---
title: JLPT N5 - How to talk about people
description: FREE grammar guide JLPT N5 - How to talk about people
image: https://blog.cardemy.com/hubfs/JLPT%20grammar%20N5.jpeg
---

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[Index of the Grammar guide](https://blog.cardemy.com/grammar-indexguide-index?hsLang=en)

[![](https://blog.cardemy.com/hubfs/JLPT%20grammar%20N5.jpeg)](https://blog.cardemy.com/jlpt-n5-how-to-talk-about-people)

# JLPT N5 - How to talk about people

![Christophe](https://blog.cardemy.com/hubfs/IMG_4361S_C-1.jpg)

Posted by [Christophe](https://blog.cardemy.com/author/christophe) on Aug 21, 2022 10:46:56 AM

The notion of group is important in Japanese culture.  
   
We distinguish between people who are inside our own group (family, friends, our team) and people outside the group.

Depending on the group in which the person is, specific names and suffixes are used.

 

**How to say "I"**

| Sex | Designation | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| M / F | 私わたし | The most common, quite polite. |
| M / F | 私わたくし | Used in formal speeches. |
| F | あたし | Mainly used by women or girls. |
| M | 僕ぼく | Mainly used by men or boys. |
| M | 俺おれ | Mainly used by men in private (familiar). |
| M | 俺様おれさま | Even prouder expression of "おれ". Not really used in real life but you see it a lot in manga. |
| M | わし | Mainly used by very old men. |

 

**How to say "You"**

| Designation | Note |
| --- | --- |
| Nom + さん | Polite suffix, most frequently used. Used with colleagues, friends or acquaintances. Used to refer to the person you are talking to or when talking about a 3rd person. |
| Nom + ちゃん | Cute suffix for little girls. Used to refer to the person you are talking to or when talking about a 3rd person. |
| Nom + くん | Suffix to designate boys of varying ages. Used to refer to the person you are talking to or when talking about a 3rd person. |
| Nom + さま | More respectful suffix than さん. Used for customers, in professional written communications. Used to refer to the person you are talking to or when talking about a 3rd person. |
| あなた | Used to address strangers you meet or in questionnaires. Not used to address higher level people. |
| あんた | Attention, the meaning differs according to the region: - In the Kansai region, used in a friendly relationship - In Kanto region, used in a pejorative way against the interlocutor |
| 君きみ | Slightly lowers the interlocutor. Often used between men/boys. |
| お前おまえ お前おめえ | Slightly lowers the interlocutor. Familiar. An even ruder version is おめえ which clearly expresses hostility. |
| 手前てめえ | Puts down the speaker and expresses strong hostility. Used before a fight for example. |
| 貴様きさま | Belittles the interlocutor and expresses strong hostility like てめえ. Originally, it was a respectful word, however, time has reversed the meaning. Rarely used in life but often seen in manga. |

| [Add flashcards](https://cardemy.com/addCardsFromGrammarGuide) |   |
| --- | --- |
| お前 | 99998485502781 |
| 君 | 99998481112705 |
| 様 | 99998484944884 |

 

 

![](https://blog.cardemy.com/hubfs/flashcards_purple.svg)

鈴木すずきさんは元気げんきです。

Mr. or Mrs. Suzuki is fine (polite)

![](https://blog.cardemy.com/hubfs/flashcards_purple.svg)

鈴木すずき 様さまはお元気げんきです。

Mr. or Mrs. Suzuki is fine (respectful)

![](https://blog.cardemy.com/hubfs/flashcards_purple.svg)

あなたは元気げんきですか。

Are you okay? (Said by a higher ranking person)

![](https://blog.cardemy.com/hubfs/flashcards_purple.svg)

あんた元気げんきか。

How are you doing? (friendly: Kansai)

![](https://blog.cardemy.com/hubfs/flashcards_purple.svg)

あんたのせいだよ！　

It's because of you! (angry: Kanto)

![](https://blog.cardemy.com/hubfs/flashcards_purple.svg)

君きみは帰かえりなさい。

You must go home! (The superior gives an order)

![](https://blog.cardemy.com/hubfs/flashcards_purple.svg)

お前おまえが悪わるい。

It's your fault! (the father scolds his son)

![](https://blog.cardemy.com/hubfs/flashcards_purple.svg)

恵子けいこちゃんは 元気げんきですか。

Is Keiko okay?

![](https://blog.cardemy.com/hubfs/flashcards_purple.svg)

健けんくんは 元気げんきですか。

Is Ken okay?　

 

| [Add flashcards](https://cardemy.com/addCardsFromGrammarGuide) |   |
| --- | --- |
| くん | 1644710169  |
| さま | 18762082  |
| ちゃん | 99998476221184  |

 

   
In Japanese, it is common to refer to people by their title or position.

 

 

 

 

先生せんせい  (name of a teacher or professor, doctor, artist, lawyer, master)

社長しゃちょう (director or president of a company)

 

部長ぶちょう  (director or president of a company)

or by the relationship between the two speakers:

父ちち (father or dad)

姉あね  (big sister)

妹いもうと (little sister)

![](https://blog.cardemy.com/hubfs/flashcards_purple.svg)

先生せんせい、おはようございます。

Hello, Professor.

![](https://blog.cardemy.com/hubfs/flashcards_purple.svg)

経理部長けいりぶちょうは、いらっしゃいますか。

Is the director of the accounting department here?

 

| [Add flashcards](https://cardemy.com/addCardsFromGrammarGuide) |   |
| --- | --- |
| 先生 | 99998485641606  |
| 社長 | 1320335298  |
| 姉 | 2110278007  |

**How to say "He" and "She"**

He : 彼かれ

She : 彼女かのじょ

彼かれ and 彼女かのじょ also mean "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" respectively.

To check which case it is, it is necessary to ask if it is a lover 恋人.こいびと

 

**How to talk about family members**

| Family member | When we talk about our own family | When we talk about someone else's family |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Grandma | 祖母そぼ | お 祖母ばあさん |
| Grandpa | 祖父そふ | お 祖父じいさん |
| Aunt | おば | おば さん |
| Uncle | おじ | おじ さん |
| Parents | 両親りょうしん | ご 両親りょうしん |
| Mother | 母はは | お 母かあさん |
| Father | 父とうさん | お 父とうさん |
| Wife | 妻つま | 奥おくさん |
| Husband | 夫おっと / 旦那だんな | ご 主人しゅじん / 旦那だんな さん |
| Big sister | 姉あね | お 姉ねえさん |
| Big brother | 兄あに | お 兄にいさん |
| Little sister | 妹いもうと | 妹いもうとさん |
| Little brother | 弟おとうと | 弟おとうとさん |
| Son | 息子むすこ | 息子むすこさん |
| Daughter | 娘むすめ | 娘むすめさん |

 

 Topics: [Learn Japanese](https://blog.cardemy.com/tag/learn-japanese), [JLPT N5 Grammar](https://blog.cardemy.com/tag/jlpt-n5-grammar)

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