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I was reading a manga and a high school student goes to a university, then talks to a person and says:

おいっ

After the small chat the other person that seems to be a student from that university says in her thoughts:

高校生かな。。。

オイって言われて。。。

So I have some questions:

  • Why with the おい she realizes it was a high schooler? Or it was simply weird?

  • What's the difference among おいっ and おい?

  • When, how, to whom, when not should I use this interjection?

1 Answer 1

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おい is basically "Hey" or "Yo", but it's a very rude and rough way to stop a stranger. I would say you should never use it, unless you are very upset and/or want to pick a fight with someone.

Probably she thought he was a high schooler, at least partly because he obviously didn't know how to speak politely. Or perhaps she felt he was in his "rebellious phase".

There is no difference between おいっ and おい, except that the former sounds a bit strong/brisk/energetic.

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