There are several equivalents of 'I' in Japanese. WATASHI is the most common word and is found in most Japanese textbooks. It is used by female speakers of all ages and adult male speakers.
On the other hand, ORE is used by male speakers in relatively informal situations. Using it in a formal situation or with your superior is impolite.
We have another word used by male speakers only, BOKU. BOKU is used by young male speakers in any situation.
You might hear a female speaker say ATASHI. This is less formal than WATASHI.
Similarly, WATAKUSHI is very formal and used by both female and adult male speakers.
We have more equivalent words for 'I' in Japanese. Some can be found in historical books, films, and animations: WASHI, SESSHA, WARAWA, SOREGASHI, etc.
However, they are no longer used in modern conversational Japanese.
We hardly ever use YOU
We rarely use "YOU" (ANATA) in conversational Japanese. Using ANATA with your family, friends, and colleagues sounds cold and unfriendly, blaming or sarcastic. Referring to your superior as ANATA would be extremely rude!
We can use someone's name or job title or omit it.
When you don't know the other person's name or when speaking to the general public, you use ANATA.
Example:
1. お名前は。(O-namae wa.)
What is your name?
2. 電話番号は何番ですか。(Denwa-bangoo wa nan-ban desu ka.)
What is your phone number?
3. 山田さんも学生ですね。(Yamada-san mo gakusei desu ne.)
You are also a student, aren't you, Ms. Yamada?
4. 先生はどんなスポーツが好きですか。(Sensei wa donna supootsu ga suki desu ka.)
What kind of sports do you like, Sir?
5. 運転手さん、次の信号を右に曲がって下さい。(Untenshu-san, tsugi no shingoo o migi ni magatte kudasai.)
Could you turn right at the next traffic light, Mr Driver?
6. お父さんは頭がいいね。(Otoosan wa atama ga ii ne.)
You are smart, aren't you, Dad?
Other equivalents of 'YOU' in Japanese are OMAE, KIMI, KISAMA, ANTA, etc. Again, we try to avoid using them, especially in formal situations.
In other usage, women often use ANATA to address their husbands; this is similar to 'darling' or 'honey' in English.
