あれ

Japanese

Etymology 1

From older kare → are. Compound of あ (a, “that, yon”) +‎ れ (-re, nominalizing suffix for demonstratives).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) あれ (Heiban – )
• IPA^(key):

Pronoun

あれ • (are) 

1. distal demonstrative, something far off removed from both speaker and listener: that, yon

   Synonym: (dialectal, Kagoshima) あい

   1. (deictically) that one over there (far from the speaker and the addressee)

      あれはなんですか？

      Are wa nan desu ka?

      What is that?

   2. (anaphorically) that one we both know (both the speaker and the addressee know)

      これはあれでしょ？○○。

      Kore wa are desho?○○.

      This is that one thing, isn't it? You know, X.

2. (chiefly derogatory) third-person personal pronoun: he, she, that person
3. you-know-what; a thing whose name the speaker does not want to mention
   1. sex
   2. cockroach
4. (archaic) second-person pronoun: you

Usage notes

• Indicates something far off, removed from both speaker and addressee. Contrast with それ (sore), indicating something removed from the speaker but closer to the addressee.

See also

Adjective

あれ or アレ • (are) -na (adnominal あれな (are na na), adverbial あれに (are ni ni))

1. あれ, アレ: (informal, euphemistic) "you know what I mean"

   ちょっとあれな人(ひと)

   chotto are na hito

   someone who's kind of you-know-what-I-mean

Inflection

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) あれ (Heiban – )
• (Tokyo) あ​れ (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Interjection

あれ • (are) 

1. huh? (expression of surprise and confusion when talking to yourself)

   あれ？ない。

   Are? Nai.

   Huh? It's not here.

   あれ？もしかして……

   Are? Moshikashite……

   Huh? Could it be?

Derived terms

• あれれ (arere)
• あれま (arema)

Descendants

• Chinese:

  → Mandarin: 啊咧

See also

• あら (ara)
• え (e)

Etymology 3

Etymology 4

The long form of あ (a, “I, me”). From あ (a) +‎ れ (-re, nominalizing suffix)

Fell into disuse in roughly the Heian period, when it was replaced by われ (ware).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) あれ (Heiban – )
• IPA^(key):

(Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this pronunciation?)

Pronoun

あれ • (are) 

1. (obsolete) first-person personal pronoun: I, me
   • c. 1001–1014, Murasaki Shikibu, 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...

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Etymology 5

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Verb

あれ • (are) ^{←あれ (are)?}

1. (Classical Japanese, literary) imperative of あり (ari, “to exist”); (modern language) imperative of ある (aru, “to exist”)

   光(ひかり)あれ

   hikari are

   let there be light

   乞(こ)うご期待(きたい)あれ

   kou go-kitai are

   (modern language, formal) please stay tuned

   お試(ため)しあれ

   o-tameshi are

   (modern language, formal) please try it out

   ご覧(らん)あれ

   go-ran are

   please look

   • 1979, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Mobile Suit Gundam, episode 10, spoken by Garma Zabi (Katsuji Mori):

     ジオン公国(こうこく)に栄光(えいこう)あれ！

     Jion kōkoku ni eikō are!

     Glory to the Principality of Zeon!

Usage notes

• Although it remains grammatically correct in modern language, there are few, if any, situations in which it is used, outside of stock formal phrases inherited from the classical language.

Derived terms

• 幸(さち)あれ (sachi are)

References

• Satake, Akihiro with Hideo Yamada, Rikio Kudō, Masao Ōtani, and Yoshiyuki Yamazaki (c. 759) Shin Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 1: Man’yōshū 1 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, published 1999, →ISBN.
• Satake, Akihiro with Hideo Yamada, Rikio Kudō, Masao Ōtani, and Yoshiyuki Yamazaki (c. 759) Shin Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 3: Man’yōshū 3 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, published 2002, →ISBN.
• Satake, Akihiro with Hideo Yamada, Rikio Kudō, Masao Ōtani, and Yoshiyuki Yamazaki (c. 759) Shin Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 4: Man’yōshū 4 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, published 2003, →ISBN.
• Yamagishi, Tokuhei (1963) [circa 1001-1014] Koten Bungaku Taikei 14: Genji Monogatari 5 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN