ja

See also:Appendix:Variations of "ja"

Languages (67)

Translingual•English

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Afrikaans•Alemannic German•Assan•Atong (India)•Catalan•Central Melanau•Cimbrian•Cypriot Arabic•Danish•Dimasa•Dutch•Esperanto•Estonian•Faroese•Finnish•Franco-Provençal•Garo•German•Gothic•Guerrero Amuzgo•Gutnish•Hausa•Hungarian•Ido•Ingrian•Japanese•Kashubian•Latvian•Lithuanian•Lower Sorbian•Lule Sami•Maltese•Mbati•North Frisian•Northern Sami•Northern Sotho•Norwegian Bokmål•Norwegian Nynorsk•Old French•Old Polish•Pennsylvania German•Pite Sami•Pnar•Polish•Portuguese•Russenorsk•Rwanda-Rundi•Serbo-Croatian•Silesian•Slovak•Slovene•Sotho•Spanish•Swahili•Swedish•Tswana•Tz'utujil•Upper Sorbian•Votic•West Frisian•West Makian•Ye'kwana•Yoruba•Zialo•Zou

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Page categories

Translingual

Symbol

ja

1. (international standards)ISO 639-1language codeforJapanese.

English

Etymology 1

Borrowed fromAfrikaansja(“yes”),fromDutchja(“yes”).More atyea.

Alternative forms

• ya

Adverb

ja(notcomparable)

1. (chieflySouth Africa,informal)Yes.
   • 1940,Penguin Parade(issue 7, page 25)

     Ja,he had been fooled and it was not pleasant for a man to go home and tell his wife that he been verneuked.

Derived terms

• ja well no fine

Etymology 2

From theRevised RomanizationofKorean자(ja).

Alternative forms

• cha

Noun

ja(pluraljasorja)

1. (Korean units of measure)Synonym ofKorean foot:atraditionalunitoflengthequivalenttoabout30.3cm.

Anagrams

• AJ

Afrikaans

Etymology

FromDutchja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/jaː/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adverb

ja

1. yes

Descendants

• →English:ja
• →Portuguese:iá,yá,ya

Alemannic German

Alternative forms

• jaa,jòò,jä

Etymology

FromOld High Germanja,jā,fromProto-Germanic*ja.Cognate withGermanja,Dutchja,Englishyea,Swedishja.

Adverb

ja

1. (Uri)yes

References

• Abegg, Emil,(1911)Die Mundart von Urseren(Beiträge zur Schweizerdeutschen Grammatik. IV.) [The Dialect of Urseren], Frauenfeld, Switzerland: Huber & Co., page 13.

Assan

Etymology

InheritedfromProto-Yeniseian*axʷ(“I”).CompareKottai(“I”),Pumpokolad(“I”),andArinaj.

Pronoun

ja

1. I(first-person singular subjective)

Synonyms

• aj

Related terms

• ajun

Atong (India)

Etymology

Cognate withGaroja(“moon, month”).

Noun

ja

1. month
2. moon

References

• van Breugel, Seino. 2015.Atong-English dictionary,second edition. Available online:https://www.academia.edu/487044/Atong_English_Dictionary.

Catalan

Etymology

InheritedfromLatiniam.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):(Central,Balearic)[ˈʒa]
• IPA^(key):(Valencia)[ˈd͡ʒa]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes:-a

Adverb

ja

1. already,(in negative sentences)any more
2. now,immediately,at once

Derived terms

• ja que

Further reading

• “ja”inDiccionari català-valencià-balear,Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Central Melanau

Central Melanau cardinal numbers

< 0	1	2 >
Cardinal:ja

Alternative forms

• je-

Numeral

ja

1. one

Synonyms

• satu

Cimbrian

Etymology

FromMiddle High Germanja,fromOld High Germanja,jā,fromProto-West Germanic*jā,fromProto-Germanic*ja.Cognate withGermanja,Englishyea.

Particle

ja

1. (Sette Comuni)yes

References

• “ja” inMartalar, Umberto Martello, Bellotto, Alfonso (1974)Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini,1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo

Cypriot Arabic

Root
j-y-y
2 terms

Etymology

FromArabicجَاءَ(jāʔa).

Verb

jaI(presentpijí)

1. tocome,toarriveat
2. toderivefrom
3. toturn out

References

• Borg, Alexander (2004)A Comparative Glossary of Cypriot Maronite Arabic (Arabic–English)(Handbook of Oriental Studies;I.70), Leiden and Boston: Brill,page192

Danish

Etymology

FromOld Norsejá(“yes”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ja/,[jɛ]
• IPA^(key):/jar/,[jæɐ̯]
• Rhymes:-a

Interjection

ja

1. yes

Antonyms

• nej

Related terms

• jo

Noun

jan(singular definitejaet,plural indefinitejaer)

1. yes

Inflection

Declension ofja

neuter gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ja	jaet	jaer	jaerne
genitive	jas	jaets	jaers	jaernes

Dimasa

Noun

já

1. foot

Derived terms

• jaga

Dutch

Alternative forms

• (obsolete)jae

Etymology

FromMiddle Dutchja,fromOld Dutch*jā,fromProto-Germanic*ja.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key):/jaː/

Adverb

ja

1. yes

   Synonym:jep

2. Antonyms:nee,neen

   Wil je met ons meegaan?—Ja,graag!―Would you like to come with us? —Yes,I'd love to!

