Sections
How to say “you” in Japanese, from あなた to 貴様
Japanese has many words for “you”, and anime uses the rough end of the range far more than real life does. These are the six you will hear, ordered from polite to hostile, with how often each turns up in the first episodes of the series we counted.
Short answer: In everyday Japanese the safest “you” is usually no pronoun at all: people use the other person’s name with さん, or a title such as 先生 or 先輩, and leave “you” out when the context makes it clear. Every word for “you” carries a judgement about the relationship, which is exactly why anime characters use them so much.
From polite to rude
- Polite on paper あなたanata · Polite on paper · often too direct in 17 of 42 series
- Familiar 君kimi in 19 of 42 series あんたanta · Casual · familiar or brash in 19 of 42 series
- Rough お前omae · Rough · close friends or talking down in 39 of 42 series
- Fighting words てめえtemee · Very rude · street speech in 7 of 42 series 貴様kisama · Hostile · fiction and military only in 7 of 42 series
Bars: in how many of the 42 series the word is among the most frequent vocabulary of episodes 1–3.
Each word, with a line from the shows
あなた · Anata
Anata means "you". Textbooks teach it as the polite word, but in real conversation Japanese speakers usually avoid it and use the person's name instead.
あなた はやく見てあげてHurry, dear! Examine her! — Noragami, episode 1
Most frequent in Re:Zero, KonoSuba, Violet Evergarden · 199 subtitle lines across 17 series · full page on anata
君 · Kimi
Kimi is a familiar "you" used toward someone equal or below you in status. It sounds gentle or affectionate from a friend and condescending from a stranger.
助かるよ 君は俺のヒーローだ — My Hero Academia, episode 1
Most frequent in My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen, Violet Evergarden · 246 subtitle lines across 19 series · full page on kimi
あんた · Anta
Anta is a casual, slightly brash "you", a worn-down form of あなた. Friends, spouses and anyone picking a fight say it; it is not for strangers or superiors.
私は あんたとは違うの — NANA, episode 2
Most frequent in NANA, Toradora!, Psycho-Pass · 208 subtitle lines across 19 series · full page on anta
お前 · Omae
Omae is a rough, familiar "you". Male characters use it with friends, rivals and people they look down on, and it is one of the most common ways to say "you" in anime.
お前は３年間 何やってたんだ — Haikyu!!, episode 1
Most frequent in Haikyu!!, One Piece, One-Punch Man · 931 subtitle lines across 39 series · full page on omae
てめえ · Temee
Temee is a very rude "you", slurred from 手前 (temae). Shounen heroes and thugs shout it in fights, and it is one of the most reliable markers of rough male speech in anime.
てめえら 全員 あれを見ろ！ — Bleach, episode 1
Most frequent in Bleach, One Piece, Re:Zero · 76 subtitle lines across 7 series · full page on temee
貴様 · Kisama
Kisama is a hostile "you". It is what a character spits at an enemy right before a fight, and in modern Japanese it is almost never used outside fiction and the military.
き… き… 貴様！B-B-Bastard! — Code Geass, episode 2
Most frequent in Bleach, Attack on Titan, Steins;Gate · 104 subtitle lines across 7 series · full page on kisama
Which shows lean on which
Of the 40 series where at least one of these words makes the top of the word list, お前 (omae) is the most frequent in 31, 君 (kimi) in 4, あなた (anata) in 3, あんた (anta) in 1 and 貴様 (kisama) in 1. Series led by 君 (kimi): My Hero Academia, Your Lie in April, Assassination Classroom, Dr. Stone.
Hear お前 in Haikyu!!Tap any word in the subtitles for its reading and meaning · free, no accountFAQ
What is the most polite way to say “you” in Japanese?
Use the person’s name with さん, or their title, instead of a pronoun. あなた is grammatically polite but can sound distant or too direct when said to someone’s face; it is common in writing and adverts and, traditionally, from a wife to her husband.
Is omae rude?
It depends on the relationship. Between close friends, usually male, お前 is casual and normal; to a stranger, a senior or a customer it is rude. Anime uses it constantly because so many leads are blunt young men.
Why do anime villains say kisama?
貴様 is written with “noble” and the honorific さま, but it lost its respect long ago. Today it is heard almost only in fiction and old military speech, which makes it the stock word for an enemy right before a fight.