GrammarJLPT N5
やつ
→ guy
（やつ） Casual Way to Say "Fellow," "Guy," or "Thing"
JLPT N5Other (Informal pronoun / noun)Casual spoken
やつ is a highly informal noun and pronoun used in casual spoken Japanese. It has two main applications: referring to a person ("that guy," "that fellow") and referring to a thing or item ("that one," "the one that..."). When used about people, やつ can be neutral among close friends but is often rough or dismissive, sometimes bordering on rude depending on tone and context. When used about things, it functions similarly to の or もの as a casual nominalizer or substitute noun, as in 「赤いやつ」 meaning "the red one." Because of its blunt, masculine-leaning register, やつ is typically avoided in formal situations, polite conversation, or when speaking to superiors. Its plural form やつら means "those guys" and carries an even rougher nuance. The demonstrative compounds こいつ, そいつ, and あいつ incorporate やつ and follow the same casual register.
Functions
#1 Referring to a person informally
Structure
あの / この / その + やつ
あのやつはいつもおそいな。
Here やつ is used as a casual pronoun to refer to a specific person. The speaker uses やつ instead of a name or a polite word like 人（ひと）, which gives the sentence a rough, familiar tone. This usage is common among male friends talking casually, but it would sound rude if used about someone present or in a formal setting.That guy is always late.
Structures
- Referring to a person
- あの / この / その + やつ, or Clause (plain form) + やつ
- Referring to a thing
- Adjective / Clause (plain form) + やつ
Common mistakes
A common mistake is using やつ in formal or polite situations where 人（ひと）, 方（かた）, もの, or の would be appropriate; since やつ is very casual, it can come across as rude or disrespectful if used about someone of higher status or in business settings. Another frequent error is confusing やつ with あいつ: while both are informal, あいつ already contains a demonstrative meaning ("that person over there") and does not need あの in front of it, whereas やつ often pairs with あの, この, or その. Learners also sometimes forget that やつ can refer to things as well as people, and they avoid it in situations where it would be the most natural casual choice, such as ordering food or picking out an item. Finally, be careful not to use やつ when referring to yourself, as it is exclusively used for third persons or objects.
Related
やつらこいつそいつあいつもの（物）の（nominalizer）