Lesson 14: Formal vs Casual Japanese (Polite ↔ Plain)

Converting です・ます to Plain Forms

Japanese has different levels of formality in speech. The polite forms (です・ます) you've learned so far are appropriate for most situations, but with friends and family, casual speech is more natural.

How to Convert Polite to Casual Forms

1. Nouns and な-Adjectives

• Polite: です
• Casual: だ (or often omitted entirely)

2. い-Adjectives

• Simply remove です (い-adjectives are already in plain form)

3. Verbs

• Convert from ます-form to dictionary (plain) form

Examples of Form Conversion

Cultural Note:
Using the appropriate speech level is crucial in Japanese society. Using casual speech with superiors or people you've just met can be perceived as rude, while using overly formal speech with close friends might create distance. Most Japanese people instinctively switch between levels depending on the social context.

Verb Negatives in Casual Speech

Negative forms also change in casual speech, with ません becoming ない.

Converting Negative Forms

Present Negative

Group 1 (う-verbs)

Group 2 (る-verbs)

Group 3 (Irregular)

Past Negative

Group 1 (う-verbs)

Group 2 (る-verbs)

Group 3 (Irregular)

Examples of Negative Conversion

Usage Note:
In casual conversation, you'll often hear negative verb forms with the final い dropped, like
行いかない→行いかな
or
食たべない→食たべな,
especially among young people or in certain dialects.

Casual Contractions in Spoken Japanese

In casual speech, Japanese speakers often contract certain verb forms and expressions for efficiency and natural flow.

Common Contractions

1. 〜ている → 〜てる (Progressive Form)

2. 〜ておく → 〜とく (Preparation Form)

3. 〜てしまう → 〜ちゃう (Completion/Regret Form)

4. 〜ではない → 〜じゃない (Negative Form)

Examples in Context

Cultural Note:
These contractions are extremely common in casual spoken Japanese, and you'll hear them constantly in daily conversation, TV shows, and anime. However, they're typically avoided in formal writing or speech settings like business meetings or academic presentations.

Polite Prefixes and Their Omission

In formal Japanese, many common nouns take honorific prefixes お (o-) or ご (go-). These are often dropped in casual speech.

Common Words with Honorific Prefixes

お (o-) Prefix Words

ご (go-) Prefix Words

Examples in Context

Cultural Note:
Some words like
お茶ちゃ
are so commonly used with the お prefix that they sound a bit strange without it.
Others, like
ご飯はん,
have a distinctly different casual form
(飯めし)
that is often used by men.
Using the casual form
飯めし
is common among male friends but would be inappropriate in formal settings.

Particle Usage in Casual Speech

In casual Japanese, particles are often dropped when the meaning is clear from context.

Common Particle Drops

Topic Marker は (wa)

Object Marker を (o)

Subject Marker が (ga)

While が is sometimes dropped, it's often retained when emphasis is needed:

Examples in Context

Practical Note:
The particle も (also) is rarely dropped, even in casual speech.
The destination particle に and directional particle へ are often retained to avoid confusion.
You'll hear a lot of particle dropping in anime, songs, and casual conversation, but it's important to understand where the particles would be, even when they're omitted.

Personal Pronouns in Formal vs. Casual Speech

Japanese pronouns vary significantly between formal and casual contexts, with some forms being gender-associated.

First-Person Pronouns ("I/me")

Second-Person Pronouns ("you")

Examples in Context

Cultural Note:
Using the appropriate personal pronoun is crucial in Japanese. The wrong choice can make you sound rude, overly familiar, or inappropriately distant. Many Japanese speakers avoid pronouns altogether by using names or titles instead. In particular, second-person pronouns like あなた are often avoided in favor of using the listener's name with an appropriate honorific.

Sentence-Ending Particles in Casual Speech

Casual Japanese often uses sentence-ending particles that add nuance, emotion, or seek confirmation. These are much more common in casual than formal speech.

Common Sentence-Ending Particles

よ (yo) - Emphasis, Informing

Adds emphasis or indicates you're providing information the listener doesn't know

ね (ne) - Seeking Agreement

Similar to "right?" or "isn't it?" in English

よね (yone) - Confirmation + Agreement

Combination of よ and ね, seeking confirmation while providing information

の (no) - Explanation or Softening

Used to explain or soften a statement, often used by women

な (na) - Self-directed Reflection

Often used in male speech for self-reflection or admiration

Examples in Context

Gender Differences:
Some sentence-ending particles have gender associations in Japanese:
な and ぜ are more commonly used by men
の and わ are traditionally associated with feminine speech
However, these associations are becoming less strict in modern Japanese.

Putting It All Together: Formal vs. Casual Conversations

Let's compare the same conversations in formal and casual styles to see how all these elements work together.

Dialogue: Meeting a Friend

Formal Version

A: 山田やまださん、お久ひさしぶりです。お元気げんきですか？
(Yamada-san, ohisashiburi desu. Ogenki desu ka?)
"Mr. Yamada, it's been a while. How are you?"

B: 田中たなかさん、こんにちは。はい、元気げんきです。
田中たなかさんは？
(Tanaka-san, konnichiwa. Hai, genki desu. Tanaka-san wa?)
"Hello, Ms. Tanaka. Yes, I'm fine. How about you?"

A: 私わたしも元気げんきです。今日きょうは暑あついですね。
(Watashi mo genki desu. Kyō wa atsui desu ne.)
"I'm fine too. It's hot today, isn't it?"

B: そうですね。お茶ちゃでも飲のみませんか？
(Sō desu ne. Ocha demo nomimasen ka?)
"Yes, it is. Would you like to have some tea?"

A: はい、ありがとうございます。行いきましょう。
(Hai, arigatō gozaimasu. Ikimashō.)
"Yes, thank you. Let's go."

Casual Version

A: 山田やまだ、ひさしぶり！元気げんき？
(Yamada, hisashiburi! Genki?)
"Yamada, long time no see! How are you?"

B: あ、田中たなか！うん、元気げんきだよ。田中たなかは？
(A, Tanaka! Un, genki da yo. Tanaka wa?)
"Oh, Tanaka! Yeah, I'm good. How about you?"

A: 私わたしも元気げんき。今日きょう暑あついね。
(Watashi mo genki. Kyō atsui ne.)
"I'm good too. Hot today, huh?"

B: そうだね。茶ちゃでも飲のむ？
(Sō da ne. Cha demo nomu?)
"Yeah it is. Wanna have some tea?"

A: うん、ありがと。行いこう！
(Un, arigato. Ikō!)
"Yeah, thanks. Let's go!"

Dialogue: At a Restaurant

Formal Version

A: すみません、注文ちゅうもんしてもよろしいでしょうか。
(Sumimasen, chūmon shite mo yoroshii deshō ka.)
"Excuse me, may I order?"

B: はい、ご注文ちゅうもんをどうぞ。
(Hai, go-chūmon o dōzo.)
"Yes, please go ahead with your order."

A: ラーメンを一ひとつお願ねがいします。
(Rāmen o hitotsu onegai shimasu.)
"One ramen, please."

B: かしこまりました。お飲のみ物ものはいかがですか？
(Kashikomarimashita. Onomi-mono wa ikaga desu ka?)
"Certainly. Would you like something to drink?"

A: お水みずをください。
(Omizu o kudasai.)
"Water, please."

Casual Version

A: すみません、注文ちゅうもんしていい？
(Sumimasen, chūmon shite ii?)
"Excuse me, can I order?"

B: うん、注文ちゅうもんどうぞ。
(Un, chūmon dōzo.)
"Yeah, go ahead."

A: ラーメン一ひとつ頼たのむ。
(Rāmen hitotsu tanomu.)
"One ramen."

B: はいよ。飲のみ物ものは？
(Hai yo. Nomi-mono wa?)
"Got it. Anything to drink?"

A: 水みず。
(Mizu.)
"Water."

Cultural Note:
Even native Japanese speakers vary in how casual they get depending on their personality, region, age, and social group. Some people naturally speak more formally than others, even with friends. It's generally safer to start more formal and gradually become more casual as the relationship develops.