Ara - What does Ara mean?

Have you seen in Japanese Anime or Streamings the characters say ara ara? In this article, we will understand the true origin and meaning of the term ararara [あら‐あら] frequently seen in anime like Kimetsu no Yaiba and Hataraku Saibou.

The meaning of Ara [荒ら]

The expression ara ara is spoken when you are impressed or surprised by something. It is mainly used by women.

"Ara ara" doesn't just express a small surprise, but also a lovely feeling. Sometimes it can be used sarcastically, to mock and provoke someone.

This idiomatic expression is intended to present a tone of surprise, and may contain a slightly sarcastic intent. It would sound like "Oh", "Oh well", "Oh heavens" and "Oh my god".

When consulting the Japanese dictionary, we have the following definition for ara [あら]: oh; ah

Concerning the junction of ara ara, we can find words that approximately, but combined with [し] become an adjective meaning rough, hard or wild.

Different Meanings of Ara

The term ara separately can mean many things, especially if written with different ideograms. It can refer to the name of a fish or even to the surname of a person.

In the southern region of Japan, mainly in the Okinawa region, dialects such as Miyako and Ryukyuan use the word ara written in hiragana to indicate the skin of a fruit.

When is Ara Ara used?

Older women often use Ara Ara when they find pets, children or younger people doing something wrong and she thinks it's funny or adorable.

The phrase can also often be used to suggest the sexual intentions of a 女性キャラクター towards a younger man.

It can carry little or no strange connotation. Anyway, I would be careful with that word since memes and 文化オタク have further elevated the meanings of the word.

This expression is usually accompanied by a hand on the character's face or mouth with eyes closed and a smile on his face.

What is the origin of Ara Ara?

The expression is ancient and can be found in many records from the 1200s, but its original meaning may differ significantly from the present one.

The phrase is often used in a seductive and flirtatious way, but in reality it has always been on the lips of the people, especially Japanese ladies. Only today, because of anime and manga, the word ended up falling more into the vocabulary of young people.

Although the exact origin of the phrase is unknown, the expression "Ara Ara" has appeared in numerous mangas and anime series and became popular on the internet after 2008 through forums like 4chan.

Despite the expression being seen in anime since before 2000, only now has the term gone viral as a meme, mainly because of TikTok and game streaming channels of キャラクター (characters) from anime.

Recently, characters from Kimetsu no Yaiba and Hataraku Saibou were also responsible for making the expression ara ara even more viral.

Characters who speak Ara ara

Speaking of classic and old anime, in the Anime Love Hina, the character Mutsumi Otohime often says ara ara while placing her hand on her mouth as a traditional gesture of the expression.

The characters that stand out the most for their expression are Shinobu from Demon Slayer and Kurumi Tokisaki from Data A Live and Kaguya from Kaguya Sama Love Wars. Recently, characters from Hataraku Saibou have also become popular.

Some characters often speak ara ara, others often use ara in their sentences, but are not popular for speaking ara ara often.

• Alicia Florence - Aria The Animation;
• Benio Yonomori - Engaged To The Unidentified;
• Elsa Granhiert - Re:Zero;
• Jahy - Jahī-sama wa Kujikenai!
• Kasumi Tendo - Ranma 1/2;
• Kongou Mitsuko - A Certain Scientific Railgun;
• Kurumi Tokisaki - Date A Live;
• Lucoa - Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid;
• Macrophage - Cells At Work;
• Majo - Goblin Slayer;
• Mamako Oosuki - Okaa-san Online;
• Mirajane Strauss - Fairy Tail;
• Raphiel - Gabriel Dropout;
• Rin Kashii - Battle Game In 5 Seconds;
• Satou’s Aunt - Happy Sugar Life;
• Shinobu - Demon Slayer;
• Shizuka Marikawa - High School Of The Dead;

Compilations and Videos by Ara ara

Below, see some compilations of characters speaking ara ara:

Alternatives to the expression Ara Ara

This expression of feeling of surprise is very common in the Japanese language and you have probably seen different expressions that have practically the same meaning as:

• あれあれあれ [are are are]
• あれー [aree]
• あらー [araa]
• あららららら
• あらあらー
• ありありー
• ありゃりゃりゃりゃ
• あれ～ あら～
• おやおや あれあれ～
• あれれ
• あれれれれれ
• ありゃりゃ
• あんりまあ
• あらやだ
• あらあらあらー
• あらあら ヒューヒュー だ ね ！
• あらあら ごきげんよう。
• あらあら 見 て は 駄目。
• ダメ よ あらあら。

Meaning of Are Are

It means pretty much the same thing as ara ara, is it a word that is spoken when you are surprised or disappointed by something like “this again”?

Meaning of Araara kashiko [あらあらかしこ]

At the end of the letters, it is common to find the expression ara ara kashiko, which conveys the idea of something like the words in this letter are not enough to share my thoughts. We apologize for the inconvenience but thank you for your broad, warm, and sincere understanding of what you would like to convey.