～ら【ら】

The suffix ～ら is a plural marker that attaches to pronouns, names, and demonstratives to indicate a group of people or things. It often translates to "we," "they," "them," "these," or "those" depending on context.

Pluralizing pronouns

When attached to personal pronouns, ～ら creates a plural form meaning "we" or "they." Compared to 〜～たち, ～ら tends to sound more casual or rough, and is very common in spoken Japanese.

Common combinations include わたくし私ら (we), ぼくら僕ら (we – masculine), おれら俺ら (we – very casual masculine), かれら彼ら (they), きみら君ら (you guys), and おまえらお前ら (you guys – rough).

かれら彼ら is standard and common even in formal writing, unlike most other ～ら forms which lean casual.

Pluralizing names

When attached to a person's name, ～ら means "someone and their group" or "someone and the others."

Demonstratives: これら・それら・あれら

～ら can attach to demonstrative pronouns to form plurals meaning "these" or "those."

これら, それら, and あれら are used in both spoken and written Japanese, though they are somewhat more common in **formal or written** contexts.

～ら vs. ～たち

Both ～ら and ～たち create plurals, but ～ら is generally more casual (except for かれら彼ら and the demonstrative forms). Using ～ら with first-person pronouns (おれら俺ら, ぼくら僕ら) gives an informal, friendly tone, while 〜～たち is neutral and polite.