that 君 is more common in songs sung by male singers. I have heard it in female-sung songs, but not as often. Maybe it’s a little more gender specific like 僕? I honestly don’t know and would like some more information on this too because song lyrics tend to throw out all the rules anyway.

    • @BullLRED
      @BullLRED Před 6 měsíci +17

      @@MiMi_MoMo
      Lovers don't call each other "kimi".
      I think the word "kimi" used in the lyrics is a general term for a lover, someone you like, or someone you love.
      It is mostly used in songs that express the feelings of men.
      By generalizing, I think it will be easier for the listener to empathize with you.

    • @sonwig5186
      @sonwig5186 Před 6 měsíci +6

      It makes you sound like you're from the meiji era or you're a gangster

    • @AngryCoward
      @AngryCoward Před 6 měsíci +11

      ​@@MiMi_MoMoI don't think kimi is gender specific. There's a bunch of female songs with kimi. The main reason that kimi appears more often in male lyrics is, because kimi is a 2 mora (syllable) word and matches boku and ore well, which are both male pronounce. In addition, boku is getting less gender specific, especially when it comes to pop songs. It's completely normal that super feminine idols sing with kimi and boku.

  • @marslion1
    @marslion1 Před dnem

    The examples are always so wholesome I actually can't

  • @cearig
    @cearig Před 7 měsíci +2

    you explain everything so thoroughly and efficiently. thanks!

  • @antonygaming4702
    @antonygaming4702 Před 7 měsíci +3

    Thank you Kaname-san for this video I absolutely love the dialog you use in your videos. I like the fact that your video are short and super efficient

  • @GameGengo
    @GameGengo Před 7 měsíci +10

    Absolutely fantastic comprehensive coverage of using "You" in Japanese! 10/10!
    Love your examples using natural conversation together with your explanations of what vibes each different piece of language gives! Great stuff!

  • @texenl555
    @texenl555 Před 7 měsíci +28

    This used to confuse me a lot back in my starting phases and I pretty much had nowhere to find out how to properly use it. u just made it clear as day in 10mins, happy for all the new learners wit ppl like u around bre.
    Legend frs.

    • @Spiriax
      @Spiriax Před 7 měsíci +6

      Same yeah, it's quite weird and unintuitive at first to say someone's name over and over even though you're already talking to them.

  • @misslovedog8177
    @misslovedog8177 Před 7 měsíci +30

    "men of middle ages are difficult" 😂
    great life advice too 👍

  • @yasutakeuchi
    @yasutakeuchi Před 7 měsíci +5

    One of the best language educational channels out there. ありがとうございます!

  • @ip6229
    @ip6229 Před 7 měsíci +71

    Kaname Naito, is it safe to assume that if a Japanese person sees one’s not a Japanese-native speaker, he or she would give them a break?

    • @kanamenaito
      @kanamenaito  Před 7 měsíci +97

      Yeah. Being a foreigner in Japan can works as an advantage. They can break formality of people without making people angry easily. People have strict standard of politeness for Japanese people but not for non-Japanese-natives.

    • @M_JackOfAllTrades
      @M_JackOfAllTrades Před 4 měsíci +6

      @@kanamenaito But if you speak more than just the most basic Japanese, some of them start having expectations that you actually know everything and then get angry when you make a mistake ;((

    • @yoma32
      @yoma32 Před 4 měsíci +6

      Yes. If you are regarded as a foreigner, that gives you a lot of freedom that Japanese are not allowed to have. Once you are regarded as "Japanese", then pretty strict rules (including non-verbal ones) are started to be applied to you..

    • @Un1234l
      @Un1234l Před 2 měsíci +1

      ​@@kanamenaito
      What happens if you're invisible foreigner though because you're also East Asian?

    • @JohnSmith-rr8hp
      @JohnSmith-rr8hp Před 17 dny

      @ip6229-san, you forgot to add sensei to Kaname Naito

  • @toodleloos
    @toodleloos Před 7 měsíci +10

    the prime minister example was really good 😅 i felt the rage in that word then

  • @st_synna
    @st_synna Před 7 měsíci +2

    Thank you for your explanations and examples. But also, you act really well with all your characters 😂 I was quite invested in each scene lol

  • @alex5201341
    @alex5201341 Před 7 měsíci +5

    Kaname videos are bangers! He teaches so well and his English is very good.

  • @rubyannal3089
    @rubyannal3089 Před 6 měsíci

    I subscribed after watching 2 videos, your explanation is very detailed and cleared. Very easy to understand. 😊

  • @flyback_driver
    @flyback_driver Před 6 měsíci +11

    Thanks man this is actually extremely helpful. I'm at that period of learning Japanese when I'm trying to learn kanji and seeing them thrown into sentences without the hiragana next to it is overwhelming. Addressing a stranger is a huge concern of mine because I'd like to remain polite but use appropriate titles. If I took anything away from this its situational dependant how and when to use specific titles.

    • @Shotblur
      @Shotblur Před 6 měsíci +2

      If there's anything to take away from this, it's that you can usually find a way to not address them directly at all and just say what needs to be said. Japanese so often allows you to simply imply the speaker or listener without directly mentioning them.

  • @Eternal-Security
    @Eternal-Security Před 7 měsíci

    Informative as always.

  • @kmnryuugiri
    @kmnryuugiri Před 7 měsíci +5

    As a one-year non-Japanese student in Hokkaido University, I was referred as 'あなた' and unmentioned '君' once respectively. For 'あなた', it was when I talked to a Japanese teacher whether I need to take an exam or not since I'm an auditory student. Then he said, "あ、あなた受験(じゅけん)しなくていいよ。だってあなた聴講生(ちょうこうせい)でしょ?成績(せいせき)取らないから受験しなくてもいいよ" (Oh, you don't have to take an exam. You're an audit student, right? You don't take grade anyway).
    About '君' though, I was looking for somewhere to park my bike, so I decided to park in charged parking lot. Since it was my first time using it, I was struggling when I was going to pay the fee. An elder staff then came in and asked me, "君、ここで初めてかい?" (Your first time using it?), I nodded and he told me what to do.
    From these situations, I assume that they used these pronouns because I'm a non-native like Kaname-san said in other comments? Might be wrong, though, I don't mind being referred by these anyway. (but if you ask me, I like being called 君/くん a lot)
    In that year, I heard my non-Japanese dormmates using 'お前' to not only other dormmates, but also Japanese dormmates too (for context, we're close enough to use colloquial to each other). On the other hand, I rarely heard the Japanese dormmates saying 'お前' unless it's a joke or said in a funny way. I kinda half agreed that it helps getting more used to casual conversation, but the fact they used too many times starts irritating me. Maybe just me.
    Quite irrelevant, but talking about "yobi-sute", I have a Japanese dormmate that's one year older than me, and he asked everyone in the dorm feel free not to "さん付け" ('san-zuke': addressing someone as '-san'). Everyone did so, but as I see him as a senior, I couldn't afford to yobi-sute (along with talking politely), though he insisted me a few time. I wonder if I'm being too mindful of causing any faux pas in Japan.
    Anyway, I'm just here to share my experience. Best of luck learning Japanese everyone, I'm still studying too (especially Kanji because it's fun lol).

  • @alegram999
    @alegram999 Před měsícem

    Dude, your lessons are priceless! I've been studying Japanese for a few months now and, of course, I run into all sorts of challenges but you help with real-world examples! Keep it up! Omedetō!

  • @basilisssco
    @basilisssco Před 7 měsíci

    Thank you for the pronunciation demonstrations in the example sentences

  • @rgjw
    @rgjw Před 7 měsíci +12

    This video is both educational and extremely hilarious to watch. I absolutely love these kind of mini-sketches from Kaname様!

  • @emilyspector2728
    @emilyspector2728 Před 7 měsíci

    I love this! I understand better with your channel!

  • @Kyaro8888Cari
    @Kyaro8888Cari Před 7 měsíci

    lol! I love this video. I love the conversations. I mean, like, the example conversations. So funny :D I like it! ありがとございます!

