pronoun
First-person pronoun. In modern Japanese, われ is formal, literary, or used in set phrases. In everyday speech, 私 (わたし) or 僕 (ぼく) are more common.
我はこの道を選んだ。
I have chosen this path.
我が社は創業百年を迎えた。
Our company has reached its 100th anniversary.
pronoun
Only with reading われ / わ
Used reflexively or in philosophical contexts. Common in expressions like 我を忘れる (lose oneself) or 我に返る (come to one's senses).
彼は怒りで我を忘れた。
He lost himself in anger.
我に返って周りを見渡した。
I came to my senses and looked around.
pronoun
Only with reading われ / わ
Archaic second-person pronoun, used from a position of superiority or familiarity. Not used in modern Japanese outside historical or literary contexts.
古語では「我」が「おまえ」の意味で使われた。
In classical Japanese, 我 was used to mean 'you'.
prefix
prefix: familiar/contemptuous (archaic)
Only with reading わ
Archaic prefix わ- attached to names or nouns to express familiarity or contempt. Only found in old texts; not productive in modern Japanese.
「わが君」の「わ」は親しみを表す古い接頭語だ。
The わ in わが君 is an old prefix expressing familiarity.
Kana spelling is common in modern writing, especially when the kanji feels overly formal or literary.
Archaic or literary kanji variant for われ, rarely used in modern writing.
Standard polite first-person pronoun for both genders in modern Japanese. 我 is more formal, literary, or archaic.
Casual first-person pronoun mainly used by males. 我 is much more formal and less personal.
Very casual, masculine first-person pronoun. 我 is formal/literary and not used in casual male speech.
Native Japanese pronoun. The reading われ is the primary modern form; わ is an older, now-obsolete variant. The kanji 我 and 吾 have been used since Old Japanese, with 我 becoming the standard.