アリ
ari
The Japanese word アリ (ari) means ant.
The term refers to a small insect that lives in social colonies.
How do you pronounce it?
ari
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific word, 蟻地獄 (ari-jigoku), which translates literally as 'ant hell' to describe a pitcher plant or an antlion's trap.
- In modern Japanese slang, アリ is used to mean 'acceptable' or 'yes' when considering an option, while ナシ (nashi) means 'unacceptable'.
- The term アリ is used in the compound アリの歩み (ari no ayumi) to describe a process that is painstakingly slow, similar to 'at a snail's pace' in English.
Examples in context
- アリ、来週の計画を聞いてもいい？Hey Ari, can I ask about next week's plans?
- 道にアリがいます。michi ni ari ga imasu.There is an ant on the road.
- 大量のアリが現れました。tairyou no ari ga arawaremashita.A large number of ants appeared.
- このアリはとても小さいです。kono ari wa totemo chiisai desu.This ant is very small.
Example conversation
Two people are walking in a park and notice insects on the ground.
- 蓮 Renあ、地面にアリがいるよ。a, jimen ni ari ga iru yo.Oh, there are ants on the ground.
- 美咲 Misaki本当だ、たくさん歩いているね。hontou da, takusan aruite iru ne.You're right, they are walking in large numbers.
- 蓮 Ren美咲さんはアリ、好き？misaki-san wa ari, suki?Misaki, do you like ants?
- 美咲 Misakiいいえ、ちょっと苦手です。iie, chotto nigate desu.No, I'm not very fond of them.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry アリ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
