Chris Jay
What's the best word for "you" in Japanese? Hello, I would just like to know what is the best way to say "you" in Japanese. I know atana and otaku are rude, but which ones aren't? Is there a neutral and polite word for you? And if there isn't, how would you approach a stranger? Do you just ask the imperative form of any verb with -ka at the end? Any help would be appreciated, thank you!
Jan 23, 2017 11:10 PM
Answers · 2
I agree with Daiki-san. When I talk to a stranger, I don't need to say YOU in Japanese, however, when I talk with some unknown people, I would use ANATA for the first time, until I know their name. We usually don't use ANATA between close people because we use their name. When I talk with teachers or doctors, I call them (last name) + SENSEI. When I talk with clients, people who are older than me, who aren't friends, coworkers, etc, I call them (last name) + SAN. There are more ways to say YOU in Japanese but I think what I said is the most basic way. I hope this was helpful.
January 24, 2017
"Anata is used for unfamilar people basically and sometimes a wife calls her husband "anata". In Japanese we don't have to say subject. If you talk to a stranger like to ask a map, you don't know his or her name so you can say without subject. I think that's more natural. If you want to ask out girl, you can say "Kawaiine" which means you are cute.
January 24, 2017
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