やつ

やつ
pronoun, noun
guy, fellow, thing
informalspokenperson
1. guy, fellow, person
A casual and rough way to refer to a person. Can be neutral among close friends or derogatory depending on tone and context.
あいつはいいやつだ。
He's a good guy.
変(へん)なやつが店(みせ)の前(まえ)に立(た)っている。
Some weird guy is standing in front of the shop.
嘘(うそ)をつくやつは信用(しんよう)できない。
You can't trust someone who lies.
2. thing, one, the one that
A casual way to refer to an object or thing, used instead of もの or の.
赤(あか)いやつを取(と)って。
Hand me the red one.
安(やす)いやつでいいよ。
The cheap one is fine.
さっき話(はな)してたやつ、もう売(う)り切(き)れてた。
The thing we were talking about earlier was already sold out.

Register

やつ is casual and can be rude depending on context. When referring to people:

When referring to things (sense 2), やつ is simply casual with no negative connotation.

Forms

Usage

Not used in polite speech; say 人(ひと), 方(かた), or もの instead, and never use やつ for a superior or a stranger. あのやつ is not said: use あいつ (or あの人(ひと) politely).

general
Added 2026.2.10 9:31 · Revised 2026.10.10 3:52
10500/10782_yatsu