あたし

Japanese
Alternative spelling
私

Etymology

Lenition from 私 (watashi).[1][2][3]

Pronunciation

Pronoun

あたし • (atashi) 

  1. (chiefly women's speech) first person singular pronoun: I, me

Usage notes

Most commonly used by girls and young women.

Derived terms
  • あたい (atai)
  • あたしん家(ち) (atashinchi)

See also
Japanese first-person pronouns

Japanese first-person pronouns by speakers and situations according to Yuko Saegusa, Concerning the First Personal Pronoun of Native Japanese Speakers (2009)

First-person pronouns by elementary school pupils (2008)
SpeakerSituation123
Female To friends うち 49%First name 26%あたし 15%
In the family First name 33%あたし 29%うち 23%
In a class わたし 86%あたし 7%うち 6%
To an unknown visitor わたし 75%あたし, first name, うち 8% each
To the class teacher わたし 66%First name 13%あたし 9%
Male To friends おれ 72%ぼく 19%First name 4%
In the family おれ 62%ぼく 23%うち 6%
In a class ぼく 85%おれ 13%First name, nickname 1% each
To an unknown visitor ぼく 64%おれ 26%First name 4%
To the class teacher ぼく 67%おれ 27%First name 3%
First-person pronouns by university students (2009)
SpeakerSituation123
Female To friends うち 39%あたし 30%わたし 22%
In the family あたし 28%First name 27%うち 18%
In a class わたし 89%あたし 7%自分 3%
To an unknown visitor わたし 81%あたし 10%自分 6%
To the class teacher わたし 77%あたし 17%自分 7%
Male To friends おれ 87%うち 4%わたし, 自分 2% each
In the family おれ 88%ぼく, 自分 5% each
In a class わたし 48%自分 28%ぼく 22%
To an unknown visitor ぼく 36%自分 29%わたし 22%
To the class teacher 自分 38%ぼく 29%わたし 22%

References
  1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  3. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
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