ある

あ

る

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

pre-noun adjectival

a certain; some

usually written using kana alone

Pre-noun adjectival (rentaishi) used to refer to an unspecified but particular person, thing, or place. Always modifies a noun directly.

ある日ひ、突とつ然ぜん彼かれから電でん話わがかかってきた。
One day, I suddenly got a call from him.
ある意い味みでは、彼かれの言いうことも正ただしい。
In a certain sense, what he says is also correct.

See all 256 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

ある日ひone day (used to open an anecdote or story)
ある日ひ、彼かれから突とつ然ぜん電でん話わがかかってきた。
One day, he suddenly called me.
あるときat a certain time; once
あるとき、彼かれは突とつ然ぜん仕し事ごとを辞やめると言いい出だした。
At one point, he suddenly said he was going to quit his job.
ある意い味みでin a sense; in a way
彼かれの言いうことは、ある意い味みで正ただしい。
What he says is, in a sense, correct.

Kanji

或some, one, or

Related words

とある
或る and とある both mean 'a certain', but とある is more common in narrative/literary contexts introducing a scene (とある町 'a certain town').

Don't confuse with

あるいはN3
或る (a certain) and 或いは (or; perhaps) share the kanji 或 and root, but 或いは is a conjunction/adverb, not a noun-modifier.

Word family

とある
a certain ...; some ...

Written forms

あるUsage96%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 或る and 或 are rare and mainly literary.
或あるUsage3%
Literary kanji spelling; rarely used in modern writing.
或あるUsage1%
Archaic kanji spelling; almost never used in contemporary Japanese.

Etymology

Derived from the classical Japanese verb あり (ari, 'to be'), used attributively. The kanji 或 is a Chinese character borrowed for its meaning of 'a certain'.