Himself
Definition
Himself is a pronoun used as the reflexive form of "he" or as an emphatic pronoun to emphasize the subject "he." It refers to the male subject performing an action upon himself or emphasizing his role in an action.
Parts of Speech
- Pronoun
Pronunciation
American English
- IPA Pronunciation: /hɪmˈsɛlf/
- Respelling: him-SELF
British English
- IPA Pronunciation: /hɪmˈsɛlf/
- Respelling: him-SELF
Etymology
The word "himself" originates from Middle English "himself" or "hymself," combining "him," the dative and accusative form of "he," with "self," denoting reflexivity or emphasis. It evolved through Old English "him selfum," retaining its reflexive and emphatic uses in Modern English.
Derivatives
- Him (object pronoun)
- Self (noun)
- Reflexive (adjective)
- Himselfness (noun, rare)
- Unhimself (adjective, rare)
Synonyms
- He himself
- His own
- None
Antonyms
- Herself
- Themselves
- None
Usage
The term "himself" is frequently used in reflexive or emphatic contexts. For example, "He taught himself how to code," or "The director himself attended the premiere."
Related Terms
- Reflexive Pronoun: A pronoun used to refer back to the subject of a clause.
- Emphasis: Stressing or highlighting a specific subject or object.
- Self: A prefix or word referring to the individual performing the action.
Detailed Definitions
Pronoun
- Used reflexively to refer to the subject "he": Indicates that the action of the verb is directed back to the male subject.
- Example: "He looked at himself in the mirror."
- Used emphatically to emphasize the subject "he": Highlights the male subject's role in an action or situation.
- Example: "The president himself signed the document."
himself
He looked at himself in the mirror.
The president himself signed the document.
He himself was amazed by his own progress.
🇨🇳 Mandarin
- 他自己 (tā zìjǐ)
- IPA: /tʰa˧˥ t͡sz̩˥˩t͡ɕi˥/
- Respelling: ta zee-jee
- 他本人 (tā běnrén)
- IPA: /tʰa˧˥ pən˧˥ ʐən˧˥/
- Respelling: ta ben-ren
🇮🇳 Hindi
- खुद (khud)
- IPA: /kʰʊd/
- Respelling: khud
- स्वयं (svayam)
- IPA: /sʋəjəm/
- Respelling: svayam
🇪🇸 Spanish
- Él mismo
- IPA: /el 'mismo/
- Respelling: el mismo
- Se
- IPA: /se/
- Respelling: se
🇫🇷 French
- Lui-même
- IPA: /lɥi mɛm/
- Respelling: lui-même
- Soi
- IPA: /swa/
- Respelling: swa
🇦🇪 Arabic
- هو نفسه (huwa nafsuh)
- IPA: /huwa nafsuː/
- Respelling: huwa nafsoo
- نفسه (nafsuh)
- IPA: /nafsuː/
- Respelling: nafsoo
🇧🇩 Bengali
- নিজে (nije)
- IPA: /nid͡ʒe/
- Respelling: nije
- স্বয়ং (svoẏaṁ)
- IPA: /ʂʋɔjã/
- Respelling: shvo-yan
🇷🇺 Russian
- Себя (sebya)
- IPA: /ˈsʲebʲə/
- Respelling: s'yeh-b'yuh
- Сам (sam)
- IPA: /sam/
- Respelling: sam
🇵🇹 Portuguese
- Ele mesmo
- IPA: /ˈɛli ˈmeʃmu/
- Respelling: eh-lee meh-shmoo
- Si
- IPA: /si/
- Respelling: see
🇮🇩 Indonesian
- Dia sendiri
- IPA: /dia sendiri/
- Respelling: dee-ya sen-dee-ree
- Sendiri
- IPA: /sendiri/
- Respelling: sen-dee-ree
🇩🇪 German
- Sich selbst
- IPA: /zɪç ˈzɛlpst/
- Respelling: zikh zelbst
- Er selbst
- IPA: /eːɐ̯ ˈzɛlpst/
- Respelling: ayer zelbst
🇯🇵 Japanese
- 自分自身 (jibun jishin)
- IPA: /d͡ʑibɯɴ d͡ʑiɕiɴ/
- Respelling: jee-bun jee-shin
- 彼自身 (kare jishin)
- IPA: /kaɾe d͡ʑiɕiɴ/
- Respelling: ka-re jee-shin
🇻🇳 Vietnamese
- Chính anh ấy
- IPA: /cîˀŋ ʔaj˧ˀ˦ ʔaːj˧ˀ˦/
- Respelling: chin anh ay
- Bản thân anh ấy
- IPA: /ɓaːn˧ˀ˦ tʰaːn˧ˀ˦ ʔaj˧ˀ˦ ʔaːj˧ˀ˦/
- Respelling: ban than anh ay
🇰🇷 Korean
- 그 자신 (geu jasin)
- IPA: /kɯ d͡ʑa.ɕin/
- Respelling: koo ja-shin
- 자기 자신 (jagi jasin)
- IPA: /t͡ɕa.gi d͡ʑa.ɕin/
- Respelling: cha-gi ja-shin
🇹🇷 Turkish
- Kendi
- IPA: /kenˈdi/
- Respelling: ken-dee
- Kendisi
- IPA: /kenˈd͡ʒi.si/
- Respelling: ken-jee-see
🇵🇰 Urdu
- خود (khud)
- IPA: /xʊd/
- Respelling: khud
- آپ ہی (aap hi)
- IPA: /aːp hiː/
- Respelling: aap hee
