1.
second person
A grammatical category referring to the addressee — the "you" of a conversation. In English it corresponds to "you" and "your"; in Japanese it is expressed by words like あなた, 君, お前, or, very often, by the addressee's name or title rather than a pronoun.
「あなた」は二人称の代名詞です。
"Anata" is a second-person pronoun.
日本語では二人称を省略することが多い。
In Japanese, the second person is often omitted.
二人称の代名詞の選択は相手との関係によって大きく変わる。
The choice of second-person pronoun varies greatly depending on one's relationship with the addressee.
A grammatical category term used in linguistics and language instruction. Composed of 二 ("two") + 人称 ("grammatical person"), meaning the form used to refer to the addressee.
USAGE:
- Japanese tends to avoid explicit second-person pronouns, relying instead on context or using the addressee's name + さん/様/先生.
- The choice of pronoun (君, お前, あなた, etc.) carries strong social meaning — about relative status, closeness, and politeness — so using the wrong one can sound rude.
- Even あなた, the textbook "you," can feel distant or confrontational in speech; among close friends, the partner's name is usually preferred.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 二人称代名詞: second-person pronoun
- 二人称単数/複数: second-person singular/plural
- 二人称視点: second-person point of view (in narration)
RELATED TERMS:
- 一人称: first person ("I, we")
- 三人称: third person ("he, she, they")
- 人称: grammatical person (the category itself)
- 代名詞: pronoun