Derived terms

• ja toch
• jaknikken,jaknikker
• jastem,ja-stem
• jawel
• welja

Noun

jamorn(pluralja's,diminutivejaatjen)

1. yes

   Synonym:jawoord

   Antonym:nee

   Nee heb je al,jakan je krijgen.―The only way to find out if someone agrees (with/to something) is to ask.(literally, “You already have "no", but you may still get "yes".”)

   Het begon met eenja...―It began with ayes...

Interjection

ja

1. yes!

   Synonym:yes

   "Ja!"riep hij luid toen er een doelpunt viel.―Yes!he screamed loudly when they scored a goal.

2. (Suriname,informal)A casual greeting acknowledging the presence of a person;hey,hi,what's up
3. (Suriname,informal)Used as a request for someone to repeat something not heard or understood clearly;say again,what's that

Descendants

• Afrikaans:ja
  • →English:ja
  • →Portuguese:iá,yá,ya
• Indonesian:ya
• Berbice Creole Dutch:ja
• Jersey Dutch:jâ
• Negerhollands:ja,ju
• Skepi Creole Dutch:ja
• →Saramaccan:jahái,jaái

Esperanto

Etymology

Borrowed fromGermanja.ComparePolishjo,Yiddishיאָ(yo),Englishyea.Related tojes.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):[ja]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ja

Adverb

ja

1. emphatic particle;indeed,certainly,surely,after all
   • 2015,Kalle Kniivilä, “Sopiro al Sovetio [Yearning for the Soviet Union]”, inKrimeo estas nia[Crimea is ours]:

     Sed la bona soveta tempo neniam revenos. Ĝijaneniam ekzistis.

     But the good Soviet times will never return.After all,they never existed.

     (literally, “But the good Soviet time will never come again. Itindeednever existed.”)

Usage notes

The wordjaemphasizes the entire sentence or a specific word or phrase, stressing the reality of it. It is most often placed before or after the sentence's main verb, or before an adverb modifying the main verb. Otherwise, it is usually placed in front of a word or phrase that it emphasizes.

It is also commonly used for emphatic negation, combined withneor a correlative starting inneni-,usually withjaplaced in front of it.

Derived terms

• jes ja(“yes indeed”)

Related terms

• do(“therefore, indeed, so”)
• ekzakte(“exactly”)
• fakte(“in fact”)
• ĝuste(“just, right, exactly”)
• reale(“really, actually”)
• vere(“truly”)

Estonian

Etymology

FromProto-Finnic*ja,fromProto-Germanic*jahw(“and”);compareGothic𐌾𐌰𐌷(jah),Old High Germanja,joh.

Conjunction

ja

1. and

Synonyms

• ning

Faroese

Etymology

FromOld Norsejá,fromProto-Germanic*ja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/jɛaː/

Adverb

ja

1. yes

Antonyms

• nei,neiggj

Related terms

• jú,júgv

Noun

jan(genitive singularjas,pluralja)

1. yes

Declension

Declension ofja
n3	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ja	jaið	ja	jaini
accusative	ja	jaið	ja	jaini
dative	jai	jainum	jaum	jaunum
genitive	jas	jasins	jaa	jaanna

Finnish

Etymology

FromProto-Finnic*ja(compareEstonianja,Ingrianja,Livonianja,Voticja), borrowed fromProto-Germanic*jahw(“and”)(compareGothic𐌾𐌰𐌷(jah),Old High Germanja,joh).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ˈjɑ/,[ˈjɑ̝]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes:-ɑ
• Syllabification^(key):ja

Conjunction

ja

1. (coordinating)and

   Siellä oli poikiajatyttöjä.―There were boysandgirls there.

   Menin kotiinjaaloin soittaa pianoa.―I went homeandstarted playing the piano.

   Iltapalaksi on leipää, juustoa, kinkkua, tomaattiajamaitoa.―For supper we have bread, cheese, ham, tomatoandmilk.

   Mies juokseejajuoksee.―The man runsandruns.

   Jasitten alkoi sataa.―Andthen it started raining.

   Menejatiedä.―Go figure.(literally, “Goandknow.”)

   viisijapuoli―fiveanda half

   ensimmäisenjaviimeisen kerran―for the firstandthe last time

Usage notes

• On the differences betweenjaandsekä:
  • jacan be used more widely thansekä.As an example,sekämay not be used to join two independent clauses.

    Vaahdota voisekäsokerijasekoita joukkoon kuivat aineet.―Cream the butterandsugar,andmix in the dry ingredients.

  • sekähas a nuance of the things being more separate than withja.If both words are used,jaties things closer together thansekä.

    mansikka-javadelmahillosekämuut hedelmäsäilykkeet―strawberryandraspberry jamas well asother fruit preserves

  • In legal language,jaandsekäare distinguished more clearly.sekäis considered "stronger" thanja.For example, an attribute specified before a list will apply to every item withja,but not withsekä.

    paineella tyhjennettävätjatäytettävät säiliöt―containers that can be filledandemptied under pressure= containers that are both filled and emptied under pressure

    paineella tyhjennettävätsekätäytettävät säiliöt―containers that can be filledandemptied under pressure= containers that are emptied under pressure, and which can be filled either under pressure or not

Synonyms

• sekä(see the above usage notes)

Adverb

ja

1. (dialectal)also,as well

   Synonyms:-kin,myös

Noun

ja

1. AND(logic gate or connector)

Declension

Rarely inflected; if inflection is necessary, it is used as a first component in a compound, such asJA-portti( "AND gate" ).

