Japanese in manga
First-person pronouns
Japanese has dozens of ways to say "I". English has one.
9 notes
By kind of Japanese
- All174
- Honorifics & keigo17
- Role language19
- Register & tone35
- First-person pronouns9
- Second-person pronouns4
- Villain speech5
- Idioms55
- Body idioms48
- Four-character idioms18
- Proverbs7
- Kanji anatomy81
- Buddhist vocabulary39
- Language around death7
- Wordplay10
- Classical & archaic Japanese4
- No English equivalent40
- One word, many renderings34
- False friends5
- Cultural localisation6
By JLPT level
By series
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ベろベろべろ!!あたいの勝手だよ!!!
“PBBFT! YEAH, WELL THATS MY PROBLEM.”
That's My Problem: あたい and the Tomboy's ‘I’ English Flattens to Plain ‘I’
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おいどんも!!
“AND ME!!”
One Bubble, One Prefecture: おいどん and the Satsuma 'I' VIZ Flattens Into Plain 'AND ME'
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おいらを弟子にしてくだせぇ!!
“PLEASE, MAKE ME YOUR APPRENTICE!!”
A Trainful of Country Boys: おいら and the Rustic 'I' VIZ Smooths Into Plain 'Me'
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拙者をかわいいワンちゃんなんて呼ぶんじゃねエー!
“DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME "A CUTE LITTLE DOGGIE"!”
This Unworthy Mutt: 拙者 and the Samurai 'I' English Erases Every Time
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小生の獲物だぞ小生の縄張りで見つけた小生の獲物だ…
“IT'S MY PREY! IT'S MY PREY FOUND IN MY TERRITORY!”
This Insignificant Self's Prey: 小生 and the Bookish, Self-Effacing "I" English Reduces to Plain "MY"
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吾輩は訓練を受けているとはいえただの鴉
“I HAVE SOME TRAINING... BUT I'M JUST A CROW.”
The Pronoun of a Famous Cat: 吾輩 and the Grandiose 'I' VIZ Flattens Into Plain 'I' — or Nothing at All
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儂ももう長くはない
“I DON'T HAVE MUCH LONGER.”
One Pronoun, Every Old Man: 儂・わし and the Elder "I" English Flattens Into Plain "I"
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わしゃちょうどへビ革の財布が欲しゅーてのォ…
“I'VE ALWAYS WANTED A SNAKESKIN WALLET...”
Old Man, Old Toad, Old God: わし and the Elder 'I' Every VIZ Line Calls Just 'I'
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わしの町はわしが守る!!
“IT'S MY TOWN AND I'LL PROTECT IT!”
My Town, My Fight: わし and the Old Man's 'I' English Flattens to Plain 'I'