I have accidentally typed "あんた" instead of "あなた" and had some people tell me that there is a negative connotation with "あんた".
I just want to understand what connotation "あんた" carries and why it is considered something bad to say.
1 Answer
Meaning-wise, あんた just means "you". It has no negative meaning. But unlike あなた, あんた is a pretty blunt second-person pronoun, and it sounds clearly impolite if used inappropriately. In short, あんた is a word closer to お前 than to あなた. Perhaps female speakers tend to choose あんた over お前.
In the real world, most people never use it even at home, but I think a few "strong" mothers use it to address their husbands or children. In fiction, you would also hear it used by someone who speaks bluntly. A typical male user of あんた is a proud guy like Cloud Strife. Many stereotypical tsundere girls use あんた, too.
