わい

わい

See also: ワイ

Japanese

Etymology 1

Alternative spelling
私

Generally regarded as a shift from わし (washi), itself from 私 (watashi, “I, me”).[1][2] First cited in a text from 1920,[1] but likely older.

The second-person sense of you likely arose via the same general indirection mechanisms that gave rise to all Japanese personal pronouns. Consider also ancient 汝 (na) or more modern 己 (onore), used for both first- and second-person referral. This usage is first cited in a text from 1923,[1] but is likely older.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) わい [wàí] (Heiban – [0])[2]
• IPA^(key): [ɰᵝa̠i]

Pronoun

わい • (wai) 

1. (dialect, Kansai, Kagoshima; or Internet slang) I, me (first-person pronoun, mainly used by males)
2. you (second-person pronoun, used when addressing an equal or inferior)

   Synonym: お前 (omae)

Etymology 2

See い (i).

Particle

わい • (wai) 

1. (dated or dialectal) A particle used in the end of sentences to indicate admiration or emotion. Slightly stronger than わ (wa).

Usage notes

Mainly used during the Edo period. Now only used by elderly males or in dialectal speech.

See also

• だい (dai)
• かい (kai)

Etymology 3

Various Sino-Japanese roots.

Affix

わい • (wai) 

1. 歪: askew; crooked
2. 猥: obscene; lewd
3. 隈: corner; nook; recess; inlet
4. 矮: low; short
5. 賄: bribe
6. 穢: dirty

References

1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN