〜かれ〜かれ (~kare ~kare) — whether ~ or ~ (it comes to the same)
Two opposite adjectives — 遅かれ早かれ, 多かれ少なかれ, 良かれ悪しかれ — just three fixed phrases.
Formula (सूत्र ढाँचा)
Grammar rule (व्याकरण नियम र परिभाषा)
When to use it
A senior at work says: 「遅かれ早かれ、N1は必要になるよ」— sooner or later you will need N1.
Meaning
- 「〜かれ〜かれ」sets two opposite adjectives side by side to say 'this way or that, the conclusion is the same'.
- 「かれ」is a leftover from old Japanese, so no new pairs are made today — learn just three fixed phrases:
- 遅かれ早かれ (sooner or later — it will happen)
- 多かれ少なかれ (more or less — everyone has some)
- 良かれ悪しかれ (for better or worse — that is how it is)
How to attach
- Drop the い of the い-adjective and add 「かれ」: 遅い→遅かれ, 多い→多かれ
- One exception: 悪い→悪しかれ (ashikare)
- It sits at the start of the sentence; a general truth or a forecast follows: 〜だろう・〜ことになる・みんな〜.
Versus what you know
N2「〜にしろ〜にしろ」and Lesson 5's 「〜であれ〜であれ」also mean 'whether A or B', but they attach freely to any noun; 「かれ」never goes beyond these three pairs.
Watch out
Make your own, like 「高かれ安かれ」, and it is wrong — say 「高くても安くても」instead.
Examples (उदाहरणहरू)
遅かれ早かれ、この店も値上げすることになるだろう。
おそかれはやかれ、このみせもねあげすることになるだろう。
Sooner or later, this shop will have to raise its prices too.
How it is built (कसरी बन्यो) 遅い = late → drop い: 遅 ＋「かれ」 → 早い = early → 早かれ → 遅かれ早かれ = whether late or early → then a guess: 〜ことになるだろう (it will happen in the end).
多かれ少なかれ、誰でも職場でストレスを感じている。
おおかれすくなかれ、だれでもしょくばでストレスをかんじている。
More or less, everyone feels some stress at work.
How it is built (कसरी बन्यो) 多い = many → 多かれ → 少ない = few → 少なかれ → 多かれ少なかれ = whether more or less (to some degree) → then something true of everyone: 誰でも〜ている.
良かれ悪しかれ、日本の会社は規則をとても大切にする。
よかれあしかれ、にほんのかいしゃはきそくをとてもたいせつにする。
For better or worse, Japanese companies take their rules very seriously.
How it is built (कसरी बन्यो) 良い (よい) = good → 良かれ → 悪い = bad → exception: 悪しかれ (あしかれ) → 良かれ悪しかれ = whether good or bad → then the reality: 規則を大切にする.
Knowledge check (मिनी ज्ञान जाँच)
「多＿＿少な＿＿、誰にでも欠点はある。」— fill the blanks.
💡 Hint: After dropping い, what does this fixed phrase take?
い-adj minus い + かれ: 多かれ少なかれ = more or less.
In which sentence is 「〜かれ〜かれ」unnatural?
💡 Hint: Can it be made from any adjective?
「かれ」lives only in three fixed pairs: 遅かれ早かれ・多かれ少なかれ・良かれ悪しかれ. For prices, say 「高くても安くても」.
What is the difference between 「〜かれ〜かれ」and lesson 5's 「〜であれ〜であれ」?
💡 Hint: Both mean 'A or B'; which one is limited?
Both say 'either way, the same'. 「であれ」attaches to any noun; 「かれ」only appears in three fixed adjective pairs.
Your score: /3