自じ我が

じ

が

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

ego; self

philosophy

Philosophical term for the conscious self or ego, often contrasted with 非我 (non-self).

Usage patterns

自じ我がが芽め生ばえるto develop a sense of self (esp. in children)
子こ供どもは三さん歳さいごろから自じ我がが芽め生ばえ始はじめる。
Children begin to develop a sense of self around age three.
自じ我がを確かく立りつするto establish one's identity or sense of self
青せい年ねん期きは自じ我がを確かく立りつする重じゅう要ような時じ期きだ。
Adolescence is an important period for establishing one's sense of self.
自じ我がが強つよいto have a strong ego or strong sense of self
彼かれは自じ我がが強つよく、人ひとの意い見けんを聞きかない。
He has a strong ego and doesn't listen to others' opinions.
自じ我がに目め覚ざめるto awaken to self-awareness
思し春しゅん期きに自じ我がに目め覚ざめる人ひとが多おおい。
Many people awaken to self-awareness during puberty.

Kanji

自oneself
我ego, I, selfish

Related words

自じ己こN1sense 2
自己 is the broad, everyday word for 'self' used in compounds like 自己紹介, while 自我 is the more technical philosophical or psychological term for the conscious ego.
エゴ sense 2
エゴ is a casual loanword often implying selfishness (エゴが強い), whereas 自我 is the neutral academic term for one's sense of self.

Opposites

非ひ我が sense 1
非我 is the philosophical opposite of 自我, referring to everything outside or other than the conscious self.
無む我が
自我 is one's ego or sense of individual self, which 無我 denies or seeks to transcend.

Don't confuse with

超ちょう自じ我が sense 3
超自我 (the superego) is the moral, regulatory part of the psyche, distinct from 自我 (the ego), even though the two share the kanji 自我.

Word family

超ちょう自じ我が
superego
自じ我が実じつ現げん
self-realization; self-actualization
自じ我が意い識しき
self-consciousness
自じ我が障しょう害がい
ego disturbance; ego derangement

Etymology

Sino-Japanese compound of 自 (self) and 我 (self/ego). The term was adopted in modern Japanese to translate Western philosophical and psychological concepts of the self and ego.