Inflectionofja(Kotustype 21/rosé,no gradation)
nominative		ja	jat
genitive		jan	jaiden jaitten
partitive		jata	jaita
illative		jahan	jaihin
		singular	plural
nominative		ja	jat
accusative	nom.	ja	jat
	gen.	jan
genitive		jan	jaiden jaitten
partitive		jata	jaita
inessive		jassa	jaissa
elative		jasta	jaista
illative		jahan	jaihin
adessive		jalla	jailla
ablative		jalta	jailta
allative		jalle	jaille
essive		jana	jaina
translative		jaksi	jaiksi
abessive		jatta	jaitta
instructive		—	jain
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive formsofja(Kotustype 21/rosé,no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative jani jani accusative nom. jani jani gen. jani genitive jani jaideni jaitteni partitive jatani jaitani inessive jassani jaissani elative jastani jaistani illative jahani jaihini adessive jallani jaillani ablative jaltani jailtani allative jalleni jailleni essive janani jainani translative jakseni jaikseni abessive jattani jaittani instructive — — comitative — jaineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative jasi jasi accusative nom. jasi jasi gen. jasi genitive jasi jaidesi jaittesi partitive jatasi jaitasi inessive jassasi jaissasi elative jastasi jaistasi illative jahasi jaihisi adessive jallasi jaillasi ablative jaltasi jailtasi allative jallesi jaillesi essive janasi jainasi translative jaksesi jaiksesi abessive jattasi jaittasi instructive — — comitative — jainesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative jamme jamme accusative nom. jamme jamme gen. jamme genitive jamme jaidemme jaittemme partitive jatamme jaitamme inessive jassamme jaissamme elative jastamme jaistamme illative jahamme jaihimme adessive jallamme jaillamme ablative jaltamme jailtamme allative jallemme jaillemme essive janamme jainamme translative jaksemme jaiksemme abessive jattamme jaittamme instructive — — comitative — jainemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative janne janne accusative nom. janne janne gen. janne genitive janne jaidenne jaittenne partitive jatanne jaitanne inessive jassanne jaissanne elative jastanne jaistanne illative jahanne jaihinne adessive jallanne jaillanne ablative jaltanne jailtanne allative jallenne jaillenne essive jananne jainanne translative jaksenne jaiksenne abessive jattanne jaittanne instructive — — comitative — jainenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative jansa jansa accusative nom. jansa jansa gen. jansa genitive jansa jaidensa jaittensa partitive jataan jatansa jaitaan jaitansa inessive jassaan jassansa jaissaan jaissansa elative jastaan jastansa jaistaan jaistansa illative jahansa jaihinsa adessive jallaan jallansa jaillaan jaillansa ablative jaltaan jaltansa jailtaan jailtansa allative jalleen jallensa jailleen jaillensa essive janaan janansa jainaan jainansa translative jakseen jaksensa jaikseen jaiksensa abessive jattaan jattansa jaittaan jaittansa instructive — — comitative — jaineen jainensa

Derived terms

compounds

• korva- ja kurkkutautioppi
• korva-, nenä- ja kurkkutautioppi
• luku- ja kirjoitushäiriö
• luku- ja kirjoitustaito
• suu- ja sorkkatauti
• vuode- ja asumusero
• ystävyys-, yhteistyö- ja avunantosopimus

Further reading

• “ja”,inKielitoimiston sanakirja[Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1](in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki:Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus(Institute for the Languages of Finland),2004–,retrieved2023-07-02

Franco-Provençal

Etymology

InheritedfromLatiniam.

Adverb

ja(ORB, broad)

1. already

References

• déjàin DicoFranPro:Dictionnaire Français/Francoprovençal– ondicofranpro.llm.umontreal.ca
• jain Lo trèsor Arpitan – onarpitan.eu

Garo

Etymology

(Thisetymologyis missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at theEtymology scriptorium.)

Noun

ja

1. month

Synonyms

• mas

German

Etymology

FromMiddle High Germanja,fromOld High Germanja, jā(“yes”),fromProto-Germanic*ja(“yes”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):[jäː](Standard, overall more common)
• IPA^(key):[ʝäː](standard, overall less common)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key):[jɑː](Austrian German)
• IPA^(key):[jɒ~jɔ](Austrian German, common in casual speech as an influence of the Austro-Bavarian language)
• Rhymes:-aː
• Homophone:Jahr(according to a widespread pronunciation of this word)

Adverb

ja

1. yes;yea,yeah,aye

   Synonym:jawohl

   Willst du das?Ja.―Do you want that?Yes.

   Aberja!―Yes,of course!

2. (intensifier)obviously;certainly;of course;really;just;as you know; as is generally known(indicates and emphasises that one is expressing a known fact)

   Synonyms:doch,bekanntlich

   Es kannjanicht immer so bleiben.―Itobviouslycannot always remain so.

   Der Peter warjagestern krank.―Peter was sick yesterday,as you know.

Usage notes

• (yes):Jais used to indicate agreement with a positive statement. To contradict a negative statement (where English would use “yes” ),dochis used instead.
• (obviously):Jameans roughly the same as Englishobviouslyoras you know,but given its shortness it is used much more frequently. In colloquial German,jais used in most statements of facts already known to the one addressed.

Antonyms

• nein

Derived terms

• bejahen
• Ja
• jein

Interjection

ja

1. yes

   Synonym:jawohl

   Antonym:nein

Further reading

• “ja”inDudenonline
• “ja”inDigitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Gothic

Romanization

ja

1. Romanization of𐌾𐌰

Guerrero Amuzgo

Adjective

ja

1. heavy

Pronoun

ja

1. I

Gutnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/jaː/,[jɑː]

Etymology 1

FromOld Norseek.CompareSwedishjag.

