Octavia con Amore on Nostr: What English phrase is equivalent to "ara ara" (あらあら)? I'm sure you all know ...
What English phrase is equivalent to "ara ara" (あらあら)?
I'm sure you all know "ara ara" (あらあら), often spoken by a feminine, mature character in Japanese fiction. If you've, for instance, seem any character that Tanaka Rie (田中理恵) has voiced, it's probably permanently etched into your brain in her voice
It's part of a family of phrases that include ara (あら), arara (あらら), are (あれ), arere (あれれ), and atchā (あっちゃー), acting as a reaction to an event of some sort, equivalent to lines like "huh...", "well now", and "oh my".
While "well now" is a good translation, during my transition, I found myself gravitating towards one particular phrase: "oh dear".
It wasn't until recently that I realised I'd stumbled upon the best equivalent of "ara ara", but I now see just how well they mirror each other.
Examples uses/inflections:
-said in response to a worrying event or development.
-said in an empathetic, caring way.
-said with some concern but with confidence the people involved will be just fine/in a "kids will be kids" sort of way.
-said with a suggestive, sultry tone.
-said in a happy but slightly embarrassed way, such as when receiving an unexpectedly meaningful gift.
-in a coquettish, fake-innocent, playful way.
-maybe more?
In all of these cases, both "ara ara" and "oh dear" hold nearly the same uses and meanings, and thus I propose that they are the best equivalents to each other
p.s. For those I interact with often, now you know why I use "oh dear" so often
p.p.s. Gods, I need to go to bed, but this needed to be explained. Might pin it to my profile
#Musings #Japanese #English #Translation #AraAra
I'm sure you all know "ara ara" (あらあら), often spoken by a feminine, mature character in Japanese fiction. If you've, for instance, seem any character that Tanaka Rie (田中理恵) has voiced, it's probably permanently etched into your brain in her voice
It's part of a family of phrases that include ara (あら), arara (あらら), are (あれ), arere (あれれ), and atchā (あっちゃー), acting as a reaction to an event of some sort, equivalent to lines like "huh...", "well now", and "oh my".
While "well now" is a good translation, during my transition, I found myself gravitating towards one particular phrase: "oh dear".
It wasn't until recently that I realised I'd stumbled upon the best equivalent of "ara ara", but I now see just how well they mirror each other.
Examples uses/inflections:
-said in response to a worrying event or development.
-said in an empathetic, caring way.
-said with some concern but with confidence the people involved will be just fine/in a "kids will be kids" sort of way.
-said with a suggestive, sultry tone.
-said in a happy but slightly embarrassed way, such as when receiving an unexpectedly meaningful gift.
-in a coquettish, fake-innocent, playful way.
-maybe more?
In all of these cases, both "ara ara" and "oh dear" hold nearly the same uses and meanings, and thus I propose that they are the best equivalents to each other
p.s. For those I interact with often, now you know why I use "oh dear" so often
p.p.s. Gods, I need to go to bed, but this needed to be explained. Might pin it to my profile
#Musings #Japanese #English #Translation #AraAra