  • @raeveth
    @raeveth Před měsícem

    Your videos are so helpful thank you

  • @nickleturtle
    @nickleturtle Před 7 měsíci +46

    What about situations where you've already been introduced and see them regularly but you forget their name? I'm terrible at remembering names, and it would be rude to keep asking. It's led to several awkward pauses in conversation

    • @thevanderwalcodes6019
      @thevanderwalcodes6019 Před 7 měsíci +1

      💀

    • @Jim_mears
      @Jim_mears Před 6 měsíci +6

      You can get away without using any sort of pronoun for a little while, but you’re going to have to bite the bullet and confess you’ve forgotten their name or discretely check with someone else.

    • @creman-seyachan
      @creman-seyachan Před 6 měsíci +19

      I'm Japanese. All you have to do is talk to them and say, "ねぇNe・e(hey)…" or "あのさAnosa(You know)...". Fortunately, Japanese sentences can be constructed without pronouns, so there is no need to worry after that.

    • @relsqui
      @relsqui Před 3 měsíci

      @@Jim_mearswhich is pretty much how it works in English too, come to think of it

  • @deepxo
    @deepxo Před 7 měsíci +2

    thank you for these, they are amazing. :D

  • @studyccountflooded
    @studyccountflooded Před 4 měsíci

    Your english is so good! Thanks for providing this content!

  • @lurkmerchant
    @lurkmerchant Před 6 měsíci +12

    あなた/おまえ can be used between friends and families but just like Kaname said, we don't often say that to our seniors, boss or person we barely know. However, そこのあなた "Hey you!" is used occasionally.
    おまえ sounds a bit like, "man", "dude", "mate"
    あなた could be "darling" "babe"

  • @enomiellanidrac9137
    @enomiellanidrac9137 Před 7 měsíci +10

    I think I unconsciously used "kimi" and "anata" depending on the formality I wanted to have when I first visited Japan in 2009, but I had never learned Japanese and I was going by purely from exposition through anime. To my surprise it was enough to hold a decent conversation and as I stayed five month in Sakai for my studies (Ryuugaku) and wasn't shy about trying to speak the language with everyone, my conversational level grew very quickly. My Japanese was never called "joozu", but I was often told I was "pela pela", because as I never had formal lesson I didn't try to construct the sentences in my mind, I just copy pasted expression I'd heard from my memories, which for sure lead to a lots of mistakes, but resulted in a more fluid way of talking.

  • @reeng_spark238
    @reeng_spark238 Před 6 měsíci

    日本人なのになぜか参考になりました()
    聞き取りやすくてありがたいです

  • @KikomochiMendoza
    @KikomochiMendoza Před 4 měsíci

    Total beginner trying to learn japanese. The short form lessons/tips interspersed with a bit of scenes is fun and engaging. Definite easy sub

  • @lukaswirmsberger6260
    @lukaswirmsberger6260 Před 6 měsíci +23

    I love your dialogues :) an explanation of "kimi" is missing. Having lived in Japan for around a year (as an exchange student in a Japanese family) that's the one I never really understood. Never heard someone use "teimei". Was very honored when my classmates (in school) stopped using any suffix :)
    My Japanese "okaasan" calle my Japanese "otoosan" "anata" sometimes by the way. They were both old (around 70) though.

    • @user-uuueo
      @user-uuueo Před 6 měsíci +1

      ていめい?

    • @HaohmaruHL
      @HaohmaruHL Před 6 měsíci +7

      When married couple call each other "anata" it usually means something like "dear" or "honey".
      "temee" is a very vulgar version of "you". There's a chance you may hear it from a very drunk salaryman late Friday night in the izakaya bars streets but it isn't used as often as in those Yakuza games and movies

    • @norman460
      @norman460 Před 6 měsíci

      Yes. "Kimi" is missing. I was taught to use "anata". Yes, I would like to be polite yet I would like to talk clearly, concise and understandable to the listener. "Anata" is shorter word than saying "Norman-san".🙂

    • @user-vo6gw9ym5d
      @user-vo6gw9ym5d Před 4 měsíci

      @@user-uuueo 多分てめえと言いたかった

  • @whydoesgoogleruinyoutube724
    @whydoesgoogleruinyoutube724 Před 7 měsíci +3

    Extremely useful to have this clearly explained. Thank you

  • @orf2072
    @orf2072 Před 7 měsíci +3

    Very helpful, I've been struggling with this for a while

  • @michaelbraxton2899
    @michaelbraxton2899 Před 6 měsíci +1

    Wow! I tried to study Japanese starting in 1966 and received good instruction. But it was never this detailed and nuanced. I’m going to subscribe and see what else I didn’t get right as a student. This is great!

