Anata (あなた - You/Sweetheart)

I wrote about Japanese two person pronouns yesterday.

In that post, I said that you should not use two person pronouns blindly, such as anata (あなた) or kimi (君), in daily conversation in Japan.

However, anata (あなた) could be used in a specific case.

That is when a wife refers to her husband.

Originally, anata was a word to refer to something in the distance.

In the Edo period, since wives and husbands in samurai families often acted independently, wives seemed to call their husbands 'anata' in the sense of "a person who is far away."

Someday, I would like someone to tell me "Okaerinasai, anata" (おかえりなさい、あなた - Welcome home, sweetheart), haha.

あなた

昨日は日本語の二人称代名詞について書きました。

その投稿の中で私は、日本語の会話で「あなた」や「君」などの二人称代名詞は基本的に使うべきではないと述べました。

しかし、「あなた」だけは特殊な使われ方をする場合があります。

それは、夫婦間で妻が夫を呼ぶ時です。

もともと「あなた」は、「遠くにあるもの」を指す言葉でした。

江戸時代、武家の夫婦は別行動を取ることが多かったため、「いつも遠くにいる夫」という意味で夫のことを「あなた」と呼ぶようになったそうです。

いつか、「おかえりなさい、あなた」と言われたいものです。

• I wrote about Japanese two person pronouns yesterday.
• I wrote about Japanese second person pronouns yesterday.

• In that post, I said that you should not use two person pronouns blindly, such as anata (あなた) or kimi (君), in daily conversation in Japan.
• In that post, I said that you should not use second person pronouns blindly, such as anata (あなた) or kimi (君), in daily conversation in Japan.

• However, anata (あなた) could be used in a specific case.
• However, anata (あなた) could be used in a specific case.

  Can works here as well. Perhaps, it works better because it is more matter of fact and less hypothetical sounding.

• That is when a wife refers to her husband.
• That is when a wife refers to her husband.

  You could end the previous sentence with a colon and join this sentence to it:
  
  "...case: when a wife refers to her husband."
  
  Also, rather than refers, "speaks to" or "is speaking to" is probably better. "Refer to" here, without the same context established yesterday, is vague as to whether she is referring to her husband while speaking to him or referring to him while speaking to a third person.

• Originally, anata was a word to refer to something in the distance.
• Originally, anata was a word used to refer to something in the distance.

  also, used to refer=>which referred

• In the Edo period, since wives and husbands in samurai families often acted independently, wives seemed to call their husbands 'anata' in the sense of "a person who is far away."
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

• Someday, I would like someone to tell me "Okaerinasai, anata" (おかえりなさい、あなた - Welcome home, sweetheart), haha.
• This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

Once again, thank you for the clear explanation!