吾わが輩はい

わ

が

は

い

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

pronoun

I; me; myself

male term, language, or namedated term

Dated male first-person pronoun with an arrogant or self-important tone. Strongly associated with the novel 吾輩は猫である, where it is used by a cat.

吾わが輩はいは猫ねこである。名な前まえはまだ無ない。
I am a cat. I don't have a name yet.
「吾わが輩はいの辞じ書しょに不ふ可か能のうの文も字じはない」と彼かれは言いった。
"The word 'impossible' is not in my dictionary," he said.

pronoun

we; us; ourselves

male term, language, or namearchaic

Archaic plural use, also with an arrogant or self-important tone. Rarely used in modern Japanese.

吾わが輩はいはこの地ちを統すべる者ものである。
We are the rulers of this land.

Kanji

我ego, I, selfish
輩comrade, fellow, people
吾I, my, our

Related words

私わたし
Standard polite first-person pronoun; 吾輩 is dated and carries an arrogant or self-important nuance.
俺おれ
Casual male first-person pronoun; 吾輩 is more pompous and old-fashioned.
我われ々われ
Standard plural 'we'; 吾輩 as a plural is archaic and self-important.

Written forms

吾わが輩はいUsage52%
Standard kanji form, used in the famous novel 吾輩は猫である.
我わが輩はいUsage34%
Alternate kanji form; 吾輩 is more common.
我わが輩はいUsage8%
Variant with explicit が; less common.
わが輩はいUsage5%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kana-kanji mixed form.
ワガハイUsage<1%
吾わが輩はいUsage<1%
Variant with explicit が; less common.

Etymology

From 我が輩, literally “my group” or “people such as myself,” with 我が containing the old attributive particle が. It developed into a characteristically lofty or self-important first-person pronoun.