あたら

also: あったら

あ

た

ら

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

adverb

alas; regrettably; tragically

usually written using kana alone

Literary or old-fashioned expression of regret, similar to 'alas' or 'what a pity'. Not used in everyday conversation.

あたら若わかい命いのちを散ちらした。
Alas, he lost his young life.
あたら名めい作さくが戦せん火かで失うしなわれた。
Regrettably, the masterpiece was lost in the war.

Written forms

あたらUsage93%
Usually written in kana. The kanji forms 可惜 and 惜 are rare and archaic.
あったらUsage7%
Archaic or dialectal variant reading; rarely used in modern standard Japanese.
可惜
- あたら
  Rare kanji spelling; the reading あたら is not obvious from the kanji.
- あったら
惜
- あたら
  Rare single-character spelling; easily confused with other readings.
- あったら

Kanji

可can, passable, approval
惜pity, be sparing of, frugal

Similar words

惜おしい
惜しい is a common adjective meaning 'regrettable' or 'wasteful'. あたら is a literary adverb used in set expressions of lament.
残ざん念ねんながら
残念ながら is the standard modern way to say 'unfortunately' or 'regrettably'. あたら is much more formal and poetic.

Etymology

Derived from the adjective 可惜し (あたらし), an old form meaning 'precious' or 'regrettable to lose'. The adverbial form あたら came to be used as an interjection of regret.

あたら