The name used by the Orcs to describe that race of Men otherwise known as the Drúedain or Woses. The two races bore a deep enmity for one another dating back to the First Age, when the Drúedain of Beleriand allied themselves with the Edain against the Orcs. The Orcs feared the Oghor-hai greatly, and especially their mysterious 'watch-stones', believing them to have uncanny and dangerous powers.

The origin of the name Oghor-hai is not fully understood. The ending -hai indicates that it refers to a race or people (as in Uruk-hai or Olog-hai), but the word Oghor is nowhere explained. Most other names for the Drúedain - including the word Drúedain itself - mean 'Wild Men', so it might perhaps be speculated that Oghor is an Orkish equivalent.