first-person pronouns: boku/ore/watashi

A Japanese said: “For me, adolescence was the period when I shifted from using ‘boku’ to ‘ore’ as my first-person pronoun. And the moment I felt I had become an adult was when I changed from ‘ore’ to ‘watashi’.”

In Japanese, the choice of first-person pronouns (like ‘boku’, ‘ore’, ‘watashi’) reflects the speaker’s identity, social context, and gender norms. ‘Boku’ is typically used by males and is considered more youthful or gentle. ‘Ore’ is also male-centric but has a stronger, more assertive tone, often associated with masculinity and adulthood. ‘Watashi’ is more neutral and formal, used by both genders, especially in polite or formal situations. The speaker’s transition from ‘boku’ to ‘ore’ to ‘watashi’ signifies their personal growth and changing self-perception through different life stages.

[[Discovering Japan]]

translated from Differences in first person difficult to translate

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