あたし
Japanese
| Alternative spelling |
|---|
| 私 |
Etymology
Lenition from 私 (watashi).[1][2][3]
Pronunciation
Pronoun
あたし • (atashi)
- (chiefly women's speech) first person singular pronoun: I, me
- 1989 November 10 [1988 May 25], Fujiko F. Fujio, “第一話 スーパーマン襲名 [Chapter 1: Taking on the Mantle of Superman]”, in 征地球論 [A Debate over Conquering Earth] (藤子・Ｆ・不二雄 ＳＦ全短編; 3), 2nd edition, volume 3 (fiction), Tokyo: Chuokoronsha, →ISBN, 第三章 中年スーパーマン左江内氏, page 365:
- あたしやスーパーマンです
- Atashi ya Sūpāman desu
- I am Superman.
- あたしやスーパーマンです
Usage notes
Most commonly used by girls and young women, although sometimes used by elderly men (especially genteel or old-fashioned), or in some rural dialects.
Usage by modern men may be perceived as effeminate, campy, or otherwise strange.
Derived terms
- あたい (atai)
- あたしん家 (atashinchi)
See also
Japanese first-person pronouns
Japanese first-person pronouns by speakers and situations according to Yuko Saegusa, Concerning the First Personal Pronoun of Native Japanese Speakers (2009)
| Speaker | Situation | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | To friends | うち (uchi) 49% | First name 26% | あたし (atashi) 15% |
| In the family | First name 33% | あたし (atashi) 29% | うち (uchi) 23% | |
| In a class | わたし (watashi) 86% | あたし (atashi) 7% | うち (uchi) 6% | |
| To an unknown visitor | わたし (watashi) 75% | あたし (atashi), first name, うち (uchi) 8% each | ||
| To the class teacher | わたし (watashi) 66% | First name 13% | あたし (atashi) 9% | |
| Male | To friends | おれ (ore) 72% | ぼく (boku) 19% | First name 4% |
| In the family | おれ (ore) 62% | ぼく (boku) 23% | うち (uchi) 6% | |
| In a class | ぼく (boku) 85% | おれ (ore) 13% | First name, nickname 1% each | |
| To an unknown visitor | ぼく (boku) 64% | おれ (ore) 26% | First name 4% | |
| To the class teacher | ぼく (boku) 67% | おれ (ore) 27% | First name 3% | |
| Speaker | Situation | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | To friends | うち (uchi) 39% | あたし (atashi) 30% | わたし (watashi) 22% |
| In the family | あたし (atashi) 28% | First name 27% | うち (uchi) 18% | |
| In a class | わたし (watashi) 89% | あたし (atashi) 7% | 自分 (jibun) 3% | |
| To an unknown visitor | わたし (watashi) 81% | あたし (atashi) 10% | 自分 (jibun) 6% | |
| To the class teacher | わたし (watashi) 77% | あたし (atashi) 17% | 自分 (jibun) 7% | |
| Male | To friends | おれ (ore) 87% | うち (uchi) 4% | わたし (watashi), 自分 (jibun) 2% each |
| In the family | おれ (ore) 88% | ぼく (boku), 自分 (jibun) 5% each | ||
| In a class | わたし (watashi) 48% | 自分 (jibun) 28% | ぼく (boku) 22% | |
| To an unknown visitor | ぼく (boku) 36% | 自分 (jibun) 29% | わたし (watashi) 22% | |
| To the class teacher | 自分 (jibun) 38% | ぼく (boku) 29% | わたし (watashi) 22% | |
References
- ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
- ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN