What exactly is 我, and how is it used?


I was taught that [私]{わた(く)し}, [僕]{ぼく}, and 俺{おれ} are the most common first-
person pronouns.

Recently, I stumbled upon the word [我]{われ}, which supposedly means the same
thing. [An online
dictionary](https://tangorin.com/words?search=%E3%82%8F%E3%82%8C+%E3%82%8F%E3%81%9F%E3%81%97)
lists all of them as common. Since I haven't heard about 我 until now, I wonder
how common it is. What is 我, and how does it differ from the other common
first-person pronouns?

Which is the right plural form: [我々]{われわれ} or 我ら{われら}?




我 (also written 吾) is an older way to say "I", not as common as the other ways
you listed but still in use, particularly by older men.

I asked my friend when one would hear it, and she gave the context of a older
guy giving a speech in a company setting, where the assumed tone would be
masculine and slightly formal (this is a subjective opinion). Perhaps
indicative of it's provenance, the kanji of 我 is the way to say "I" in
Chinese, rather than 私.

Both 我々 and 我ら are used, and these can also be used to refer to oneself as
well as the plural form. Other ways to say "I" are うち、わし、せっしゃ、おら、おいどん and
[我輩]{わがはい}.

My friend uses 我輩 as a joke sometimes, as it sounds very archaic. I remember
asking a friend about 我 and was told specific situations where 我 would be a
natural alternative to 私, but I do not remember the answer, and perhaps
someone with more knowledge will explain this aspect of the word (for example
someone of a specific occupation using this word to refer to themselves). What
I do remember being told was that it would not be a good word for a young
foreigner to use as a first-person pronoun, as the nuances behind it would
just be awkward.

see also: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_pronouns>




我 (also written 吾) is an older way to say "I", not as common as the other ways
you listed but still in use, particularly by older men.

I asked my friend when one would hear it, and she gave the context of a older
guy giving a speech in a company setting, where the assumed tone would be
masculine and slightly formal (this is a subjective opinion). Perhaps
indicative of it's provenance, the kanji of 我 is the way to say "I" in
Chinese, rather than 私.

Both 我々 and 我ら are used, and these can also be used to refer to oneself as
well as the plural form. Other ways to say "I" are うち、わし、せっしゃ、おら、おいどん and
[我輩]{わがはい}.

My friend uses 我輩 as a joke sometimes, as it sounds very archaic. I remember
asking a friend about 我 and was told specific situations where 我 would be a
natural alternative to 私, but I do not remember the answer, and perhaps
someone with more knowledge will explain this aspect of the word (for example
someone of a specific occupation using this word to refer to themselves). What
I do remember being told was that it would not be a good word for a young
foreigner to use as a first-person pronoun, as the nuances behind it would
just be awkward.

see also: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_pronouns>