    • @marxyy
      @marxyy Před 3 měsíci +1

      ojii sama

  • @user-rl4mq5gj5z
    @user-rl4mq5gj5z Před 6 měsíci

    日本語も英語も勉強出来てとてもいいです😊 ありがとうございます。有益な講義、これからもよろしくお願いします😊

  • @skippychurch2965
    @skippychurch2965 Před 7 měsíci +1

    苦労して作った動画がいつもありがたい。このチャネルは早くに大人気になるみたい!おめでとう

  • @funpheonix9752
    @funpheonix9752 Před 5 měsíci +2

    Yeah, I’ve been watching Japanese dramas and I don’t think I’ve heard あなた once. They most commonly say the person’s name instead of “you”.
    And yeah… a main character from a Japanese drama I like called another character おまえ after the character nearly killed him

  • @MilenaxDx
    @MilenaxDx Před 7 měsíci

    Amazing content

  • @CookiezSama
    @CookiezSama Před 7 měsíci +8

    Thank you for your content! I studied Japanese language and culture at university (even got a degree) but got burned out due to the low quality of education. After five years I finally feel my love of Japanese language rekindled.

  • @bytheway7
    @bytheway7 Před 5 měsíci

    Oh, thank you for these thoughtful explanations! Every time I talk to my Japanese friends, I still hesitate on how to address them correctly. Even though we speak English most of the time.

  • @ghostlyghost9926
    @ghostlyghost9926 Před 7 měsíci

    Hey i just got done watching most of your videos. I really like the way you explain all of these topics, getting this type of perspective from a native speaker is invaluable when learning a new language. I would really like to see a video on honorifics like "お" specifically when it is appropriate to use it, what exactly it means when you use it with a word, like お水 etc.. when perhaps you would want to avoid using or overusing it type of thing.

  • @SolDizZo
    @SolDizZo Před 4 měsíci

    I love how you explain things so visually, in fact I wonder if you prefer to learn and express yourself primarily in the visual sphere?
    It probably helps to connect with a larger audience of people who only receive the auditory or kinesthetic teaching styles when studying Japanese!

  • @pustuliohc
    @pustuliohc Před 5 měsíci

    I came for the teaching, and I stayed for the stories. AMAZING STORYTELLING KANAME-SAN!

  • @luo2pei4
    @luo2pei4 Před 9 dny

    最後の会話はとっても面白いですね😂

  • @dylanfulmer4469
    @dylanfulmer4469 Před 7 měsíci

    Bruh I smiled so much at 7:04. I love your videos.

  • @Mister_Clipster
    @Mister_Clipster Před 6 měsíci +6

    As someone who is still learning Kanji, thanks for including furigana! It helps a lot to be able to read the word out.

  • @ador989
    @ador989 Před 7 měsíci

    thanks for your lessons

  • @user-oo4ev3en5r
    @user-oo4ev3en5r Před 7 měsíci

    I love these dialogues! Very informative and interesting

  • @Ancipital_
    @Ancipital_ Před 7 měsíci +2

    You have me laughing so hard with every video. Love your content. Much thanks 🙏

  • @steeltalon2356
    @steeltalon2356 Před 7 měsíci

    Thank you for all your hard work creating these helpful videos.

  • @WarIsOver25
    @WarIsOver25 Před 7 měsíci

    Kaname Naito is the realest OG in the land of japan
    I love his introduction ''Hi I'm Kaname''. So short and sweet and concise and beautiful

  • @languageteacher7558
    @languageteacher7558 Před 3 měsíci

    The examples are always funny xD

  • @aixtom979
    @aixtom979 Před 7 měsíci +7

    The problem I run into with that, is that I'm really bad at remembering names. ;-)
    So I would have to worry about how impolite it is so ask for someones name multiple times...

