ありあり

あ

り

あ

り

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

adverb taking the 'to' particle, adverb

clearly; vividly; distinctly

usually written using kana alone

Describes something appearing so clearly that it seems almost real, often used with verbs like 見える, 思い出す, or 浮かぶ. Typically takes the particle と.

その光こう景けいが今いまでもありありと目めに浮うかぶ。
The scene still vividly comes to mind even now.

彼かれの表ひょう情じょうにありありと怒いかりが表あらわれていた。

Anger was clearly visible on his face.

Written forms

ありありUsage95%
Kana spelling is standard; usually written in kana.
アリアリUsage5%
有あり有あり
Kanji spelling using 有; rarely used in modern writing.
在あり在あり
Kanji spelling using 在; rarely used in modern writing.

Kanji

有possess, have, exist
在exist, outskirts, suburbs

Similar words

はっきり
はっきり is a general adverb for 'clearly' in terms of clarity or definiteness, while ありあり emphasizes a vivid, lifelike quality, often of a mental image or visible emotion.
まざまざ
まざまざ also means 'vividly' and is often used with 見せつけられる or 思い知らされる, carrying a nuance of being forced to realize something unpleasant, whereas ありあり is more neutral and can describe any clear mental image or visible sign.

Etymology

Reduplication of the verb ある (to exist, to be), literally 'existing-existing', giving the sense of something being so present that it is vividly clear.