Quick Reference

Meaning & Definition

あいつら is the plural form of あいつ — a blunt, dismissive pronoun for a person at a distance — and it carries the same edge multiplied across a group. Whether venting about coworkers or sizing up an opposing team, this word signals irritation or contempt that polite pronouns would never convey.

あいつら refers to a group of people the speaker views with distance, frustration, or mild disdain. It is the plural of あいつ, formed by adding the suffix ら, which marks a group in casual Japanese (as in 彼ら, 彼女ら). Unlike 彼ら (neutral “they”) or 皆さん (respectful “everyone”), あいつら positions the speaker as separate from and often superior to — or at least annoyed by — the group being discussed. It is used almost exclusively in informal spoken Japanese or casual writing such as texts and social media posts. Using it in formal contexts, professional emails, or when speaking to or about someone’s in-group is a serious breach of register. The word is masculine in tone and is more common in male speech, though it appears widely across genders in casual venting.

How to Use It

The most common mistake learners make is treating あいつら as a neutral equivalent of “they.” It is not — every use carries a degree of contempt or at least distance. If you accidentally use it about your boss’s team in a meeting, it will cause genuine offense. Stick to 彼ら or 皆 in any situation where respect or neutrality is required. Also note that ら marks a group without specifying gender, while あいつ itself can refer to any person regardless of gender; the plural does the same. Finally, do not confuse ら (rough plural) with たち (softer plural): あいつたち exists and is slightly less harsh, but あいつら is more common in spontaneous speech.

Kanji Breakdown

あいつら is written entirely in hiragana, but its root あいつ traces back to the kanji compound 彼奴 (あいつ), combining 彼 (that; he) and 奴 (fellow; guy — an inherently contemptuous character historically used for servants or lowly persons). Over time the kanji fell out of everyday use and the word became fixed in hiragana, but the dismissive nuance embedded in 奴 survived. The suffix ら (ら) is a pluralizing particle seen in pronouns like 僕ら (we guys) and 彼女ら (they, female), indicating a loosely defined group. It does not specify an exact number and carries a slightly rough, masculine register compared to the softer suffix たち (達).

Example Sentences

Cultural Context

Japanese has a layered system of third-person pronouns that signal social distance and respect far more explicitly than English “they” does. At the respectful end sit expressions like あの方々; in the neutral middle are 彼ら and 彼女ら; and at the rough, distancing end sit あいつら and the even harsher やつら. Choosing あいつら tells listeners immediately that the speaker feels no obligation to show the group deference — they are outsiders, rivals, or a source of irritation. This makes the word a reliable register marker: hearing it in someone’s speech tells you a great deal about their relationship with the people they are describing.

In youth culture and casual media, あいつら functions as a badge of in-group solidarity as much as an insult toward out-groups. Sports team members talking about a rival squad, friend groups venting about classmates who excluded them, or characters in coming-of-age stories rallying against authority figures all reach for あいつら naturally. The word’s rough edge is part of its appeal in these contexts — it signals that the speaker is speaking freely, without social performance. For learners, understanding when that freedom is appropriate (between close friends, in clearly casual settings) versus when it becomes genuinely rude (workplaces, public settings, in-laws) is the key to using あいつら the way native speakers do.

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