aru with an animate object

[Rinilex]

In a song I've been listening to, there's the line

「私はどこにあるの」と

I'm not that well versed on aru/ iru apart from one is for animate/ living objects and the other is for inanimate objects, but I've heard there are some instances aru can be used. I'm not sure why it is here, though - why is it ある instead of どこにいる?

 

[nekojita]

What is the full context (lines before and after).

Sure it's not meant to be 私は「どこにあるの」と ?

 

[Toritoribe]

In a song I've been listening to, there's the line
「私はどこにあるの」と
I'm not that well versed on aru/ iru apart from one is for animate/ living objects and the other is for inanimate objects, but I've heard there are some instances aru can be used. I'm not sure why it is here, though - why is it ある instead of どこにいる?

「"わたし"は今 どこに在るの」と 踏みしめた足跡 を 何度も見つめ返す
YELL - いきものがかり - 歌詞 : 歌ネット

Are you listening to YELL by いきものがかり, maybe? If so , "わたし"(わたし in quotation marks) doesn't simply mean 'I' in this case. As you can see in another line 声を 挙げて "わたし"を 生きていくよと, it more likely refers to 私という存在 "the existance of 'I'", imo.

 

[Rinilex]

「"わたし"は今 どこに在るの」と 踏みしめた足跡 を 何度も見つめ返す
YELL - いきものがかり - 歌詞 : 歌ネット

Are you listening to YELL by いきものがかり, maybe? If so , "わたし"(わたし in quotation marks) doesn't simply mean 'I' in this case. As you can see in another line 声を 挙げて "わたし"を 生きていくよと, it more likely refers to 私という存在 "the existance of 'I'", imo.

It is indeed YELL, haha. IG is my favourite.

I see! So... is it like "where do "I" exist"? Or "where is my existence?" I always struggle with things like these in Japanese, I understand the concept but putting them into English is difficult for me. I sort of read it as having a "why am I here?" meaning behind it?

 

[Toritoribe]

I think it gives a nuance of seeing 'I' objectively.

 

[Rinilex]

I think it gives a nuance of seeing 'I' objectively.

Got it, thank you!

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