anata & kimi difference

I've been called ''anata'' by older female colleagues (at least 30 yrs older) when they wanted to stress a point.

I usually call my students (at least 9 yrs younger) by their name or by ''kimi'' if I don't know their name.

My question is: what does it mean when a man who is about 20 years older than me (female) calls me ''anata''?

Is it the same usage as when my older female colleagues called me ''anata''? Shouldn't he say ''kimi'' since I'm much younger than him?

Anata is correct & polite & to any age/gender. Kimi is talking down but ok in sensei(teacher)-seito(student) relationship. Ask the last name first & call (last name)kun, if you don't know or remember. To address to the whole school class/student group, you can say "kimitachi"

luckydog,

Generally speaking, "anata" is a neutral way of saying "you" while "kimi" is a very casual and rather boyish way of saying it. I would never say it's a vulgar way, but I can't imagine a situation where you should be using "kimi" although you can use it sometimes. At least I never use "kimi" unless I'm joking.

Thanks ay-san & Uco-san

@ay: I usually say the student's name or if it's a group & I know @ least 1 student I say (name)-kun/san-tachi, but when I don't know any names at all, I say "kimi."

@Uco: I didn't know that "kimi" was boyish but I did know that it was more casual than "anata." Other teachers have said "omae-ra" or "anta" or "kimi," but I figured that "kimi" would be the best to use to address students when I didn't know their names.

1 more question: what's the difference between saying a person's name vs. "anata"?

Is it to stress a point? I've never used "anata" to someone whose name I already knew (...or ever). Most people who know my name usually call me by it & not "anata," "kimi," etc. except for a handful of people.

1 more question: what's the difference between saying a person's name vs. "anata"?

It's hard to generalize. Yes, I would say that it would sound like you are trying to stress a point, so a lot of people say that it should be avoided.

But then, there are some people who simply like to use the term "anata." It's like a habit to them, and they really don't mean anything.

Also, when speaking to non-natives, a lot of Japanese people might use "anata" so that the non-native listener can simply translate it to the English "you." Speakers think it might be easier on the listener if the structure of a Japanese sentence is closer to that of an English one.

@Uco: Thanks again :) I never knew that Japanese speakers used "anata" to foreigners because they think it's easier to translate...

I've been here for a few years, but the ones who've called me "anata" are only 4 people. They all usually called me by my name(+chan/san) except for a few times.