  • @Jokervision744
    @Jokervision744 Před 4 měsíci

    Thank you, these are surprisingly smooth and nice videos. Even if the idea is to lean towards teaching the very basics.
    I can talk about basics for hours, but in the end... it comes to breaking the bottom of the barrel. Still you aren't getting so lost.
    Thanks again.
    P.s.
    I'm on the wallet dropping part and analyzing it with chat gpt, just to see is it good, can I trust myself, and screw google translate.
    It says that the person grabbed the grandpa's wallet?
    I'm going to consider that it's just a more reassuring way way to say that to someone who dropped their wallet, if they know each other.

  • @JustPlainRob
    @JustPlainRob Před 7 měsíci +9

    "Just yobisute me" had me cracking up.

  • @leolabermanzohn1009
    @leolabermanzohn1009 Před 7 měsíci

    this is so entertaining! arigato gozaimasu

  • @Simkets
    @Simkets Před 4 měsíci +1

    Story time: I once didn't add さん after a person's nickname in an online video game when addresing them. I don't know why, I guess my brain just glitched. It was the most horrible feeling ever. I was dying out of embarrassement. I went into hiding and try to act like I didn't just do that. I should have apologized but I was extremely embarrassed. At the end, when we were all leaving the party after successfully running a dungeon, I adressed them properly and thanked them for the party. But safe to say, any relationship with that person got ruined... If I ever meet them again, I need to apologize 😭😭

  • @Creesl
    @Creesl Před 7 měsíci

    that was actually fairly interesting, my "japanese" is on an extremly BASIC level, with asking ~some directions, ordering beer and whatnot, so just for traveling. Thank you for ur Video, i'm thinking of maybe putting in alot of time learning this language

  • @Jamtron88
    @Jamtron88 Před 7 měsíci +3

    I heard あなた used between a wife and husband in a movie recently but i think that's the only time I've seen it used that way outside of music (translated as 'darling' or something similar).

  • @DanielSHIRO
    @DanielSHIRO Před 7 měsíci

    Great video

  • @uxiaintxausti6512
    @uxiaintxausti6512 Před 7 měsíci +5

    Oh no, my worst nightmare! Having to actually remember the names and surnames of people. I am the worst at it. I don't even remember names of professors, classmates, etc. I could be super cordial and friendly to someone in class while feeling terrible on the inside because I don't actually remember their name even though we have been together for a year.

  • @geruto17760
    @geruto17760 Před 7 měsíci +4

    Kaname-san is letting rip today. 😂 I can just picture him as a politician taking down the others a peg or two.

  • @ShadowofSun2012
    @ShadowofSun2012 Před 6 měsíci +1

    Boy, that listening comprehension at the end took a wild turn.

  • @alfaalfa99
    @alfaalfa99 Před 7 měsíci +4

    Such a nice guy, helping us for free

  • @FernandoHatsumura
    @FernandoHatsumura Před 7 měsíci

    Excellent!

  • @micah1754
    @micah1754 Před 5 měsíci

    I just learnt あなた in the Pimsleur 1 course. They didn't mention anything about it being critical. Really interesting to learn more of the nuance!!

  • @_nafura_
    @_nafura_ Před 7 měsíci +1

    That would explain why many dramas and anime lines repeatedly use the person's name. I kept wondering why they did that

  • @elle0537
    @elle0537 Před měsícem

    As someone who is studying Korean this is so interesting! In Korean, "you" is also not very easy to say. Online translators mostly use "당신" (dangshin) but that is rarely ever used in real life. Most of the time you'd use the name and a polite suffix such as "씨" (shi) just like you use "san" in Japanese. I love finding such similarities between languages! People are also often addressed by titles like director, older brother/sister,... Only when the other person is the same age or younger than you can you use the informal version of you: "너" (neo), which is very common opposed to the formal "당신" (dangshin), and can call their name without a suffix like "씨" (shi). :)

  • @rami9392
    @rami9392 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Its kind of interesting how Japanese used to sound like random noises to me but now that im studying I actually recognize some words. Like for instance, "てめえ" is what the generic goons in like a dragon say when they're running after you, and "くそ" is what they say after you promptly kick their ass.

