Casual, often masculine interjection used to get someone's attention, express surprise, or urge action. Can sound rough or familiar.
Only with reading おい
Kansai dialect first-person pronoun. Used mainly by men in casual settings. Equivalent to standard 俺 or 僕.
I don't know anything about that.
Hey, Tanaka, come here for a sec.
Hey, wait a minute.
Oi, what are you doing?!
I'll do it, so leave it to me.
Hey, wait!
こら is a sharper, scolding call used to reprimand someone, whereas おい is a more general way to call out or express surprise.
おい is the more common, slightly rougher way to call attention, while これ can sound more impatient or scolding.
おい is a rougher, masculine way to call someone's attention, while ほら is softer and used more generally to point something out.
おい is a more forceful, sometimes rude way to call out, while ヘイ is lighter and friendlier.
おおい is a drawn-out call used to get someone's attention from a distance, while おい is a shorter, sharper call used at close range or casually.
おい is a single, sharp call for attention, while おいおい is softer and doubled, often adding a note of surprise or a request to wait.
おい is a common, neutral way to call someone's attention, while どら is rougher and much less frequently used as an interjection.
おい is a blunter, often male-associated call for attention, whereas よー sounds friendlier and is used more casually among peers of any gender.
おい is a rougher, more insistent call for attention than the milder ああ used as 'hey'.
Standard hiragana spelling for both the interjection and the Kansai dialect pronoun.
Katakana spelling sometimes used for emphasis or in casual writing, especially for the interjection.
The interjection is of native origin, likely from a natural exclamation. The Kansai pronoun is a dialectal variant of 俺 (おれ).