Translingual

Stroke order

Taiwanese stroke order

Han character

我 (radical 62 戈+3, 7 strokes, cangjie input 竹手戈 (HQI), four-corner 2355₀, composition ⿰𠂌戈)

Derived characters

• 哦, 硪, 饿, 蛾, 俄, 峨, 鹅, 莪, 娥, 誐, 锇, 皒, 涐, 珴, 睋, 騀, 鵞, 䄉

References

• KangXi: page 412, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 11545
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 2, page 1401, character 2
• Unihan data for U+6211

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 我
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Large seal script	Small seal script

A pictogram (象形) of a rake-like tool or weapon, borrowed for sound to mean "I" (note oracle bone script form); considered by some to be an ideograph of a hand 手 (shǒu) holding a weapon 戈 (gē) to protect oneself.

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ŋa. Cognate with 吾 (wú), 俺 (ǎn), 𠊎.

Pronunciation

Definitions

我

1. I, me

   認識你我真高興。 / 认识你我真高兴。  ―  Rènshí nǐ wǒ zhēn gāoxìng.  ―  I am pleased to meet you.

   • 今朝公司有事體，我先走勒。 [Shanghainese, trad.]
     今朝公司有事体，我先走勒。 [Shanghainese, simp.]

     [t͡ɕɪɲ⁵⁵ t͡sɔ²¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ sz̩²¹ ɦiɜ³³  z̻z̩²² tʰi⁴⁴ ŋv̩ʷ²³ ɕi⁵³ t͡sɜ³³ ləʔ⁴⁴] [IPA]

     Today I have things to do in the company, (so) I'm leaving early (lit. ahead).

2. (dialectal) we, us

Synonyms

Compounds

See also

Japanese

Kanji

(grade 6 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. I, me

Readings

• Goon: が (ga)
• Kan’on: が (ga)
• Kun: われ (ware), わ (wa)

Compounds

Etymology 1

From Old Japanese.^[1] The short form of 我 ‎(ware).

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• (Tokyo) わ​ [wáꜜ] (Atamadaka - [1])^[2]
• IPA^(key): [ɰᵝa̠]

Alternative forms

• 吾, 和 (rare)

Pronoun

我 ‎(hiragana わ, romaji wa)

1. first-person personal pronoun: I, me
   • c. late 9th – mid-10th century, Taketori Monogatari

     「[...]わが丈たち竝ぶまで養ひたてまつりたる我子を、なに人が迎へきこえん。まさに許さんや」と言ひて、[...]

   • c. 1001–1014, Genji Monogatari (Kiritsubo)

     かしこき御蔭をば、たのみきこえながら、貶めきずを求め給ふ人はおほく、わがみはかよわく、物はかなきありさまにて、中々なる物思ひをぞし給ふ。

   • c. 1001–1014, Genji Monogatari (Utsusemi)

     女どち、のどやかなる夕闇の、道たどたどしげなるまぎれに、わが車にてゐてたてまつる。

Usage notes

In modern Japanese, most often encountered in fossilized phrases in combination with the Old Japanese possessive particle が ‎(ga), such as 我が儘 ‎(wagamama, “selfish; selfishness”, literally “just as I like”) or 我が国 ‎(wagakuni, “my country, my homeland; (by extension) Japan”).

Etymology 2

From Old Japanese.^[1] Appears to be 我 ‎(wa, see above) +‎ れ ‎(re), a nominalizing suffix also seen in terms such as これ ‎(kore, “this”) and 誰 ‎(dare, “who”).

The long form of 我 ‎(wa).

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• (Tokyo) わ​れ [wáꜜrè] (Atamadaka - [1])^[2][3]
• IPA^(key): [ɰᵝa̠ɺ̠e̞]

Alternative forms

• 吾

Pronoun

我 ‎(hiragana われ, romaji ware)

1. first person personal pronoun: I, me, oneself
   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 14, poem 3384)

     可都思加能 麻末能手兒奈乎 麻許登可聞 和礼尓余須等布 麻末乃弖胡奈乎

   • c. late 9th – mid-10th century, Taketori Monogatari

     この人々、あるときは竹取を呼び出て「娘を吾にたべ」と、ふし拝み、手をすりのたまへど[...]

   • c. late 9th – mid-10th century, Taketori Monogatari

     「[...]わが丈たち竝ぶまで養ひたてまつりたる我子を、なに人が迎へきこえん。まさに許さんや」と言ひて、「われこそ死なめ」とて[...]

   • c. 1001–1014, Genji Monogatari (Utsusemi)

     紀の守のいもうとも、こなたにあるか。われに、垣間見せさせよ

   • 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho

     Vare. ワレ (我) 私. また, おまえ. 本来の正しい言い方ではないが、下賎な者と話したり, 人を軽しめたりする時に用いる.

2. second person personal pronoun; you
   • 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho (page 679)

     Vare. ワレ (我) 私. また, おまえ. 本来の正しい言い方ではないが、下賎な者と話したり, 人を軽しめたりする時に用いる.

Usage notes

In modern Japanese, most often encountered in the plural forms 我等 ‎(warera) and 我我 ‎(wareware, “we, us”).

Etymology 3

Old Japanese. Ancient eastern dialect. Cognate with 我 ‎(ware).^[1]

Obsolete.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA^(key): [ɰᵝã̠nɯᵝ]

Alternative forms

• 吾

Pronoun

我 ‎(hiragana わぬ, romaji wanu)

1. (obsolete) first person personal pronoun: I, me, oneself
   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 14, poem 3476)

     宇倍兒奈波 和奴尓故布奈毛 多刀都久能 努賀奈敝由家婆 故布思可流奈母 或本歌末句曰 奴我奈敝由家杼 和奴賀由乃敝波

   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 20, poem 4358)

     於保伎美乃 美許等加志古美 伊弖久礼婆 和努等里都伎弖 伊比之古奈波毛

Etymology 4

/waro₂/ → /waro/

Old Japanese. Ancient eastern dialect. Likely a compound of 我 ‎(wa, see above) +‎ ろ ‎(ro, Old Japanese suffix indicating affection).

Obsolete.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA^(key): [ɰᵝa̠ɺ̠o̞]

Alternative forms

• 吾

Pronoun

我 ‎(hiragana わろ, romaji waro)

1. (obsolete) first person personal pronoun: I, me, oneself
   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 20, poem 4343)

     和呂多比波 多比等於米保等 已比尓志弖 古米知夜須良牟 和加美可奈志母

Etymology 5

Old Japanese. The short form of 我 ‎(are).

Obsolete. Fell into disuse in roughly the Heian period,^[1][2] when it was replaced by wa (see above).

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA^(key): [a̠]

Alternative forms

• 吾

Pronoun

我 ‎(hiragana あ, romaji a)

1. (obsolete) first-person personal pronoun: I, me
   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 14, poem 3456)

     宇都世美能 夜蘇許登乃敝波 思気久等母 安良蘇比可祢弖 安乎許登奈須那

   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 14, poem 3457)

     宇知日佐須 美夜能和我世波 夜麻登女乃 比射麻久其登尓 安乎和須良須奈

   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 14, poem 3458)

     奈勢能古夜 等里乃乎加恥志 奈可太乎礼 安乎祢思奈久与 伊久豆君麻弖尓

   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 14, poem 3471)

     思麻良久波 祢都追母安良牟乎 伊米能未尓 母登奈見要都追 安乎祢思奈久流

   • c. 1001–1014, Genji Monogatari (Yūgao)

     あが君、生き出で給へ。いと、いみじき目な見せ給ひそ

Etymology 6

The long form of 我 ‎(a). Compound of 我 ‎(a, see above) +‎ れ ‎(re), a nominalizing suffix also seen in terms such as これ ‎(kore, “this”) and 誰 ‎(dare, “who”).

Obsolete. Fell into disuse in roughly the Heian period,^[2] when it was replaced by ware (see above).

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA^(key): [a̠ɺ̠e̞]

Alternative forms

• 吾

Pronoun

我 ‎(hiragana あれ, romaji are)

1. (obsolete) first-person personal pronoun: I, me
   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 5, poem 808)

     多都乃麻乎 阿礼波毛等米牟 阿遠尓与志 奈良乃美夜古迩 許牟比等乃多仁

   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 14, poem 3361)

     安思我良能 乎弖毛許乃母尓 佐須和奈乃 可奈流麻之豆美 許呂安礼比毛等久

   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 15, poem 3585)

     和伎母故我 之多尓毛伎余等 於久理多流 許呂母能比毛乎 安礼等可米也母

   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 17, poem 3932)

     須麻比等乃 海辺都祢佐良受 夜久之保能 可良吉恋乎母 安礼波須流香物

   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 18, poem 4058)

     多知婆奈能 登乎能多知婆奈 夜都代尓母 安礼波和須礼自 許乃多知婆奈乎

   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 20, poem 4298)

     霜上尓 安良礼多婆之里 伊夜麻之尓 安礼波麻為許牟 年緒奈我久 _古今未詳

   • c. 1001–1014, Genji Monogatari (Yume no Ukihashi)

     [...]と、聞こえ動かして、几帳のもとに、おし寄せたてまつりたれば、あれにもあらず、居給へるけはい[...]

Etymology 7

From Middle Chinese 我 ‎(nga^X).

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• (Tokyo) が [gà] (Heiban - [0])^[2][3]
• IPA^(key): [ɡa̠]

Noun

我 ‎(hiragana が, romaji ga)

1. ego

Derived terms

• 我 (が)が強 (つよ)い ‎(ga ga tsuyoi)
• 我 (が)を折 (お)る ‎(ga o oru)
• 我 (が)を立 (た)てる ‎(ga o tateru)
• 我 (が)を通 (とお)す ‎(ga o tōsu)
• 我 (が)を張 (は)る ‎(ga o haru)
• 我 (が)を折 (お)る ‎(ga o oru)

References

1. 1 2 3 4 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. 1 2 3 4 5 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
3. 1 2 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, ISBN 978-4-14-011112-3

Korean

Hanja

我 • ‎(a) (hangeul 아, revised a, McCune-Reischauer a, Yale a)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Vietnamese

Han character

• Hán Việt: ngã, ngả

Pronoun

1. Hán tự form of ngã, ngả, “I (old)”

References

• Nom Foundation