  • @ninetyone9191
    @ninetyone9191 Před 7 měsíci +3

    I love that you give entire stories worth of context to all these examples. It's a lot for a learner to sink their teeth into yet still approachable

  • @zehanimohamedyoussef3736
    @zehanimohamedyoussef3736 Před 2 měsíci +1

    このカッコ良く動画を見つかって、見てから登録を直ぐに押した、まだヌウブなのに頑張りしかなくて

  • @gyunop5064
    @gyunop5064 Před 6 měsíci

    좋은 정보 감사합니다! 매우 유익하네요.👍

  • @NanomachineExE
    @NanomachineExE Před 6 měsíci

    ありがとう、かなめさん

  • @JapanDaisukiTTS
    @JapanDaisukiTTS Před 7 měsíci +2

    Thank you so much for the lesson. I have a question Kaname sensei. Is it possible for you to make a video about all the different ways to use the verb “かける“? There are so many meanings for this verb with different kanjis and it’s just so confusing. Sorry for the sudden request. 😅

  • @flavvsdasilver6442
    @flavvsdasilver6442 Před 7 měsíci

    Hey Mr. Kaname-san! You made a great cover-picture/title-card for the video. It made me chuckle.

  • @theEumenides
    @theEumenides Před 7 měsíci +2

    This video just confirmed my absolute avoidance of the second-person pronoun in Japanese. Thanks for the detailed explanations and examples. They're always super helpful.

  • @Leiden_Keys
    @Leiden_Keys Před 6 měsíci

    Hi I'm korean! I'm preparing jlpt test, and ur videos really helpful...

  • @NinjaNezumi
    @NinjaNezumi Před 6 měsíci +1

    Believe it or not we have a similar thing in English. You have to be very careful in how you use the word You in English. For instance. The You I used at the start of this sentence is a generic third person You, it doesn't mean You specifically and it doesn't carry emphasis of You specifically. But if I were to say You made a mistake. That is an accusatory You and has very strong implications. IF we say "How are you doing?" that's a type of passive direct You, where we are showing emphasis for caring about your well being. So we do have many forms of You, but one is a very accusatory form, like in Japan.

  • @havefun37g36
    @havefun37g36 Před 5 měsíci

    Also my country has such polite issues about talking with someone, i am from Romania, Watashi ha daisuki Nihon desu ! Thank you very much for nice explanation !

  • @twistcmyk
    @twistcmyk Před 7 měsíci

    Hello Kaname-san, your videos explain everything in just the right way! If possible, would you consider doing a video on the ~のに particle construction? I've heard it can be used in several distinct ways, one of them being negative? Thank you!

  • @jeff__w
    @jeff__w Před 7 měsíci +1

    Korean has the same “you” issue-it’s probably even more offensive to use the standard word for “you” unless you want to fight with someone-and it seems like it's even harder to figure out how to address a stranger on the street. (Do you really want to risk using the term for a middle-aged man or woman?) But, in one respect, it's easier: you can always resort to 저기요! [jeo gi yo], literally meaning “Over there!” and is a bit like “Hey!” but in context means “Excuse me.”
    In any case, I'm not learning Japanese (not yet, anyway) but your videos are so engaging, I just might.

  • @mountainsmusicbeer5532
    @mountainsmusicbeer5532 Před 7 měsíci +5

    I was heading to work one early Saturday morning in Nishi Azabu a few years. There was a mother in her Chanel suit taking her elementary school daughter to school. The three of us were stopped at a traffic light. A taxi pulled up and a drunk salaryman rolled out of the backseat with a hostess. The Chanel suit mother screamed: ANATA! (Her husband I assumed.)

  • @winterphuntasm
    @winterphuntasm Před 7 měsíci

    I love the dialogue lol