What English phrase is equivalent to "ara ara" (γγγγ)?
I'm sure you all know "ara ara" (γγγγ), often spoken by a feminine, mature character in Japanese fiction. If you've, for instance, seen any character that Tanaka Rie (η°δΈηζ΅) has voiced, it's probably permanently etched into your brain in her voice 
It's part of a family of phrases that include ara (γγ), arara (γγγ), are (γγ), arere (γγγ), and atchΔ (γγ£γ‘γγΌ), acting as a reaction to an event of some sort, equivalent to lines like "huh...", "well now", and "oh my".
While "well now" is a good translation, during my transition, I found myself gravitating towards one particular phrase: "oh dear".
It wasn't until recently that I realised I'd stumbled upon the best equivalent of "ara ara", but I now see just how well they mirror each other.
Examples uses/inflections:
-said in response to a worrying event or development.
-said in an empathetic, caring way.
-said with some concern but with confidence the people involved will be just fine/in a "kids will be kids" sort of way.
-said with a suggestive, sultry tone.
-said in a happy but slightly embarrassed way, such as when receiving an unexpectedly meaningful gift.
-in a coquettish, fake-innocent, playful way.
-maybe more?
In all of these cases, both "ara ara" and "oh dear" hold nearly the same uses and meanings, and thus I propose that they are the best equivalents to each other 
p.s. For those I interact with often, now you know why I use "oh dear" so often 
p.p.s. Gods, I need to go to bed, but this needed to be explained. Might pin it to my profile 
#Musings #Japanese #English #Translation #AraAra
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