Japanese word

やつ

Pronunciation

Romajiyatsu

Meaning

  • nounguy

Example

あのやつは先生です。a no ya tsu wa sen sei de su

That guy is a teacher.

Illustration for やつ (guy)

More examples

道で会ったやつが荷物を持ってくれました。michi de a tta ya tsu ga ni motsu o mo tte ku re ma shi ta

The guy I met on the street carried my bag for me.

Core concept

It refers to a person or thing as a casually identified individual, with a tone that can sound blunt or rough.

Common phrases

  • いいやつi i ya tsu

    good guy

  • 嫌なやつiya na ya tsu

    bad guy

  • 変なやつhen na ya tsu

    weird guy

Similar words

人hito: A person referred to in a neutral and general way.
者mono: A person referred to in a formal or written style.

Definition in Japanese

人や物を、ややぞんざいに指していうくだけた語。hito ya mono o ya ya zo n za i ni sa shi te i u ku da ke ta go

Word origin

The native word やつ (yatsu) is historically a shortened form of やつこ (yatsuko), which referred to a servant or subordinate; the meaning later expanded to a person or thing.

Usage tips

  • The phrase 赤いやつ (akai yatsu) means "the red one," so やつ (yatsu) can follow an adjective when the referent is an object as well as a person.

Other meanings

  • thingnoun

Related words

  • やつらyatsuraguysnoun

Word lists with this word