Japanese word

彼ら

Pronunciation

Romajikarera

Meaning

  • pronounthey

Example

彼らは私の友達です。kare ra wa watashi no tomo dachi de su

They are my friends.

Illustration for 彼ら (they)

More examples

彼らは公園で遊びます。kare ra wa kō en de aso bi ma su

They play in the park.

私は彼らを駅で見ました。watashi wa kare ra o eki de mi ma shi ta

I saw them at the station.

Core concept

Marks more than one person as the people being talked about, whether they act or are affected.

Common phrases

  • 彼らの意見kare ra no i ken

    their opinion

  • 彼らと話すkare ra to hana su

    talk with them

  • 彼らを待つkare ra o ma tsu

    wait for them

Similar words

あいつらaitsura: A casual pronoun for people viewed as distant from the speaker and listener.
そいつらsoitsura: A casual pronoun for people associated with the listener or already mentioned.

Definition in Japanese

話し手や書き手から見て、複数の人を指す代名詞。hana shi te ya ka ki te ka ra mi te fuku sū no hito o sa su dai mei shi

Word origin

彼ら (karera) combines 彼 (kare, "that person") with ら (ra, "a pluralizing suffix") to refer to a group of people.

Usage tips

  • English singular they can refer to one person, but 彼ら (karera) is a Japanese pronoun for more than one person.

Other meanings

  • thempronoun

Word lists with this word