吾
I, my, our, one's own
Readings
On'yomi
- ゴ
Kun'yomi
- われ
- わが-
- あ-
Nanori
- あ
- あが
Meaning
吾 centers on the self in a possessive or collective sense: I, my, our, or one's own. It is a classical first-person pronoun that emphasizes personal connection or ownership.
Most common words using 吾
20 of 22- 吾子あこ
my child
- 金吾きんご
kingo (game similar to blackjack)
- 今吾こんご
one's present self
- 吾が仏あがほとけ
my dear; my Buddha
- 吾が仏尊しあがほとけとうとし
putting one's own beliefs on a pedestal; being narrow-minded
- 吾が身あがみ
you
- 吾人ごじん
we
- 吾兄あせ
you (referring to a male)
- 吾唯足知われただたるをしる
I am content with what I am (have); rich is the person who is content with what he is
- 吾妹わぎも
my love; my dear; darling
- 吾妹子わぎもこ
my love; my dear; darling
- 吾妻しいあずましい
feeling good; feeling comfortable
- 吾妻コートあずまコート
Azuma coat; type of coat worn over a kimono; popular in the middle of the Meiji era
- 吾妻下駄あずまげた
Azuma geta; type of geta for women with a tatami mat insole
- 吾妻山薊あずまやまあざみ
Azumayama thistle; Cirsiummicrospicatum
- 吾妻鏡あずまかがみ
Japanese medieval text that chronicles events of the Kamakura Shogunate
- 吾曹ごそう
we; us
- 吾木香われもこう
great burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis)
- 吾輩は猫であるわがはいはねこである
I Am a Cat (1906 novel by Natsume Soseki)
- 故吾こご
one's former self
Study
Etymology
吾 combines 五 (five) and 口 (mouth). The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it likely developed as a phonetic loan for the first-person pronoun, with 五 providing the sound and 口 indicating speech or self-reference.
Meaning mnemonic
Five 五 mouths 口 all speaking at once, each saying 'I, my, our' — the clamor of self-reference.
Reading mnemonic
For ゴ, imagine five mouths all saying 'Go!' as they argue over whose turn it is: Go -> ゴ, and each one insists 'I, my, our!'