こら

Japanese

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) こ​ら [kóꜜrà] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ko̞ɾa̠]

Etymology 1

Possibly originally from 子等 (kora, “child”), an ancient term of endearment and address found in the Man'yōshū completed some time after 759 CE.

Interjection

こら or コラ • (kora) 

1. hey (call of protest, call used to reprimand, scold, or admonish someone, especially a child)
   • 1997 December 12, Abiko, Miwa, “みかん・絵日記特別編　吐夢と不思議な猫 [Mikan Picture Diary Special: Tom and the Mysterious Cat]”, in みかん・絵日記, volume 1 (fiction), Tokyo: Hakusensha, page 10:

     ——こらこらこらっ　情(じょう)緒(ちょ)の世(せ)界(かい)に入(はい)るんじゃないっ

     ——Kora kora kora' Jōcho no sekai ni hairun ja nai'

     Oh come on! You’re being all emotional all of a sudden!

2. hey (call of attention to someone)

Usage notes

• Stereotypically associated with yakuza and delinquents, often alongside おい (oi).

Etymology 2

The reading of kanji compounds.

Noun

こら • (kora) 

1. 子等, 児等: children; child (term of endearment or address)
2. 子良: in ancient times, an unmarried young woman working at Ise Shrine