君 (きみ, kimi) Japanese meaning: you

君 (きみ, kimi) Japanese meaning: you | Kotomora

Kanji

君mister, you, ruler
公public, prince, official

Related words· 6

主しゅ君くん sense 2
主君 specifically means 'one's lord or master' and is the standard word for this sense, while 君 alone carries this meaning only in archaic or literary use.
お前まえN3sense 1
お前 is blunter and rougher than 君, typically used among close male friends or in confrontation, whereas 君 sounds softer.
貴き様さま sense 1
貴様 is far more aggressive and insulting than 君, used to provoke or belittle rather than just address casually.
あなたN5
あなた is a neutral-to-polite way to say 'you', while 君 is more casual and often used toward close friends, juniors, or romantic partners.

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ユー
君 is a natural Japanese pronoun used toward equals or juniors, whereas ユー sounds foreign or joking rather than genuinely familiar.
あんた
君 is a casual 'you' often used by men toward equals or juniors, whereas あんた can sound blunter and is used by both sexes.

Politeness

あなたpolite 丁寧語N5sense 1
あなた is the polite, gender-neutral way to say 'you', while 君 is familiar and often used by men toward equals or juniors.

Don't confuse with

黄き身み
黄身 (きみ) means 'egg yolk' and is a pure homophone of 君 (きみ) 'you', distinguished only by context and kanji.

Word family· 19

君きみたち
you (plural); you all
君きみが代よ
imperial reign; the emperor's era · Kimigayo; Japanese national anthem
姫ひめ君ぎみ
daughter of a high-ranking person; lord's daughter
若わか君ぎみ
young lord; young prince

Written forms

君きみUsage60%
Standard kanji for the pronoun 'you' and the archaic noun senses.
きみUsage37%
Kana spelling is common in casual writing, especially when the pronoun is used without emphasis on the kanji.
キミUsage3%
search-only kana form
公きみUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji form

Etymology

Originally a noun meaning 'lord' or 'sovereign'. The shift to a second-person pronoun likely came from respectful address toward superiors, later generalized to familiar 'you'.

君きみ

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions