Japanese

Interjection

あら ‎(romaji ara)

1. oh; ah
   • 1997 December 12, Miwa Abiko, “みかん・絵日記特別編 吐夢と不思議な猫 [Mikan Picture Diary Special: Tom and the Mysterious Cat]”, in みかん・絵日記 [Mikan Picture Diary], volume 1 (fiction, in Japanese), Tokyo: Hakusensha, page 13:

     あら猫 (ねこ)さん？あのっ帰 (かえ)っちゃうの？

     Ara neko-san? Anoh kaetchau no?

     Hey kitty? Will you ever come back?

Usage notes

• Chiefly used by women.

References

1. ↑ 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, ISBN 978-4-14-011112-3