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I've always had trouble choosing which first person pronoun to use - 私
(watashi), 僕 (boku), or 俺 (おれ). What kind of factors should I keep in mind
when choosing between these? Is it common to vary one's choice by the social
context, or do people tend to select one and stick with it all the time?
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2011-05-31T21:12:37.733
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first-person-pronouns word-choice
How should I select what first-person pronoun to use?
First off, if it's obvious from context that you're the subject of the
sentence, then you do not need to say "I". If you need to use a pronoun, these
are your most likely choices:

  * 私（わたし）- canonical, formal form. This should be your default.
  * 私（あたし）- same as わたし, but feminine (women can use it freely).
  * 私（わたくし） more formal and stiff than わたし. Good for business settings such as job interviews, etc.
  * 僕（ぼく）- This has a young boy feeling to it, though that doesn't limit its usage entirely to young boys. There are older men who use it regularly, as well as some young teenage girls (it's considered silly, but sometimes you want to be silly!).
  * 俺（おれ）- Many men use this as their default among friends; however, it is coarser than わたし and gives a sense of arrogance if used in an inappropriate context.

Under specialized circumstances (drama of some kind like cosplay or imitating
an anime, etc.), you might use these less common options:

  * 俺様（おれさま）- overly dramatic egotist. Listen to some Dragonball Z and you'll find it.
  * わし- old people, male and female. The stereotype is that as they get older men and women start to sound the same.
  * 拙者（せっしゃ）- for samurais. Listen to some conversations in Rurouni Kenshin to hear this one.
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2011-05-31T21:18:48.070
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The social context is absolutely the deciding factor, but your personality
affords you some additional flexibility. Just like deciding whether to use 〜さん
or not, your choice of pronoun depends on how familiar you are with the people
in your audience, and relative social status.

That said, I personally still gravitate towards 僕 over 私 even amongst new
people since I'm a relatively young man and I feel like I can get away with
it. :)

Also don't forget that not using the first-person pronoun is usually an option
as well, which can nicely sidestep this issue.
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2011-05-31T21:21:04.213
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Are you a man? Are you a manly man? Use ore (俺). Are you a girly man? Use boku
(僕). Are you being formal, unwilling to commit to 俺 or 僕, or just starting to
learn Japanese? Use watashi (私).

Are you a girl? Are you a girly girl? Use atashi (あたし). (This rule isn't as
fixed as the male rule). Are you a tomboy? Use boku (僕). Otherwise use
watashi.

Are you speaking to a crowd, or being highly polite? Use watakushi (私,
confusingly).
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2011-05-31T21:37:40.770
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It depends a lot on the situation. I try to keep it simple and only use three
most practical forms of the pronoun:

僕 (boku) :: I use it whenever I am not at work

俺 (ore) :: Almost never use 俺 unless most people around me are already using
俺, too informal.

私 (watashi) :: What I always use at work. Never ever use _boku_ at work, or in
an email, since somebody could consider that you are being rude and not too
formal. (Happened to me a couple of times when I was a new graduate at a
Japanese company).
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2011-05-31T21:44:23.967
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2011-05-31T21:58:31.657
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わたし (私) - Typical, everyday, formal/informal "I." Err to this whenever
possible.

あたし (私) - Same kanji, used only for females. Same feel as _watashi_.

わたくし (私） - Hyperformalized version of _watashi_. It is surely not to be used
in all formal situations, but rather only to express extreme politeness.

[僕]{ぼく} - Masculine (though not exlusively) "I" used to give informal
atmosphere. Not polite save for certain situations.

[俺]{おれ} - In terms of masculinity, it runs along the lines of 僕. I will go as
far to say this is a rude expression. Unless you are sure that it is
acceptable in any given situation, I would not use it, unless you're trying to
be mean or rude. However, when used acceptably, it is excellent to portray a
very informal mood.

Keep in mind there are many more ways to say "I," and these are only some of
the most common.
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2014-07-16T03:18:47.723
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Some others that people are missing:

  * うち： Very informal, but relatively gender-free. Great for otaku.
  * あたえ/あたい: Colloquial female, related to わたし
  * [Name or Title] - You can use your own name or title as a pronoun: マリはあのおもちゃが欲しいの！ 先生はおこっていますよ。
  * おら - Regional male (or regional, colloquial female). 

Some pedants won't want to admit use of these informal pronouns, but you
should know that they exist and that people use them (even in 2014!).
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