Conversation 11-1 Dialogue 1: ぼくはロサンジェルスから来ています
Lilly and Kent go to the same college in Japan. They are talking about their college majors.
On campus
L: ケントくんは何年生(なんねんせい)ですか？
K: ぼくは三年生(さんねんせい)です。専攻(せんこう)は人(じん)るい学(がく)です。リリーさんは？
L: 私も三年生です。専攻(せんこう)はアジア研究(けんきゅう)で、今、中国(ちゅうごく)について研究(けんきゅう)しています。ケントくんのご出身(しゅっしん)は、どちらですか。
K: ぼくは ロサンゼルスから来ています。リリーさんは日本語(ご)がお上手(じょうず)ですね。日本にどのぐらいいますか。
L: 私は１３さいの時(とき)、ホンコンから来て、それから、ずっと日本にいます。

 

key voc
Honorific = honorific/outgroup
1. ケント 　 Kent [given name]
2. くん 君 suffix [くん is a title used after one's peers or subordinates; often used with younger males]
3. じんるいがく 人類学 anthropology
4. アジアけんきゅう アジア研究 Asian Studies
5. について 　 about; on
6. けんきゅうする 研究する to research [けんきゅうしています: is researching; is studying]
7. ごしゅっしん Honorific ご出身 home town [ご =honorific prefix]
8. カリフォルニア 　 California
9. ロサンゼルス 　 Los Angeles
10. おじょうず Honorific お上手 skillful [お =honorific prefix]
11. １３さい １３才 thirteen years old
12. それから それから since then
13. さい 才 or 歳 [age counter] year(s) old
14. ずっと 　 throughout; continuously
English
L: What year in college are you, Kent?
K: I'm a junior. My major is anthropology. What about you, Lilly?
L: I'm also a junior. My major is Asian Studies, and right now, I'm doing research on China. Where are you from?
K: I'm from Los Angeles, (Lit. "It's L.A.") California. Your are good at Japanese. How long have you been in Japan?
L: I came here from Hong Kong when I was 13, and I have been in Japan ever since.
bunka
1. Pronouns "You" in Japanese

Children
Children can be addressed by their first-name+ちゃん for girls and little boys and by first-name+くん for boys. (e.g., ゆかちゃん or たけしくん)

If you use second-person pronouns inappropriately, you could offend the other person. Some second-person pronouns (e.g., きみ) are used to address one's peers and subordinates while others (e.g., おまえ, あなた) are used to address only one's subordinates. However, NONE of second-person pronouns are appropriate to address one's superiors (one's boss, parents, teacher, etc.).
2. Between husband and wife, おまえ (husband to wife) and あなた (wife to husband) can invoke intimacy. However, these pronouns are not acceptable to many married couples for they sound too blunt. Role terms (お父さん, お母さん, パパ, ママ, etc.) or first names may be more preferred ways to address one another in many families. あなた can also be used in a formal situation where anonymity prevails (e.g., public surveys).
3.
  • Q: If I can't use any of the "you" pronouns, how can I let my listener know that I'm referring to him/her?

    A: The best strategy in a face-to-face situation is NOT to use any second person pronoun. Instead, use the person's name like スミスさん or his/her title like 田中先生. (Don't put さん or title to your own name.) The last names are used more commonly than the first names.

  • Q: What if I don't know the other person's name?

    A: If you don't know the name of the other person, then just use role terms (先生, おきゃくさま "customer", etc.) if known or speak without using ANY references to the other person. Business and honorific/humble expressions to be introduced later can also be used to avoid any potential confusion.
4. Here is an example of how "offensive" the use of second-person pronouns can be in a "wrong" situation. In 2018, Asahi newspaper reported that the superintendent of education in Niigata City, Japan, had to resign his post by accidentally saying おまえも 保護者会(ほごしゃかい) に来るか ("Are you coming to the parent-teacher association meeting?") when he visited his former student who was then a parent of a student who committed suicide after being bullied at junior high school. (FYI: When a male teacher refers to his student, it is not unusual to use おまえ in an informal conversation at junior high school.) However, after his student grew up to be an adult, it was entirely inappropriate to use the same pronoun under the circumstance, which led to a public outrage enough to cause him to resign.