あれこれ

also: かれこれ

あ

れ

こ

れ

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

adverb, pronoun

this and that; one thing or another; various things

usually written using kana alone

Used to refer to multiple unspecified things or matters, often in the context of thinking, worrying, or talking about various things.

あれこれ考かんがえすぎて眠ねむれなかった。
I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about this and that too much.

彼かれはあれこれと文もん句くを言いっている。

He's complaining about one thing or another.

2

adverb

around; about; roughly; nearly

usually written using kana alone

Only with reading かれこれ

Used with quantities or time to indicate approximation; restricted to the reading かれこれ.

かれこれ10年ねん、日本にほんに住すんでいる。
I've been living in Japan for about 10 years.
会かい議ぎはかれこれ2時じ間かん続つづいている。
The meeting has been going on for nearly two hours.

Written forms

あれこれUsage83%
Standard kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
かれこれUsage15%
アレコレUsage2%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling, sometimes used for emphasis or in casual writing.
彼是あれこれUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; not commonly used.
彼此Usage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
- あれこれ
  Rare kanji form; also has the reading かれこれ for the 'about' sense.
- かれこれ
  Rare kanji form for the 'about' sense, read かれこれ.
ひし

Kanji

彼he, that, the
是just so, this, right
此this, current, next

Similar words

いろいろ
いろいろ is more common and general for 'various', while あれこれ often implies a scattered or worried mental list of things.
約やく
約 is a more formal and precise way to say 'approximately', while かれこれ is casual and often used with time or age.

Etymology

Reduplication of あれ (that) and これ (this), literally 'that and this'. The reading かれこれ is from かれ (that) and これ (this), with the same structure. The 'about' sense developed from the idea of 'this or that' approximating a number.

ひし