is there any difference between あら and まあ?


The meaning of these two interjections is "oh!" right?




まあ expresses the speaker's surprise. "Oh!", "My!", "Wow!", etc.

あら is used in several situations:

  * Used when the speaker just noticed something unexpected is happening. "Hmm?", "Oh?", "What?", etc.
  * Used when the speaker realized the situation is undesirable. "Uh-oh", "Oh...", "Oops", "That's bad", etc. In this situation we also say あらら, あらあら, ありゃりゃ, etc.
  * Used in the same way as まあ. "Oh!", "Wow!", etc.

