“To me” in Japanese: “watashi ni”, explained based on the components

How to say “to me” in Japanese

Japanese people would say “watashi ni”. It is the Japanese phrase for ‘to me’. In this blog post, I will explain this phrase in detail based on the components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “watashi ni”
• Components of “watashi ni”
  • Definition and meaning of “watashi”
  • Definition and meaning of “ni”
• Example #1: how to say “to me” in Japanese
• Example #2: another usage of “watashi ni”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “watashi ni”

First of all, let me start with the definition and meaning of “watashi ni”.

• watashi ni – 私に (わたしに) : a Japanese phrase for ‘to me’. Depending on the situation and context, it can also mean ‘for me’, ‘towards me’, or some such.

Its definition and meanings are relatively simple and clear, I think. To understand this phrase a bit more clearly and to avoid the misuse, let me explain its components in detail, one by one.

Components of “watashi ni”

Below are the words used in the phrase, “watashi ni”.

Definition and meaning of “watashi”

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. A speaker, or a writer, uses this pronoun to refer to himself or herself in a sentence. It tends to be used in formal situations. This pronoun can also be found in other phrases like “watashi mo” and “watashi no“.

From the explanations above, we can understand that “watashi” corresponds very well to the English pronoun, “I”, which can also be used by the speaker to refer to him- or herself in a sentence. So, Japanese learners, especially those who are familiar with the English language, can easily understand this Japanese pronoun, I think.

However, we need to be careful with the fact that the Japanese language has some more options which can be used in the same way as “watashi” is. For example, Japanese men tend to use “ore” instead of “watashi” in more casual situations. So, they don’t always use “watashi” to refer to themselves. But, “watashi” is still the most widely-used one in formal situations, regardless of the gender of the speaker.

Definition and meaning of “ni”

“Ni” is a very widely-used particle and, for that reason, often raises the question among Japanese learners: “what does ni mean in Japanese?” I will explain it in detail in comparison with the English preposition, “to”.

• ni – に : a case particle put after a noun to indicate a particular place to which someone or something goes. Based on this concept, it can also be used to indicate a particular place or person to which an action is heading.

Honestly, this explanation is not perfect, as this particle has multiple roles in the Japanese language. But, the role explained here, making the object word in a sentence with indicating a direction, is the most important one. In this regard, the role of the Japanese case particle, “ni”, is quite similar to that of the English preposition, “to”. Both can be used in a quite similar way. Only word orders are different; “ni” is preceded by a noun, “to” is followed by a noun.

From the two components explained above, we can understand that the Japanese phrase, “watashi ni”, corresponds very well to the English one, “to me”.

Next, then, let me explain how to use this phrase through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “to me” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case maker or topic maker. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “kare”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• okane – お金 (おかね) : a noun meaning ‘money’ in Japanese. Learn more about “okane“.
• wo – を : a case particle put after a noun to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is put after the noun, “okane”, to express what “kare” gave “watashi”. It is written as “wo”, but its actual pronunciation is “o”.
• kure – くれ : one conjugation of the verb, “kureru”, which means ‘to give’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word.
• mashi – まし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb put after a verb to make it polite. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “kure”, to make it sound polite.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb put after a verb, adjective, auxiliary verb, or phrase to make its past tense. In the example, it is put after the verb phrase, “kure mashi”, to make its past tense, “kure mashi ta”, which means ‘to have given’ in a polite way.

This is a typical usage of “watashi ni”. In this example, it is used to express whom “kare” gave money and has been translated into English as ‘to me’. When we want to say “to me” in Japanese, this phrase would be the best choice in many cases.

Example #2: another usage of “watashi ni”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• raishuu – 来週 (らいしゅう) : a noun meaning ‘next week’ in Japanese. It can also be used as an adverb and inserted almost anywhere in a sentence to say “next week”. In the example, it is used as an adverb. Learn more about “raishuu“.
• houkoku shi – 報告し (ほうこくし) : one conjugation of the verb, “houkoku suru”, which means ‘to report’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle put after a verb or adjective to make its te form. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected well with the auxiliary verb, “kudasai”.
• kudasai – 下さい (ください) : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “kudasaru”, which is put after a verb to make a request in a polite way. It is often translated into English as “please”. In the example, it is put after the te-formed verb to make the request, “houkoku shi te kudasai”, which means ‘please report’ in Japanese. Learn more about “kudasai“.

This is another typical usage of “watashi ni”. Also in this example, it is used to make the object word and has been translated as ‘to me’.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the phrase, “watashi ni”, in detail based on the components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• watashi ni – 私に (わたしに) : a Japanese phrase for ‘to me’. Depending on the situation and context, it can also mean ‘for me’, ‘towards me’, or some such.

It consists of the following two parts:

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. A speaker, or a writer, uses this pronoun to refer to himself or herself in a sentence. It tends to be used in formal situations.
• ni – に : a case particle put after a noun to indicate a particular place to which someone or something goes. Based on this concept, it can also be used to indicate a particular place or person to which an action is heading.

In this blog post, I’ve focused only on the pronoun, “watashi”, but this doesn’t mean that other pronouns cannot be used together with the particle, “ni”. In fact, Japanese men often use “ore ni” instead of “watashi ni” to say “to me” especially in casual situations.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.