257

He, Boyfriend

かれ (kare), かの (kano)

JLPT N3

Interesting Fact

The word 彼 (kare) means 'he,' but in modern Japanese it also commonly means 'boyfriend.' Likewise, 彼女 (kanojo) means both 'she' and 'girlfriend.'

Memory Trick

Imagine pointing to a BOY standing over THERE and saying, 'HE is my friend.' That distant person is 彼.

Readings

Onyomi: ヒ (hi)

Kunyomi: かれ (kare), かの (kano)

Example Words

かれ (kare)
He
彼女
かのじょ (kanojo)
She, Girlfriend
彼ら
かれら (karera)
They
彼氏
かれし (kareshi)
Boyfriend

Example Sentence

彼は 日本語が 上手です。

かれは にほんごが じょうずです。

kare wa nihongo ga jouzu desu

He is good at Japanese.

Advertisement