吾輩
See also: 吾辈
Chinese
I; my | contemporaries; generation; lifetime | ||
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trad. (吾輩) | 吾 | 輩 | |
simp. (吾辈) | 吾 | 辈 |
Pronunciation
Synonyms
Dialectal synonyms of 我們 (“we; us (exclusive or no distinction of clusivity)”) [map]
Japanese
Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
吾 | 輩 |
わが Jinmeiyō |
はい Grade: S |
yutōyomi |
Alternative spellings |
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我輩 我が輩 吾が輩 |
Pronoun
吾輩 • (wagahai)
- (dated) I, me; we, us
- 1905–06, Natsume Sōseki, I Am a Cat (text here)
- 吾輩は猫である。名前はまだ無い。
- Wagahai wa neko de aru. Namae wa mada nai.
- I am a cat. As yet, I have no name.
- 吾輩は猫である。名前はまだ無い。
- 1905–06, Natsume Sōseki, I Am a Cat (text here)
Usage notes
- This is uncommon and old-fashioned and conveys a nuance of self-importance and arrogance. When used today it's often a pun on the title of Natsume Sōseki's novel, and the usage follows the form 吾輩は……である. The closest pronoun widely used today is 俺 (ore).
References
- Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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