Alternative forms

• jag(Fårö and Lau dialects)

Pronoun

ja

1. I(first-person singular pronoun)

Inflection

	inflection of "ja"
subject	ja
object	mi
possessive	min,mein,mitt,meine

Etymology 2

FromOld Norsejá.

Adverb

ja

1. yes

Usage notes

Uncertain or stalling answer;jois used for yes-no questions

Related terms

• (used for yes-no questions)jo,jå(Lau dialect)

Interjection

ja

1. yes

References

• "ja"inGutamålgildes Årdliste
• "jainGustavson, H. (red.). 1972-1986. Ordbok över Laumålet på Gotland. Uppsala: AB Lundequistska Bokhandeln.

Hausa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/(d)ʒáː/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa)IPA^(key):[d͡ʒáː]

Adjective

jā(femininejā,pluraljājā̀yē)

1. red

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):[ˈjɒ],[ˈjɒː](the long pronunciation is used in case of great surprise)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes:-jɒ

Interjection

ja

1. (informal)yep(indicates agreement, approval, or understanding)

   Synonyms:aha,ühüm,jaja

   Jössz holnap a meccsre? –Ja.

   “Are you coming to the game tomorrow?” “Yep.”

2. (informal)oh(indicates understanding something finally after a misunderstanding or confusion)

   Este nem jár a vonat. –Ja,hát akkor menjünk busszal!

   “No train is leaving in the evening.” “Oh,well then let's travel by bus!”

   Ezt nem is Miki küldte! –Ja,lehet, hogy én értettem félre.

   “This was not sent by Miki!” “Oh,then I must have misunderstood it.”

Further reading

• (yep, oh):jainBárczi, GézaandLászló Országh.A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára( “The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.:ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992:→ISBN
• (indeed, actually, as a matter of fact):jainBárczi, GézaandLászló Országh.A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára( “The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.:ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992:→ISBN

Ido

Etymology

Borrowed fromFrenchdéjà,Italiangià,Spanishya,fromLatiniam,replacingEsperantojamwhich is cognate. Decision no.987, Progreso VI.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ʒa/,/d͡ʒa/

Adverb

ja

1. already

   Lujadormeskis.

   He/she hasalreadyfallen asleep.

Derived terms

• ne ja(“not yet; not even”)

Related terms

• ya

References

• Progreso III(in Ido),1910–1911,page557,691
• Progreso VI(in Ido),1913–1914,page164

Ingrian

Etymology 1

FromProto-Finnic*ja.Cognates includeFinnishjaandEstonianja.

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa)IPA^(key):/ˈjɑ/,[ˈjɑ]
• (Soikkola)IPA^(key):/ˈjɑ/,[ˈjɑ]
• Rhymes:-ɑ
• Hyphenation:ja

Conjunction

ja

1. and
   • 1936,N. A. Iljin and V. I. Junus,Bukvari iƶoroin șkouluja vart,Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page25:

     KikojaMiko jo uijuut.

     KikoandMiko are already swimming.

Synonyms

• i,da

Adverb

ja

1. also,too
   • 1936,D. I. Efimov,Lukukirja: Inkeroisia alkușkouluja vart (ensimäine osa),Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 3:

     On meil hyvät mașinistat -
     paravozat ollaaja.

     We have good engine drivers -
     we have steam locomotives,too.

Synonyms

• kera,tože,i

Derived terms

• ja niin etes

Etymology 2

Ultimately from aGermaniclanguage, fromProto-Germanic*ja(compareSwedishjaandGermanja). Cognates includeFinnishjaaandEstonianjah,jaa.

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa)IPA^(key):/ˈjɑ/,[ˈjɑ]
• (Soikkola)IPA^(key):/ˈjɑ/,[ˈjɑ]
• Rhymes:-ɑ
• Hyphenation:ja

Particle

ja

1. yes
   • 1936,V. I. Junus, N. A. Iljin,Inkeroisin keelen oppikirja alkuşkouluja vart (toine osa),Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page42:

     Onok se maa teil?
     -Ja,ono.

     Is that your land?
     Yes,it is.

Synonyms

• niin

Antonyms

• ei

References

• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971)Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja,Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page99
• Olga I. Konkova, Nikita A. Dyachkov (2014)Inkeroin Keel: Пособие по Ижорскому Языку‎^[2],→ISBN,page79

Japanese

Romanization

ja

1. Thehiraganasyllableじゃ(ja)or thekatakanasyllableジャ(ja)inHepburnromanization.
2. Thehiraganasyllableぢゃ(ja)or thekatakanasyllableヂャ(ja)inHepburnromanization.

Kashubian

Etymology

BorrowedfromGermanja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ˈja/
• Rhymes:-a
• Syllabification:ja

Particle

ja

1. (Canada,United States,New Zealand)yes

   Synonym:(United States)szur

Further reading

• Stanislow Frymark (2020) “ja”,inKashubian Language in Canada, the USA and New Zealand; Lexical Interferences in Kashubian Language in Canada, the USA and New Zealand(in English and Kashubian), Zómk Zôbòrsczi,→ISBN

Latvian

Conjunction

ja

1. if
2. in case

Lithuanian

Pronoun

jaf

1. third-personsingularinstrumentalofji

Lower Sorbian

Etymology

FromProto-Slavic*(j)a,fromProto-Indo-European*éǵh₂.

Pronoun

jasg

1. I

Declension

Declension of the first-person pronouns

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ja	mej	my
Genitive	mě (after preposition)mnjo	naju	nas
Dative	mě (after preposition)mnjo	nama	nam
Accusative	mě (after preposition)mnjo	naju	nas
Instrumental	mnu	nama	nami
Locative	mnjo	nama	nas
Possessive determiner	mój	naju	naš

Lule Sami

Etymology

FromProto-Germanic*jahw(“and”).

Conjunction

ja

1. and

Further reading

• Koponen, Eino, Ruppel, Klaas, Aapala, Kirsti, editors (2002–2008),Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎^[3],Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

Maltese

Etymology

FromArabicيَا(yā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/jaː/
• Usually unstressed and then automatically shortened to/ja/.

Particle

ja

1. vocative particle;oh!;you!

   JaMulejja!―Ohmy Lord!

   Jaiblah!―Youidiot!

   • 1998,Anton Buttigieg,“Lill-Qamar”, inŻibeġ u Boċċi:

     Stagħnejt,jaQamar,
     dal-lejl bil-poeżija
     tar-realtà.

     (pleaseadd an English translationof this quotation)

Usage notes

• While not obligatory even in standard Arabic, the vocative particle is predominantly omitted in Maltese. It does remain a common word, however, especially when equivalent to English “you”.

Mbati

Noun

ja

1. drought,famine

References

• LePage, Sarah Gloria (2020)"The phonology of Mbati"‎^[4],University of North Dakota

North Frisian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ja/

Pronoun

ja

1. (Sylt and Mooring)they

Synonyms

• djo(Heligolandic)
• jo(Amrum and Fering)
• jä(Halligen, Hoorning and Wiedingharde)

Northern Sami

Etymology

FromProto-Germanic*jahw(“and”).

Pronunciation

• (Kautokeino)IPA^(key):/ˈja/

Conjunction

ja

1. and

Further reading

• Koponen, Eino, Ruppel, Klaas, Aapala, Kirsti, editors (2002–2008),Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎^[5],Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

Northern Sotho

Etymology

FromProto-Bantu*-dɪ́a.

Verb

ja

1. toeat

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

FromOld Norsejá.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/jɑː/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adverb

ja

1. yes

Antonyms

• nei

Related terms

• jo
• jaja
• jada

Interjection

ja

1. yes

Noun

jan(definite singularjaet,indefinite pluraljaorjaer,definite pluraljaaorjaene)

1. yes

References

• “ja”inThe Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

FromOld Norsejá.

Adverb

ja

1. yes

Antonyms

• nei

Related terms

• jo

Interjection

ja

1. yes

Noun

jan(definite singularjaet,indefinite pluralja,definite pluraljaa)

1. yes

References

• “ja”inThe Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old French

Etymology

FromLatiniam.

Pronunciation

• (classical)IPA^(key):/ˈdʒa/
• (late)IPA^(key):/ˈʒa/

Adverb

ja

1. already
2. as soon as possible
3. quickly
4. (with "ne")never

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric,Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes duIX^eauXV^esiècle(1881)(ja)

Old Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):(10^th–15^thCE)/jaː/
• IPA^(key):(15^thCE)/jɒ/

Etymology 1

InheritedfromProto-Slavic*(j)azъ.First attested in the 13th century.

Pronoun

ja

1. first-person pronoun;I

Declension

Declension of ja

	singular
nominative	ja,jaz
genitive	mnie,mienie,mie,mię,mnię
dative	mnie,mienie,minie,mie,mi,mni,ni
accusative	mnie,mię,mie,mnię,nię,mi
instrumental	mną
locative	mnie

Alternative forms

• jaz

Descendants

• Masurian:já
• Polish:ja
• Silesian:jŏ

Etymology 2

(Thisetymologyis missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at theEtymology scriptorium.)

Interjection

ja

1. (reduplicated)The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:
   1. the name of someidol

References

• B. Sieradzka-Baziur,Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “ja”,inSłownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego[Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków:IJP PAN,→ISBN
• B. Sieradzka-Baziur,Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “ja”,inSłownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego[Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków:IJP PAN,→ISBN

Pennsylvania German

Alternative forms

• ya

Etymology

CompareGermanja,Dutchja,Swedishja.

Interjection

ja

1. yes,yeah

Pite Sami

Etymology

FromProto-Germanic*jahw(“and”).

Conjunction

ja

1. and

Further reading

• jainBidumsáme Báhkogirrje(“Pite Sami word list”)
• Koponen, Eino, Ruppel, Klaas, Aapala, Kirsti, editors (2002–2008),Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎^[6],Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

Pnar

Etymology

FromProto-Khasian*ʤaː.Cognate withKhasija.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/d͡ʒa/

Noun

ja

1. cookedrice

Polish

Etymology

InheritedfromOld Polishja.Doubletofego.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ja/
• (Middle Polish)IPA^(key):/ˈjɒ/

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Audio 3:

  (file)

• Rhymes:-a
• Syllabification:ja

Pronoun

ja

1. first-person pronoun;I

   Jachcę mieć przyjaciół.―Iwant to have friends.

Usage notes

The mute formsmięandmicannot be used in accented positions in the sentence.Mięis considered dated in standard Polish but can still be heard commonly in some dialects or in colloquial speech.

Declension

Declension ofja

	singular	plural
nominative	ja	my
genitive	mnie/mię	nas
dative	mnie/mi	nam
accusative	mnie/mię	nas
instrumental	mną	nami
locative	mnie	nas
vocative	—	—

Derived terms

noun

• jaźń

particle

• bo ja wiem

See also

• Appendix:Polish pronouns

Trivia

According toSłownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej(1990),jais one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 16 times in scientific texts, 2 times in news, 84 times in essays, 892 times in fiction, and 2034 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 3028 times, making it the 15th most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.

Further reading

• jainWielki słownik języka polskiego,Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• jain Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “ja”,inSłownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku[A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
• “JA”,inElektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku[Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 2019 September 4
• Samuel Bogumił Linde(1807–1814) “ja”,inSłownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz(1861) “ja”,inSłownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz,A. Kryński,W. Niedźwiedzki,editors (1902), “ja”,inSłownik języka polskiego(in Polish), volume 2, Warsaw, page119

Portuguese

Adverb

ja(notcomparable)

1. Obsoletespelling ofjá.

Russenorsk

Etymology

FromRussianя(ja).May also be a Russianized form of Danishjegor Swedishjag.

Pronoun

ja

1. I(pronoun)

Synonyms

• moja

References

• Ingvild Broch, Ernst H. Jahr (1984)Russenorsk: Et pidginspråk i Norge[Russenorsk: A pidgin language in Norway], 2 edition, Oslo: Novus Forlag

Rwanda-Rundi

Alternative forms

• -jya(Rwanda)

Etymology

FromProto-Bantu*-gɪ̀a.

Verb

-ja(infinitivekuja,perfective-gīye)

1. (Kirundi)togoto

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

InheritedfromProto-Slavic*(j)azъ,fromProto-Balto-Slavic*ēź-,fromProto-Indo-European*éǵh₂.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/jâː/

Pronoun

jȃ(Cyrillic spellingја̑)

1. I

   Jasam učio.―Ihave studied.

Declension

Declension ofja

	singular	plural
nominative	jȃ	mȋ
genitive	mȅne,me	nȃs
dative	mȅni,mi	nȁma,nam
accusative	mȅne,me	nȃs
vocative	—	mȋ
locative	mȅni	nȁma
instrumental	mnȏm,mnóme	nȁma

Etymology 2

BorrowedfromGermanja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/jâ/

Adverb

jȁ(Cyrillic spellingја̏)

1. (colloquial,regional)yes,yeah

Etymology 3

Interjection

ja

1. Archaicform ofjao.
   • 1891,Vuk Stefanović Karadžić,Srpske narodne pjesme:

     JaIvane, mio pobratime!

     O woe,Ivan, dear blood-brother!

Silesian

Etymology

BorrowedfromGermanja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ˈja/
• Rhymes:-a
• Syllabification:ja

Particle

ja

1. yes

   Antonym:niy

Further reading

• jain silling.org

Slovak

Etymology

InheritedfromProto-Slavic*(j)a,fromProto-Indo-European*éǵh₂.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):[ja]

Pronoun

ja

1. I

Usage notes

• Following prepositions,maandmiare replaced bymňaandmnerespectively.

Declension

Declension ofja

	singulare tantum
nominative	ja
genitive	mňa／ma
dative	mne／mi
accusative	mňa／ma
locative	mne
instrumental	mnou

Related terms

Slovak personal pronouns

		substantive		possessive
		singular	plural	singular	plural
1st person		ja	my	môj	náš
2nd person	familiar	ty	vy	tvoj	váš
	polite	vy		váš
3rd person	m	on	oni*／ony	jeho	ich
	f	ona		jej
	n	ono		jeho
reflexive		seba,sa(clitic)		svoj
* masculine animate only,onyotherwise.

References

• “ja”,inSlovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV[Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak),https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk,2024

Anagrams

• aj

Slovene

Etymology 1

Borrowed fromGermanja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/jàː/,/jáː/

Particle

jā

1. (informal)yes

   Synonym:dȁ

   Antonym:nȅ

Etymology 2

Pronoun

ja

1. (dialectal)Alternative form ofjȁz

   Jasem Slovenec.―Iam Slovenian.

Further reading

• “ja”,inSlovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU,portal Fran

Sotho

Etymology

FromProto-Bantu*-dɪ́a.

Verb

ja

1. toeat

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ˈxa/[ˈxa]
• Rhymes:-a
• Syllabification:ja

Interjection

ja

1. representation of laughter,ha

   Also used repeatedly:jaja,jajaja

Derived terms

• ja ja ja

Further reading

• “ja”,inDiccionario de la lengua española,Vigésima tercera edición,Real Academia Española,2014

Swahili

Etymology

FromProto-Bantu*-jìja.CompareZulu-za.

Pronunciation

• Audio(Kenya):

  (file)

Verb

-ja(infinitivekuja)

1. tocome
2. going to(followed by an infinitive, future, or subjunctive verb)

Conjugation

Conjugation of-ja
Positive present -nakuja Subjunctive -je Negative -ji Imperative singular njoo
Infinitives
Positive kuja Negative kutokuja
Imperatives
Singular njoo Plural njooni
Tensed forms
Habitual huja Positive past positive subject concord+ -likuja Negative past negative subject concord+ -kuja
Positive present (positive subject concord+ -nakuja) Singular Plural 1st person ninakuja/nakuja tunakuja 2nd person unakuja mnakuja 3rd person m-wa(I/II) anakuja wanakuja other classes positive subject concord+ -nakuja
Negative present (negative subject concord+ -ji) Singular Plural 1st person siji hatuji 2nd person huji hamji 3rd person m-wa(I/II) haji hawaji other classes negative subject concord+ -ji
Positive future positive subject concord+ -takuja Negative future negative subject concord+ -takuja
Positive subjunctive (positive subject concord+ -je) Singular Plural 1st person nije tuje 2nd person uje mje 3rd person m-wa(I/II) aje waje other classes positive subject concord+ -je
Negative subjunctive positive subject concord+ -sije Positive present conditional positive subject concord+ -ngekuja Negative present conditional positive subject concord+ -singekuja Positive past conditional positive subject concord+ -ngalikuja Negative past conditional positive subject concord+ -singalikuja
Gnomic (positive subject concord+ -aja) Singular Plural 1st person naja twaja 2nd person waja mwaja 3rd person m-wa(I/II) aja waja m-mi(III/IV) waja yaja ji-ma(V/VI) laja yaja ki-vi(VII/VIII) chaja vyaja n(IX/X) yaja zaja u(XI) waja seen(X)orma(VI)class ku(XV/XVII) kwaja pa(XVI) paja mu(XVIII) mwaja
Perfect positive subject concord+ -mekuja "Already" positive subject concord+ -meshakuja "Not yet" negative subject concord+ -jaja "If/When" positive subject concord+ -kija "If not" positive subject concord+ -sipokuja Consecutive kaja/positive subject concord+ -kaja Consecutive subjunctive positive subject concord+ -kaje Object concord —
Relative forms General positive (positive subject concord+ -ja- +relative marker) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -jaye -jao m-mi(III/IV) -jao -jayo ji-ma(V/VI) -jalo -jayo ki-vi(VII/VIII) -jacho -javyo n(IX/X) -jayo -jazo u(XI) -jao seen(X)orma(VI)class ku(XV/XVII) -jako pa(XVI) -japo mu(XVIII) -jamo Other forms (subject concord+tense marker+relative marker+ -kuja) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -yekuja -okuja m-mi(III/IV) -okuja -yokuja ji-ma(V/VI) -lokuja -yokuja ki-vi(VII/VIII) -chokuja -vyokuja n(IX/X) -yokuja -zokuja u(XI) -okuja seen(X)orma(VI)class ku(XV/XVII) -kokuja pa(XVI) -pokuja mu(XVIII) -mokuja
Some forms not commonly seen in modern Standard Swahili are absent from the table. SeeAppendix:Swahili verbsfor more information.

Derived terms

• Verbal derivations:
  • Applicative:-jia

• Nominal derivations:
  • mja(“comer, visitor; male servant”)
  • ujaji(“arrival”)

Swedish

Etymology 1

FromOld Norsejá,fromProto-Germanic*ja.

Pronunciation

Interjection

• IPA^(key):/jɑː/,(Scania)/jaː/,/ja/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

• IPA^(key):/jɑː/,(Scania)/jaː/

Adverb

ja(notcomparable)

1. yes

   Synonyms:japp,jo,sjup

   Antonym:nej

   • (Can wedatethis quote?),traditional (lyrics and music), “I fjol så gick jag med herrarna i hagen[Last year I went with the men in the pasture]”, inSkillingtryck[Broadside ballads]‎^[7],performed byHootenanny Singers:

     I fjol så gick jag med herrarna i hagen.Ja,ja,med herrarna i hagen.Ja,med herrarna i hagen. I år har jag något som sparkar i magen. Aj, aj, som sparkar i magen. Aj, som sparkar i magen.

     Last year I went with the men in the pasture.Yes,yes,with the men in the pasture.Yes,with the men in the pasture. This year I have something that kicks in my belly. Ow, ow, that kicks in my belly. Ow, that kicks in my belly.

Related terms

• aa
• nja
• tja
• jadå
• jaha
• jaja

Noun

jan

1. ayes,anaye;a positive answer or vote

Declension

Declension ofja
	Uncountable
	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	ja	jaet	—	—
Genitive	jas	jaets	—	—

Etymology 2

Seejag.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/jɑː/

Pronoun

ja

1. (colloquial,text messaging)Pronunciation spellingofjag.

References

• jainSvensk ordbok(SO)
• jainSvenska Akademiens ordlista(SAOL)
• jainSvenska Akademiens ordbok(SAOB)

Anagrams

• aj

Tswana

Etymology

FromProto-Bantu*-dɪ́a.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/dʒa/

Verb

go ja(pastjelê)

1. toeat

Re jele bogobe maabane - We ate bogobe yesterday.

Tz'utujil

Alternative forms

• jar

Article

ja

1. the

Upper Sorbian

Etymology

FromProto-Slavic*(j)a,fromProto-Indo-European*éǵh₂.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ja/

