pronoun
Archaic second-person pronoun used to address someone of equal or lower status, often with a derogatory or contemptuous tone. Not to be confused with the modern first-person pronoun おれ.
古語では「おれ」は二人称として使われた。
In classical Japanese, おれ was used as a second-person pronoun.
「爾」は漢文訓読で「おれ」と読まれることがある。
The character 爾 is sometimes read as おれ in kanbun contexts.
汝 is another archaic second-person pronoun, often used in literary or religious contexts, while おれ (爾) carries a stronger derogatory nuance.
Originally a second-person pronoun in Old Japanese; later shifted to first-person in modern Japanese. The kanji 爾 and 儞 are ateji or classical borrowings for this reading.