Translation guide
How to address or refer to a group of people in Japanese, equivalent to English 'guys'. Japanese has no direct plural 'guys' word; the best choice depends on formality, gender, and relationship.
You want to get the attention of a group of friends or peers, like saying 'Hey guys'.
みんな is casual and friendly, like 'everyone' or 'guys'. みなさん is more polite. Both are gender-neutral.
みんな、聞いて！
Hey guys, listen!
みなさん、こんにちは。
Hello, everyone.
Extremely casual and rough, used mainly by men among close friends. Can sound aggressive or rude. Not recommended for learners.
Avoid unless you are very familiar with the group and the context is clearly rough/casual.
お前ら、行くぞ。
You guys, let's go.
You are talking about a group of people, like 'those guys' or 'the guys at work'.
Neutral and polite way to say 'those people/guys'. Can be used for any gender.
あの人たちは誰？
Who are those guys?
Means 'they' or 'those guys', but specifically for males or a mixed-gender group. Slightly formal or written.
彼らはサッカーをしている。
Those guys are playing soccer.
Very casual and often derogatory way to say 'those guys'. Used among close friends or when speaking negatively.
Can be rude if used in polite contexts.
あいつら、うるさいな。
Those guys are so noisy.
You want to address a group that includes both men and women in a polite or neutral way, like in a meeting or class.
Polite and standard way to say 'everyone' or 'ladies and gentlemen'. Works in any formal setting.
皆さん、お集まりいただきありがとうございます。
Thank you all for gathering here.
Even more polite than 皆さん, often used in customer service or formal announcements.
You want to say 'guys' in a very casual, masculine way among close male friends.
Rough and masculine, used among very close male friends. Can be friendly or aggressive depending on tone.
Not for mixed company or polite situations.
お前ら、飯食いに行こうぜ。
Hey guys, let's go grab some food.
Slightly less rough than お前ら, but still casual and masculine. Often used by older males to younger males.
君たち、ちょっと手伝ってくれ。
You guys, give me a hand.
There is no single Japanese word that perfectly matches 'guys'. Using 男たち (otokotachi) would mean 'men' and is not equivalent. Always consider the relationship and formality level.
In Japanese, you often don't need to say 'guys' at all. If the context is clear, just start speaking. For example, instead of 'Hey guys, let's go', you can simply say 行こう (ikou).
皆様、本日はご来場いただき誠にありがとうございます。
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for coming today.