あれ

Japanese

Etymology 1

Alternative spellings
彼 彼れ

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

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) あれ [àré] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [a̠ɾe̞]

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 do 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

Japanese demonstratives

	ko- “this” (close to speaker)	so- “that” (close to listener)	a- “that over there” (far from both)	do- “which” (indeterminate, question)
Object	これ (kore)	それ (sore)	あれ (are)	どれ (dore)
	これら (korera)	それら (sorera)	あれら (arera)	—
Determiner	この (kono)	その (sono)	あの (ano)	どの (dono)
	これらの (korera no)	それらの (sorera no)	あれらの (arera no)	—
Kind	こんな (konna)	そんな (sonna)	あんな (anna)	どんな (donna)
Place	ここ (koko)	そこ (soko)	あそこ (asoko)*	どこ (doko)
	こっから (kokkara)	そっから (sokkara)	—	どっから (dokkara)
Direction / Human	こちら (kochira)	そちら (sochira)	あちら (achira)	どちら (dochira)
	こなた (konata)	そなた (sonata)	あなた (anata)	どなた (donata)
Direction	こっち (kotchi)	そっち (sotchi)	あっち (atchi)	どっち (dotchi)
Human	こいつ (koitsu)	そいつ (soitsu)	あいつ (aitsu)	どいつ (doitsu)
Manner	こう (kō)	そう (sō)	ああ (ā)**	どう (dō)
Degree	これくらい (korekurai)	それくらい (sorekurai)	あれくらい (arekurai)	どれくらい (dorekurai)
	これだけ (koredake)	それだけ (soredake)	あれだけ (aredake)	どれだけ (doredake)
* irregular ** regular (long vowel)

The kanji 此(こ) (ko), 其(そ) (so), 彼(あ) (a), and 何(ど) (do) can be used for determiners, but they are almost always spelled in hiragana.

Classical Japanese pronouns and demonstratives

	a-/wa- “I, we” (first person)	na-/-ma- “you, ye, thou” (second person)	k- “this” (close to speaker)	s- “that” (close to listener)	a-/ka- “that over there” (far from both)	i-/ta-/nani- “who, what, where, how, when” (interrogative)	ono- “oneself” (reflexive)
Person	あ (a) あれ (are) わ (wa) われ (ware) まろ (maro)	な (na) なれ (nare) なんぢ (nanji) まし (mashi) いまし (imashi) みまし (mimashi) きみ (kimi)	こ (ko) これ (kore)	そ (so) それ (sore)	あ (a) あれ (are) か (ka) かれ (kare)	た (ta) たれ (tare) なにがし (nanigashi)	おの (ono) おのれ (onore)
Thing			こ (ko) これ (kore)	そ (so) それ (sore)	あ (a) あれ (are) か (ka) かれ (kare)	いづれ (izure) なに (nani)
Location			ここ (koko)	そこ (soko)	あしこ (ashiko) かしこ (kashiko)	いづく (izuku) いづこ (izuko) いどこ (idoko) どこ (doko)
Direction			こち (kochi) こなた (konata)	そち (sochi) そなた (sonata)	あち (achi) あなた (anata) かなた (kanata)	いづち (izuchi) いづら (izura) いづかた (izukata)
Manner			か (ka) かく (kaku) かくて (kakute) かう (kō)	さ (sa) さて (sate) しか (shika)		いか (ika)
Time						いつ (itsu)

Adjective

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

Inflection of あれ

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	あれだろ	are daro
Continuative (連用形)	あれで	are de
Terminal (終止形)	あれだ	are da
Attributive (連体形)	あれな	are na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	あれなら	are nara
Imperative (命令形)	あれであれ	are de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	あれではない あれじゃない	are de wa nai are ja nai
Informal past	あれだった	are datta
Informal negative past	あれではなかった あれじゃなかった	are de wa nakatta are ja nakatta
Formal	あれです	are desu
Formal negative	あれではありません あれじゃありません	are de wa arimasen are ja arimasen
Formal past	あれでした	are deshita
Formal negative past	あれではありませんでした あれじゃありませんでした	are de wa arimasen deshita are ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	あれで	are de
Conditional	あれなら（ば）	are nara (ba)
Provisional	あれだったら	are dattara
Volitional	あれだろう	are darō
Adverbial	あれに	are ni
Degree	あれさ	aresa

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) あれ [àré] (Heiban – [0])
• (Tokyo) あ​れ [áꜜrè] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [a̠ɾe̞]

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

For pronunciation and definitions of あれ – see the following entry.

【荒れ】 [noun] stormy weather, tempest; chaps (of skin)

(This term, あれ, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

Etymology 4

Alternative spellings
吾 我

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 [àré] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [a̠ɾe̞]

(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 usage example)

Etymology 5

Alternative spellings
有れ 在れ

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a̠ɾe̞]

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

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 classical language.

Derived terms

• 幸(さち)あれ (sachi are)

References

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