おいおい

お

い

お

い

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

hey!; wait a minute!; whoa!

Used to call out to someone, express surprise, or ask someone to stop or wait. Often repeated for emphasis.

おいおいと泣なくto cry loudly, boohooing
彼かれは子こ供どものようにおいおいと泣ないた。
He cried loudly like a child, boohooing.

おい sense 1
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.
えんえん sense 2
おいおい often describes a grown person's loud sobbing, while えんえん describes prolonged, wailing crying more typical of children.
しくしくN1sense 2
おいおい depicts loud, open sobbing, whereas しくしく depicts quiet, sniffling crying.
さめざめN1
おいおい describes loud, audible wailing, whereas さめざめ describes quiet, restrained crying with streaming tears.

しくしくN1
しくしく is quiet, restrained crying, whereas おいおい describes loud, uncontrolled wailing.

おいおいUsage47%
Standard hiragana spelling for both the interjection and the mimetic adverb.
オイオイUsage53%
Katakana spelling, often used for emphasis or in casual writing.

The interjection is a reduplication of おい, a call to get someone's attention. The mimetic sense is sound-symbolic, imitating the sound of crying.