Translation guide
How to express 'someone else' in Japanese, covering general references, specific contrasts, and common phrases.
Referring to another person in a general sense, often when contrasting with oneself or a specific person.
The most common and neutral word for 'someone else' or 'another person', often used in contrasts with oneself or family.
それは他人の問題です。
That's someone else's problem.
他人に頼らずに自分でやりなさい。
Do it yourself without relying on others.
Literally 'other person', a straightforward and common way to say 'someone else'. Slightly more concrete than 他人.
他の人に聞いてみてください。
Please ask someone else.
Emphasizes a different person, often used when suggesting an alternative.
別の人を呼んできて。
Go get someone else.
Indicating that something belongs to another person.
The possessive form of 他人, meaning 'someone else's'.
他人の物を勝手に使わないで。
Don't use someone else's things without permission.
Possessive form of 他の人.
他の人の意見も聞いてみよう。
Let's hear someone else's opinion too.
Emphasizing that an action or state applies to another person, not the speaker.
A clear contrastive phrase meaning 'not oneself but someone else'.
自分ではなく他の人がやるべきだ。
Someone else should do it, not me.
Literally 'someone other than me', useful for emphasizing exclusion of self.
私以外の誰かがそれを知っている。
Someone else knows about it.
Referring to an unspecified person, often in questions or hypotheticals.
Combines 'someone' (誰か) with 'other person' (他の人) to mean 'someone else'.
誰か他の人に手伝ってもらえますか？
Can someone else help me?
Similar to above, with 別の人 emphasizing a different person.
誰か別の人を探して。
Look for someone else.
Common expressions where 'someone else' appears in fixed phrases.
Literally 'other people's affairs', used to describe something that doesn't concern oneself. Often used in the phrase 他人事ではない (it's not someone else's problem).
この問題は他人事ではない。
This problem is not someone else's concern.
Proverb meaning 'Learn from others' mistakes' or 'Observe others and correct your own behavior'.
人のふり見て我がふり直せと言うから、彼の失敗から学ぼう。
They say 'learn from others' mistakes,' so let's learn from his failure.
他人 can sound cold or distant. When referring to friends, family, or colleagues, it's often better to use 他の人 or specify the relationship.
友達に聞いてみるよ。
I'll ask a friend (not 'someone else').
他人 is the most general and abstract. 他の人 is more concrete and often interchangeable. 別の人 emphasizes a different person, often as a replacement.