Japanese with Manga

私 while running a marathon with a classmate

Vocabulary Explanation: Personal Pronouns

Manga panel from からかい上手の高木さん showing example of 私 while running a marathon with a classmate.
からかい上手の高木さん » Volume 5 » Page 63

During a class marathon, Takagi challenges Nishikata to a competition.

高木(たかぎ):
「私(わたし)にタッチできたら、西片(にしかた)の勝(か)ちでいいよ。」
“If you can tag me, you win.”

Takagi uses the personal pronoun 私(わたし) when speaking with her classmate and friend, Nishikata.

Key Points

1私(わたし) here means “me”
  • Takagi is setting herself up as the target to be tagged.
2Particle choice: 私(わたし)に
  • The に marks the person the action reaches.
  • With タッチする, it works like “touch/tag someone”.
3できたら sets a condition
  • 「タッチできたら」 means “if you can tag [me]”.
  • The challenge depends on whether Nishikata manages to do that.
4Casual challenge tone with 〜でいいよ
  • 「西片(にしかた)の勝(か)ちでいいよ」 sounds relaxed and confident.
  • Takagi is casually offering the rule because she expects she can handle the challenge.

Vocabulary

(I)

私(わたし) means “I” or “me”. It is the standard first-person pronoun in polite speech and is also common in casual speech among women.

(To be able to)

出来(でき)る means to be able to do something. It can also mean that something is made, completed, or comes into existence.

See Also

からかい上手の高木さん © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.