おまえさん

Japanese

Alternative spellings
御前さん お前さん

Alternative forms

• (dialect) おまいさん (omaisan), おめえさん (omēsan), おめさん (omesan)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) おまえさん [òmáésáń] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [o̞ma̠e̞sã̠ɴ]

Pronoun

おまえさん • (omae-san) ^{←おまへさん (omafesan)?}

1. (archaic, polite) you
   • 1810, Shikitei Sanba, Ukiyoburo [Bathhouse of the Floating World], volume 2:

     御(お)前(まえ)さん、是(ここ)をお浴(あ)び遊(あす)ばしてお上(あ)がりあすばせ

     Omae-san, koko o oabi asubashite oagari asubase

     You may go and bathe now

2. (colloquial, familiar) mate, darling

   おい、おまえさん！

   Oi, omae-san!

   hey, buddy!

Usage notes

Used as a term of address. Historically the form was considered a somewhat polite though friendly second-person pronoun. In contemporary usage, it is most often addressed to a close friend or other intimate. The suffix さん (-san) marks the term as more polite than various synonyms, but お前(まえ) (omae) may be considered impolite if addressed to individuals of different social status from the speaker.

See also

• お前(まえ) (omae, “you”)
• 君(きみ) (kimi, “you; pal”)
• あなた (anata, “you; darling”)