15-03-2005, 04:37 AM
note: I used some japanese text, set encoding to Japanese (Windows) to display properly.
"boku" [ボク, 僕] is an informal word, used by (yes, you're right) boys. but it can also be used by 'tomboys' despite the fact that they're girls. "watashi" [わたし, 私] (or "watakushi" [わたくし, 私]) is the formal version of the word 'I' (and it's forms), it can be used by anybody regardless of gender and age. There are so many ways of saying 'I', those two aren't the only words (most of them are slang, informal, or dependent on the dialect). a commonly heard term is "ore" [オレ, 俺] used by tough-guys in anime; conversely, a lot of girls in anime/j-drama, etc. use "atashi" [あたし].
I think I'm just confusing people... :O
Point is, some people learn quite a bit through anime and manga. I know I did, I learned a lot more through anime (and jpop too) than I did in Japanese Class.
"boku" [ボク, 僕] is an informal word, used by (yes, you're right) boys. but it can also be used by 'tomboys' despite the fact that they're girls. "watashi" [わたし, 私] (or "watakushi" [わたくし, 私]) is the formal version of the word 'I' (and it's forms), it can be used by anybody regardless of gender and age. There are so many ways of saying 'I', those two aren't the only words (most of them are slang, informal, or dependent on the dialect). a commonly heard term is "ore" [オレ, 俺] used by tough-guys in anime; conversely, a lot of girls in anime/j-drama, etc. use "atashi" [あたし].
I think I'm just confusing people... :O
Point is, some people learn quite a bit through anime and manga. I know I did, I learned a lot more through anime (and jpop too) than I did in Japanese Class.