自我

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 自我, read じが, means the awareness of oneself as distinct from other people.
• Basic usage: It describes a child's developing sense of self or the recovery of a lost sense of identity.
  • 成長とともに子どもの自我がはっきりしてきた。

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Ego without a negative judgment
  • Although 自我 can be translated as ego, it does not itself mean selfishness or arrogance.