あんた

あんた

See also: あんだ

Japanese

Etymology

Contraction of あなた (anata, “you”, second-person singular pronoun),[1][2] similar to あんちゃん (an-chan) from 兄ちゃん (ani-chan), もん (mon) from 物 (mono) or ん (n) from の (no).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) あ​んた [áꜜǹtà] (Atamadaka – [1])[2]
• IPA^(key): [ã̠nta̠]

Pronoun

あんた or アンタ • (anta) 

1. (informal or dialectal) Alternative form of あなた (“you”) (second-person singular pronoun)
   • 2012 May 4, “残(ざん)虐(ぎゃく)さの勝(しょう)利(り) [Triumph of Cruelty]”, in アヴァシンの帰還 [Avacyn’s Return], Wizards of the Coast:

     あんたより可(か)愛(わい)い死(し)体(たい)はたくさん見(み)てきたわよ、獣(じゅう)魔(ま)道(どう)士(し)さん。

     Anta yori kawaii shitai wa takusan mitekita wa yo, jūmadōshi-san.

     I’ve seen corpses prettier than you, beastmage.

   • 2003 October 10, Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill: Volume 1, Miramax Films, spoken by young O-Ren Ishii (Ai Maeda):

     松(まつ)本(もと)……あたしを見(み)て……あたしの顔(かお)をよおく見(み)て……あたしの目(め)を見(み)て……あたしの口(くち)を見(み)て……見(み)覚(おぼ)えないかい？……あんたが殺(ころ)した誰(だれ)かに……似(に)てないかい！

     Matsumoto…… Atashi o mite…… Atashi no kao o yōku mite…… Atashi no me o mite…… Atashi no kuchi o mite…… Mioboe nai kai? …… Anta ga koroshita dare ka ni…… nite nai kai!

     Matsumoto…… Look at me…… Look closely at my face…… My eyes…… My mouth…… Don’t I look familiar?…… Like someone…… you murdered!

Usage notes

• Compared to the standard form あなた (anata), the contracted form あんた (anta) may be used to express either contempt or affection, depending on tone and context.
• This term may also be used as the local equivalent of polite あなた (anata) in many Western Japanese dialects. In those cases, it does not have an informal tone at all.

Synonyms

• 君(きみ) (kimi, “you”, more informal)
• お前(まえ) (omae, “you”, very informal)

References

1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN