Have you ever wondered what Koitsu, Soitsu, Aitsu, and Doitsu mean? In this article, we will look at the meaning of each of these words, their origin, and usage.
You may not have noticed, but these four expressions are part of the Kosoado. In other words, these expressions have similar meanings but indicate position; they are demonstrative pronouns.
Table of Contents
What Does Yatsu Mean?
Before we talk about the meaning of Aitsu, Doitsu, Koitsu, and Soitsu, we need to understand what this itsu means. In fact, this ending is yatsu [奴].
The word [奴] means companion, guy, and individual. The word yatsu is quite generic and can refer to a person or thing.
Speaking a little about the ideogram yakko [奴], its origin refers to a servant of a samurai family during the Edo period. It can mean slave, servant, and companion.
This expression can end up conveying the idea of someone generic or of low social class. Just imagine someone saying: that guy, this guy, it seems a bit informal, sometimes it can be offensive, but it is not in most cases.
We can define Yatsu as follows:
- A word that refers to things in a careless way;
- A word that humiliates people;
- A word that expresses affection for the current person (He is the guy!);
- A word that despises birds and beasts;
- A simple word similar to mono and koto;
Meaning of Koitsu, Soitsu, Aitsu, Doitsu
Both words have the same meaning, but there is a small difference in how to use these pronouns. Shall we briefly look at the meaning of each?
These expressions can have a good or bad connotation depending on the speaker, the occasion, or the context. The word can also be used to call someone with a feeling of hatred.
What does Koitsu mean?
The word Koitsu [此奴] represents a guy close to the speaker. In Portuguese, it can be translated as this person or this guy.
What does Soitsu mean?
The word Soitsu [此奴] represents a guy close to the listener. In Portuguese, it can be translated as that person or that guy.
What does Aitsu mean?
The word Aitsu [彼奴] represents a guy far from both the listener and the speaker. In Portuguese, it can be translated as that person or that guy.
What does Doitsu mean?
A careless way of saying who or which (どれ;だれ)? It can be translated as what guy? which people? which guy? what thing?
Koyatsu, Doiyatsu, Ayatsu, and Doyatsu
The words koyatsu, soyatsu, ayatsu, doyatsu are the ones that existed before and then transformed into koitsu, soitsu, aitsu, doitsu. They mean the same thing.
Because they are archaic, you won’t see them in normal Japanese, but you may see them in period stories, manga, anime, and others.
Koitsura, Soitsura, Aitsura, and Doitsura
The words koitsu, soitsura, aitsura, doitsura are the plural variants of koitsu, soitsu, aitsu, doitsu. All have the pluralizing suffix -ra.
- こいつら – These; These guys; These People;
- そいつら – These; These guys; These People;
- あいつら – Those; Those guys; Those People;
- どいつら – Which? What guys? What People?
Did you know these expressions? Share and leave your comments!
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