彼

This term refers to a male person. While it can translate broadly to 'he' or 'that person', it is very commonly used to mean 'boyfriend'. In this sense, it can be a more general or slightly more formal term than 彼氏, which also means 'boyfriend' but often carries a more intimate or casual connotation. It can also refer to a male acquaintance or friend, similar to 'that man' or 'male friend'. The specific usage is highly context-dependent and carries cultural nuances regarding the speaker's relationship with the person being referred to, extending beyond a simple literal translation.

• 私の彼、とても優しいよ。 — My boyfriend is very kind.
• 彼が犯人だと思った。 — I thought he/that person was the culprit.
• 彼とは去年知り合いました。 — I met him/that person last year.

This is a third-person masculine pronoun, commonly translated as 'he' or 'that guy'. However, its usage in Japanese differs significantly from 'he' in English. Japanese frequently omits explicit pronouns when the subject is clear from context, making direct translations like 'he' often unnecessary or unnatural. When 彼 is used as a pronoun, it can sometimes sound formal or slightly distant, or it can strongly imply a specific relationship (e.g., that it refers to a boyfriend, overlapping with the noun usage of 彼). Therefore, while it can mean 'he', it is not always a direct equivalent to 'he' in English sentences and is highly context-dependent concerning social relationships and conversational flow.

• 彼は医者です。 — He is a doctor.
• 彼はいつも私を助けてくれる。 — He always helps me.