わい

See also: ワイ

Japanese

Etymology 1
Alternative spelling
私

Generally regarded as a shift from わし (washi), itself from 私 (watashi, “I, me”).[1][2] First cited in a text from 1920,[1] but likely older.

The second-person sense of you likely arose via the same general indirection mechanisms that gave rise to all Japanese personal pronouns. Consider also ancient 汝 (na) or more modern 己 (onore), used for both first- and second-person referral. This usage is first cited in a text from 1923,[1] but is likely older.

Pronunciation

Pronoun

わい • (wai) 

  1. (dialect, Kansai, Kagoshima; or Internet slang) I, me (first-person pronoun, mainly used by males)
  2. you (second-person pronoun, used when addressing an equal or inferior)
    Synonym: お前 (omae)

Etymology 2

See い (i).

Particle

わい • (wai) 

  1. (dated or dialectal) A particle used in the end of sentences to indicate admiration or emotion. Slightly stronger than わ (wa).
Usage notes

Mainly used during the Edo period. Now only used by elderly males or in dialectal speech.

See also

Etymology 3

The reading of various kanji.

Affix

わい • (wai) 

  1. 歪: askew; crooked
  2. 猥: obscene; lewd
  3. 隈: corner; nook; recess; inlet
  4. 矮: low; short
  5. 賄: bribe
  6. 穢: dirty

References
  1. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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