goes after a pronoun or a name and makes it plural: "we", "they", "you lot". After most pronouns it sounds casual, often rough;
is the neutral choice.
。
I don't want to lose to those guys.
and
are blunt and for friends only.
and
are casual. Never put ら on someone you should be polite to; for a group of teachers say
.
彼ら, これら and それら
A few ら words are not casual at all. is the ordinary word for "they" in speech and writing, and , and – "these", "those" – belong mostly to writing.
。
They have already gone home.
。
Please check these documents.
。
Those problems have not been solved yet.
After a name
After a name or a noun for people, ら means "X and the others". This is the style of news reports and written accounts; in conversation you would say .
。
Tanaka and the others set off first.
。
The kids are playing in the park.
Lingaku