こら

Japanese

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Possibly originally from 子等 (kora, “child”), an ancient term of endearment and address found in the Man'yōshū completed some time after 759 CE.[2][1]

Interjection

こら or コラ • (kora) 

  1. hey (call of protest, call used to reprimand, scold, or admonish someone, especially a child)
    • 1997 December 12, Abiko, Miwa, “みかん・絵日記特別編　吐夢と不思議な猫 [Mikan Picture Diary Special: Tom and the Mysterious Cat]”, in みかん・絵日記 [Mikan Picture Diary], volume 1 (fiction), Tokyo: Hakusensha, page 10:
      ——こらこらこらっ　情(じょう)緒(ちょ)の世(せ)界(かい)に入(はい)るんじゃないっ
      ——Kora kora kora' Jōcho no sekai ni hairun ja nai'
      Oh come on! You’re being all emotional all of a sudden!
  2. hey (call of attention to someone)
Usage notes
  • Stereotypically associated with yakuza and delinquents, often alongside おい (oi).

Etymology 2

The reading of kanji compounds.

Noun

こら • (kora) 

  1. 子等, 児等: children; child (term of endearment or address)
  2. 子良: in ancient times, an unmarried young woman working at Ise Shrine

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