other N4 common casualpolitewritten

ら — pluralizing/approximating suffix for people

ら

Meaning

casual plural / '~ and others' suffix for people — 彼かれら 'they,' 子供こどもら 'the kids'

Key sentence

彼かれらは昨日きのう東京とうきょうに着ついた。

They arrived in Tokyo yesterday.

Formation

Attaches to	Form	Example
A noun or pronoun referring to people	N + ら	僕ぼくら / お前まえら

When: More casual or blunt than たち. With rough pronouns it can sound curt or dismissive (お前まえら). In news and writing it neutrally means '~ and others' after a named person (山田やまだら).

Examples

僕ぼくらは小学校しょうがっこうからの友達ともだちだ。

We've been friends since elementary school.

山田やまだら三人さんにんが代表だいひょうに選えらばれた。

Yamada and two others were chosen as representatives.

Easily confused with

たち Same pluralising job, different tone. たち is neutral and a touch softer; ら is more casual, sometimes rough, and is the usual written form for 'X and others.' 〜方方 is the polite plural for respected groups; ら is its casual opposite. Never use ら for customers or superiors.

See ら in real sentences

Jengo shows ら the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.

Study it in Jengo

Sources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.

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