How to say 'I' in Japanese | 私

Wondering how to say 'I' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for I is 'Watashi', written as 私 in Japanese.'I' in hiragana is わたし.

word

私

Meaning

I

Reading

わたし

watashi

Kanji

私Private, Me

Explanation

The Japanese pronoun '私 (わたし)' is a common way to refer to oneself, equivalent to 'I' in English. It is gender-neutral and widely used in both formal and informal contexts. However, it is more commonly used by women in casual settings, as men might opt for alternatives like '僕 (ぼく)' or '俺 (おれ)' depending on the situation. Example sentences: I am a student「私は学生です」(わたしはがくせいです). I like apples「私はりんごが好きです」(わたしはりんごがすきです). In formal settings, '私' is universally appropriate regardless of gender.

Part Of Speech

pronoun

Kanji JLPT

N4

Kanji Grade

6

Frequency

40

Composition

kanji

Handwriting