Archaic first-person pronoun used by nobles in the Heian period; not used in modern Japanese.
In old texts, it is written, 'I shall go to the Imperial Palace.'
thin or shaved eyebrows
Refers to a person with thin or shaved eyebrows, a style associated with Heian-era courtiers. Now a historical term.
affectionate suffix for names
Attached to names of young men or pets to express affection; also written as 丸. Archaic and rarely used today.
The suffix 麻呂 was sometimes attached to childhood names.
In Heian-period picture scrolls, nobles with shaved eyebrows are depicted.
丸 is the common modern kanji used as an affectionate suffix on names of boys or pets, while 麻呂 is an older, rarely used variant spelling of the same suffix.
我 is an old literary first-person pronoun still seen in formal or poetic modern Japanese, whereas 麿 is limited to Heian-court speech and is entirely obsolete today.
拙者 is the archaic first-person pronoun associated with samurai in historical dramas, while 麿 belongs to the earlier Heian court and carries a courtier rather than warrior image.
Standard kanji spelling for the archaic pronoun and the suffix; also used for the historical eyebrow style.
Variant kanji form, less common than 麻呂.
The origin is uncertain; it may derive from an ancient word for 'round' or 'circle', but the connection to the pronoun and suffix is unclear.