私・僕・うち・俺

About

私わたし, 僕ぼく, うち, and 俺おれ are four of the most common first-person pronouns in Japanese. They each have distinct nuances.

私わたし ("I") is a first-person pronoun that is commonly used by both men and women, in both casual as well as formal and polite speech.In casual situations, 私わたし is more commonly used by women than men. In more formal situations, such as the workplace, 私わたし is used gender-neutral.

私わたし also has a more formal variant: 私わたくし（わたくし）. 私わたくし （わたくし）doesn't tend to be used outside of the workplace, or in similarly formal scenarios such as speeches.

僕ぼく ("I") is a first-person pronoun that is mainly used by young men/boys, and mainly in casual situations.

僕ぼく is more humble than 俺おれ, but less polite than 私わたし. 僕ぼく can be used with one's superiors in casual situations, but should be avoided in formal scenarios, such as the workplace.

うち ("I"), is a first-person pronoun that is mainly used by female speakers, and usually in casual situations. うち is most common in the Kansai region of Japan but has recently become a popular way to refer to oneself nationwide.

The usage of うち is less common with older speakers, making this pronoun feel fairly young. うち isn't appropriate for formal situations, such as the workplace.

うち can also be used as a gender-neutral term for one's household.

俺おれ ("I") is a first-person pronoun that is very casual, and is mainly used by men. 俺おれ's casual nature means that it shouldn't be used in any sort of polite or formal situation.

Since 俺おれ sounds very casual and masculine, it can sound rude when used in the wrong scenario.

Summary

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  私わたし, 僕ぼく, うち, and 俺おれ mean "I"

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  私わたし is gender neutral, but mainly by women in casual situations

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  僕ぼく is mainly used by young men/boys

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  うち is casual and mainly used by female speakers

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  俺おれ is very casual and is mainly used by men