Related words 私わたし The modern standard polite first-person pronoun for both genders. わらわ is its archaic, humble, feminine counterpart.
あたし A casual feminine first-person pronoun in modern Japanese. Unlike わらわ , it is not humble or archaic.
拙せっ 者しゃ An archaic humble first-person pronoun used primarily by samurai (male). わらわ is the feminine equivalent in similar historical contexts.
Written forms 妾わらわ Usage 90%
Archaic kanji spelling for the humble feminine first-person pronoun. The kanji 妾 originally means 'concubine' but is used here as a self-deprecating pronoun.
ワラワ Usage 10%
私わらわ
Alternate archaic kanji spelling; 私 is normally read わたし or わたくし , but in historical texts it can be read わらわ for this pronoun.
Etymology Derived from the word 童 (わらわ ) meaning 'child', used as a humble self-reference by women. The kanji 妾 (concubine) was applied for its self-deprecating connotation. The exact historical development is uncertain.
Report an issue with this page
Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.