おい

Japanese

Etymology 1

Likely a general interjection sound. Compare English oi.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) おい [óꜜì] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [o̞i]

Interjection

おい • (oi) 

1. (usually impolite) Said to get someone's attention; hey!; oi!

   おい、起(お)きなさい！！

   Oi, okinasai!!

   Hey, wake up!!

Usage notes

• Coincidentally same as British English and Portuguese oi; a false cognate.
• An elongated おーい (ōi) is used when someone is at a distance.

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of おい – see the following entries.

【老い】 [noun] old age

【笈】J [noun] a box with legs that is carried on the back, used by itinerant monks and yamabushi to carry books, articles of worship, clothing, etc. Alternative spelling 負

【甥】J [noun] nephew

(This term, おい (oi), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.) For a list of all kanji read as おい, see Category:Japanese kanji read as おい.)

(The following entries are uncreated: 負ひ, 追い.)

References

1. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN