![]() So why do textbooks use the word anata so often? For the most part, this is just so that learners can understand the sentence better. It is also the word used when not talking to a specific person (for example, saying “you” in TV commercials). The most common place where Japanese people actually use anata is when they don’t know anything about the person they’re talking to. So in English, we might say “Are you going to the bank today?”, but the literal equivalent in Japanese: あなたは今日銀行に行きますか ( anata wa kyou ginkou ni ikimasu ka?) sounds very robotic and unnatural. ![]() Similar to omitting “I”, this information is mostly derived from the context or other grammar clues. Well, that’s an exaggeration, but it’s true that Japanese people more often than not will omit the “you” information from their sentences. ![]() The first rule of saying “you” in Japanese is you don’t say “you” in Japanese! (Fight Club joke abbreviated). Rule Number 1: Don’t say Anata (too much) Japanese has a much broader vocabulary, but also a strong tendency to avoid using it. In English, we have just the one word, and we use it all the time. Saying “you” in Japanese is much trickier business than in English. ![]() Today, I bring you an article about “You” words in Japanese, to complement my previous “I” words article. Hello all, I’ve just put the finishing touches on my Cheat Sheet Pack and am ready to get back to blogging! I’m going to try for one or two articles a week for a while.
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