私

Glyph origin
– private grain or field.

Displaced the original form.

Definitions

 * 1) self; personal; private
 * 2) selfish
 * 3)    I; me
 * 4) illegal or secret goods
 * 5) stealthily; secretly
 * 6) reproductive organs; genitals
 * 1) illegal or secret goods
 * 2) stealthily; secretly
 * 3) reproductive organs; genitals
 * 1) reproductive organs; genitals
 * 1) reproductive organs; genitals
 * 1) reproductive organs; genitals

Etymology 1
Shift from watakushi below.

This reading was already prevalent in early modern times, possibly around the mid-late to early-.

Pronoun

 * 1)   I, me

Usage notes
Watashi is the usual polite term for referring to oneself.

Etymology 2
From.

A surface analysis suggests a compound term. However, no likely etyma are known.


 * From first-person pronoun + takusi: although the first element seems likely, the original meaning of watakushi was “”, as opposed to “”, with no first-person pronoun usage until the late 13th century.
 * From wata + kusi: the only phonetic matches are, , + , , ,.
 * From wataku + si: no such word wataku appears to exist.
 * From wa + ta + ku + si: unknown.

The meaning evolved over time from “” or “”, to refer to things that are, to refer to one's own , and then finally to serve as a generic first-person pronoun. The full form watakushi is still used in modern Japanese as a formal, highly polite first-person pronoun. The abbreviated form watashi is now the most common and neutrally polite first-person pronoun.

Noun

 * 1) a personal or private matter
 * 2)  selfishness

Pronoun

 * 1)   I, me

Usage notes
Watakushi is the formal term, only used in certain circumstances, such as by TV announcers or public figures such as politicians. Conversely, it is too formal for casual conversation for men, where terms like are preferred.

Etymology 3
→

From.

Affix

 * 1) personal, private
 * 2) secret

Derived terms

 * : in the Heian Period, fields used for large-scale private farming by powerful clans, rather than public farming by the state
 * : in the Edo Period and earlier, an individual's collection or anthology of poetry
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Heian Period, fields used for large-scale private farming by powerful clans, rather than public farming by the state
 * : in the Edo Period and earlier, an individual's collection or anthology of poetry
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Heian Period, fields used for large-scale private farming by powerful clans, rather than public farming by the state
 * : in the Edo Period and earlier, an individual's collection or anthology of poetry
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Edo Period and earlier, an individual's collection or anthology of poetry
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Edo Period and earlier, an individual's collection or anthology of poetry
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Edo Period and earlier, an individual's collection or anthology of poetry
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state
 * : in the Nara and Heian periods, rice plants owned by an individual rather than by the state

Noun

 * 1) a personal or private matter
 * 2) selfishness
 * 3) privacy, secrecy
 * 4)  a brother-in-law

Noun

 * 1) a personal or private matter

Han character

 * 1) private, personal