Japanese Pronouns: Difference between revisions

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===''Boku''===

: 僕 Informal and humble - for instance, it would be the normal pronoun for a man to use in an informal TV interview. It's also the default pronoun for young boys, so an adult male who uses ''boku'' in situations where more assertive language would be acceptable can come across as childish. In anime, it can also be used by tomboyish girls; these characters are known as ''[[Bokukko]]''. (Note, however, that the ''bokukko'' phenomenon is a prominent example of how anime dialogue differs from actual spoken Japanese; in the real world, it would be very weird for a female native speaker to refer to herself as ''boku''). Finally, female singers and poets may also use ''boku'' purely for metrical purposes.

: 僕 "I, a nonthreatening male". Informal and humble - for instance, it would be the normal pronoun for a man to use in an informal TV interview. It's also the default pronoun for young boys, so an adult male who uses ''boku'' in situations where more assertive language would be acceptable can come across as childish. In anime, it can also be used by tomboyish girls; these characters are known as ''[[Bokukko]]''. (Note, however, that the ''bokukko'' phenomenon is a prominent example of how anime dialogue differs from actual spoken Japanese; in the real world, it would be very weird for a female native speaker to refer to herself as ''boku''). Finally, female singers and poets may also use ''boku'' purely for metrical purposes.

* Utena, Dios, Miki and Saionji in ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]].'' Also Akio when in Chairman mode (he normally uses ''ore'').

** This is a good example of the different connotations ''boku'' can have. Utena's ''boku'' indicates her assertive and tomboyish persona; Dios and Miki use ''boku'' for the connotations of childlike innocence; Saionji uses it rather than a more aggressive pronoun because he feels he's always playing second fiddle; and when Akio uses ''boku'', it's out of false humility.