乃だい公こう

also: おれ

だ

い

こ

う

Meanings

1

male term, language, or namedated term

Dated, rough, arrogant male first-person pronoun. Used to assert dominance or in a self-important manner. Not used in modern polite conversation.

乃だい公こうが相あい手てになってやろう。
I'll take you on.
乃だい公こうの言いうことを聞きけ。
Listen to what I say.

See all 3 example sentences ›

Expressions

乃だい公こう出いでずんばif I don't go, who will?; what will happen to the world without me?

Kanji

乃from, possessive particle, whereupon
公public, prince, official

Related words

俺おれ
俺 is a common casual male first-person pronoun, while 乃公 is dated and carries a rough, arrogant tone.
我わが輩はい
我輩 is also an old-fashioned, self-important male pronoun, but 乃公 is even more rough and confrontational.

Written forms

乃公Usage100%
- だいこう
  Standard kanji form for this dated male pronoun.
- おれ
  gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
おれ
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Gikun reading; the kanji 乃公 is read as おれ in some contexts, but this is a non-standard reading.

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Chinese 乃公, literally “your father,” an overbearing self-reference used with the sense “I” or “this lord.”