やつ

やつ
pronoun / noun
guy, fellow, thing
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.
あのやつ、また遅刻(ちこく)した。
That guy was late again.
(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.
(あか)いやつを()って。
Hand me the red one.
(やす)いやつでいいよ。
The cheap one is fine.
さっき(はな)してたやつ、もう()()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:

  • Friendly: あいつはいいやつだ (He's a good guy)
  • Hostile: あのやつ、(ゆる)せない (That jerk, I can't forgive him)

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

RELATED FORMS:

  • こいつ: this guy (close/rude)
  • そいつ: that guy (close/rude)
  • あいつ: that guy over there (close/rude)

NOTE:
Not typically used in polite speech. Use (ひと), (かた), or もの instead.