this post was submitted on 20 Jul 2023
164 points (100.0% liked)
196
16510 readers
2256 users here now
Be sure to follow the rule before you head out.
Rule: You must post before you leave.
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
There are a lot in theory but in practice most of the ones in this picture aren't used, especially not all by one person.
Each person generally can have up to 2/3 pronouns they use. One for acquaintances (and the one you use most of the time), one for strangers where you need to be a bit more formal and then possibly one for when you're speaking to someone in a higher position. Outside of that, only very specific scenarios would require a different pronoun.
Andd for example if you use "watashi" with acquaintances, that one's also valid in many formal scenarios so you wouldn't need a separate one for that, you'd only need a more formal one like "watakushi" when speaking to someone in a high position. So all in all it's really not that complicated.
Ok so わたし is formal and わたくし is very formal.
Can you give me please an example for an informal "I"?
ぼく, おれ or あたし are pretty good examples of informal ones. You'd only use those with acquaintances pretty much.
Note わたし isn't specifically formal per se, it's just very neutral so it works in a lot of formal contexts too.