cry of a newborn baby
Literary and fixed expression; almost exclusively used in the phrase 呱々の声をあげる (to be born, literally 'to raise the cry of a newborn'). Not used in everyday conversation.
See also: 呱々の声をあげる
From the day he was born, he was the hope of his family.
「呱々の声をあげる」は、生まれることを表す文語的な言い回しだ。
'呱々の声をあげる' is a literary expression meaning to be born.
Alternate kanji spelling without the iteration mark. Equally rare and literary.
From Chinese, where 呱 (gū) is an onomatopoeia for a baby's cry. The Japanese reading ここ is the on'yomi. The exact historical path into Japanese is uncertain, but it remains a rare literary borrowing.