我
ego, I, selfish, our, oneself
Readings
On'yomi
- ガ
Kun'yomi
- われ
- わ
- わ.が-
- わが-
Nanori
- あ
- あが
- か
Meaning
我 centers on the self as a distinct entity: the first-person 'I', the ego, or a sense of self-importance. The meanings 'our' and 'oneself' extend naturally from this self-focused perspective.
Most common words using 我
20 of 133- 我がわが
my; our; one's own
- 我慢がまんN3
endurance; patience; perseverance; bearing (with something)
- 我々われわれN3
we
- 怪我けがN5
injury; wound
- 我われ
I; me
- 我が家わがやN2
one's house; one's home; one's family
- 我らわれら
we; us
- 自我じがN1
ego
- 我儘わがままN3
selfish; egoist
- 我が身わがみ
myself; oneself
- 我が子わがこ
one's own child; one's own children
- 我楽多がらくた
junk; rubbish; trash; garbage; odds and ends
- 我輩わがはい
I; me; myself
- 我武者羅がむしゃら
reckless; daredevil; frantic; foolhardy
- 無我夢中むがむちゅうN1
losing oneself (in); being absorbed (in); forgetting oneself
- 我流がりゅう
self-taught method; one's own way; one's own style
- 我が物顔わがものがお
looking or acting as if one owned the place
- 無我むが
selflessness; self-effacement; self-renunciation
- 我慢強いがまんづよい
(very) patient; persevering
- 我家わぎえ
one's house; one's home; one's family
Study
Etymology
我 originally depicted a type of weapon, possibly a saw-toothed blade or a halberd. Over time it was borrowed phonetically to represent the first-person pronoun 'I' or 'self', and its original weapon meaning faded.
Meaning mnemonic
The shape resembles a hand grasping a weapon (戈), suggesting a self-assertive stance: 'I' am the one holding the weapon, emphasizing ego and self.
Reading mnemonic
For ガ, imagine a self-centered person shouting 'GA!' to draw attention to themselves: the sharp 'GA' sound cues ガ while the ego is on full display.