Pronoun

ja

1. I

Declension

Upper Sorbian personal pronouns

First person pronouns
	Singular			Dual		Plural
Nominative	ja			mój		my
Genitive	mje (after preposition)mnje			naju		nas
Dative	mi (after preposition)mni			namaj		nam
Accusative	mje (after preposition)mnje			naju		nas
Instrumental	mnu			namaj		nami
Locative	mni					nas
Second person pronouns
	Singular			Dual		Plural
Nominative	ty			wój		wy
Genitive	će (after preposition)tebje			waju		was
Dative	ći (after preposition)tebi			wamaj		wam
Accusative	će (after preposition)tebje			waju		was
Instrumental	tobu			wamaj		wami
Locative	tebi					was
Third person pronouns
	Masculine singular	Feminine singular	Neuter singular	Dual virile	Dual nonvirile	Plural virile	Plural nonvirile
Nominative	wón	wona	wono	wonaj	wonej	woni	wone
Genitive	jeho (after preposition)njeho	jeje (after preposition)njeje	jeho (after preposition)njeho	jeju		jich (after preposition)nich
Dative	jemu (after preposition)njemu	jej (after preposition)njej	jemu (after preposition)njemu	jimaj (after preposition)nimaj		jim (after preposition)nim
Accusative	jón (after preposition)njón (animate)jeho (animate after preposition)njeho	ju (after preposition)nju	jo,je (after preposition)njo,nje	jeju (after preposition)njeju	jej (after preposition)njej	jich (after preposition)nich	je (after preposition)nje
Instrumental	nim	njej	nim	nimaj		nimi
Locative						nich

Further reading

• “ja”in Soblex

Votic

Etymology

FromProto-Finnic*ja.

Pronunciation

• (Luutsa, Liivtšülä)IPA^(key):/ˈjɑ/,[ˈʝɑ]
• Rhymes:-ɑ
• Hyphenation:ja

Conjunction

ja

1. and

   Synonym:i

References

• Hallap, V., Adler, E., Grünberg, S., Leppik, M. (2012) “ja”,inVadja keele sõnaraamat[A dictionary of the Votic language], 2nd edition, Tallinn

West Frisian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ja/,/jaː/

Interjection

ja

1. yes

Derived terms

• jawis

Further reading

• “ja”,inWurdboek fan de Fryske taal(in Dutch),2011

West Makian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/d͡ʒa/

Verb

ja

1. (intransitive)tocry

Conjugation

Conjugation ofja(action verb)
		singular	plural
			inclusive	exclusive
1st person		taja	maja	aja
2nd person		naja	faja
3rd person	inanimate	ija	daja
	animate
imperative		naja,ja	faja,ja

References

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982)The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[8],Pacific linguistics

Ye'kwana

Variant orthographies

ALIV	ja
Brazilian standard	fa
New Tribes	ja

Etymology

FromProto-Cariban*pa(“grandchild”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):[hʷa]

Noun

ja(obligatorily possessed; possessedjadü)

1. grandchild
2. sibling’sgrandchild;grandnepheworgrandniece

References

• Cáceres, Natalia (2011) “ja, jaadi”, inGrammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana‎^[9],Lyon
• Hall, Katherine Lee (1988)The morphosyntax of discourse in De'kwana Carib,volumes I and II, Saint Louis, Missouri: PhD Thesis, Washington University, pages219, 289, 389:“ha:dü 'grandson'[…]----- -ha: -dü 'grandchild'[…]ha:dü - grandchild”
• Hall, Katherine (2007) “hādɨ”,in Mary Ritchie Key & Bernard Comrie, editors,The Intercontinental Dictionary Series‎^[10],Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, published2021
• Monterrey, Nalúa Rosa Silva (2012)Hombres de curiara y mujeres de conuco. Etnografía de los indigenas Ye’kwana de Venezuela,Ciudad Bolívar: Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana, pages62–65, 71, 75:“jaadü, jaa'dü, jua'de”

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Cognate withIgalajà(“to fight”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/d͡ʒà/

Verb

jà

1. (intransitive,reciprocal)tofight,towrestle,tostruggle
2. (intransitive)tooccur,totake place,tobreak out(as in a war or disease)

   Synonym:já

   ogúnjà―Warbroke out

Usage notes

• jabefore a direct object

Derived terms

• ajà(“fighter”)
• jàkadì(“to wrestle”)
• jíjà(“fighting”)
• Ìja(“orisha of hunting”)
• ìjà(“fight, battle”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. (intransitive,transitive)tosnap,tobreak off,tobreak loose

Derived terms

• ìjá

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. (intransitive)tooccur,totake place,tobeginsuddenly(to break out)

   Synonym:jà

   gudugbẹ̀ẹ́já―Calamity hasbroken out

Derived terms

• ajáàmù
• ìjá

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. (intransitive)toringoutlike abell

   etí rẹ̀ ńjá―His ears wereringing out

Derived terms

• ìjá

Etymology 5

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. (heading,intransitive)tofalloff (from some height)

Derived terms

• ìjá
• jábọ́(“to fall down”)

Etymology 6

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. toshinebrightly

   Synonyms:là,bẹ,ha

   òṣùpá já tòò bí ọ̀sán―The moonshined brightlylike the afternoon (sun)

Etymology 7

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. to becomeaware,tocometofullrealization

Derived terms

• já sí

Etymology 8

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. (intransitive)to becomepunctured

   àpò rẹ̀ẹ́já―His pocket hasbecome punctured

Etymology 9

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. (intransitive)to becomesaturatedoroversaturatedwithsomething;to becometoomuchof something

   iyọ̀ ọ́jáọbẹ̀ yìí―Salt hassaturatedthis stew

Derived terms

• ìjá

Etymology 10

Likely cognate withIgalajá(“to harvest”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. (transitive)topluckoff(usually referring to fruit or leaves)

   Synonym:wọ́

Derived terms

• ìjá
• jáwé
• jáwó
• jérèé

Zialo

Noun

ja

1. water

References

• Kirill Vladimirovich Babaev,Zialo: the newly-discovered Mande language of Guinea(2010),page 213

Zou

Verb

ja

1. hear

References

• http://www.languageinindia.com/feb2013/zouphonologyfinal.pdf