己おら

お

ら

Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

Meanings

male term, language, or namearchaic

Archaic or dialectal first-person pronoun, mainly used by men. In contemporary Japanese, it survives in some regional dialects (e.g., Tohoku, Kanto rural areas) and in period speech. Often carries a rustic or rough nuance.

おら、そんなこと知しらねえ。
I don't know nothin' about that.
おらは百ひゃく姓しょうだ。
I'm a farmer.

Kanji

己self
俺I, myself

Related words

俺おれN1
俺 is the standard casual masculine word for 'I', while 己(おら) is archaic or dialectal and sounds rustic.
僕ぼくN5
僕 is a polite, gentler casual masculine 'I', whereas 己(おら) has a rough, countrified feel.
私わたしN5
私 is the neutral, gender-unmarked word for 'I' used in standard speech, while 己(おら) is informal, dialectal, and mainly used by men.

Don't confuse with

オラ
おら is a dialectal first-person pronoun ('I/me') used by rustic or rough-speaking characters, while オラ is an unrelated Spanish-derived greeting meaning 'hello'.

Written forms

己
- おら
  Archaic/dialectal first-person pronoun. The kanji 己 is used for this reading in older or dialectal contexts.
- うら
おらUsage58%
Kana spelling is common in modern dialectal or colloquial writing.
うらUsage34%
オラUsage9%
俺
- おら
  Alternate kanji form for おら, also archaic/dialectal.
- うら
俺ら
- おら
  Kanji form with plural marker ら, but used as singular in some dialects.
- うら

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. It may be a contraction of おのれ (oneself) or a dialectal variant of おれ. The reading うら is an older form.

己おら

お

ら