じゃ

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Japanese

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Syllable

じゃ • (ja) 

  1. The hiragana syllable じゃ (ja). Its equivalent in katakana is ジャ (ja).

Etymology 2

Contraction of では (de wa).

Alternative forms

Conjunction

じゃ • (ja) ←ぢや (dya)?

  1. (colloquial) so, then—used for connecting to a reasonable conclusion, supposition

Interjection

じゃ • (ja) ←ぢや (dya)?

  1. well; then; so
  2. by extension from the "so then" meaning: bye, goodbye

Etymology 3

Contraction of である (de aru, “to be, to exist”).

Verb

じゃ • (ja) ←ぢや (dya)?

  1. to be
    わしはわしじゃ。
    Washi wa washi ja.
    I am me.
Usage notes

Variation on the Japanese copula だ (da) used in western Japan, such as in Chūgoku, Shikoku, or Kyūshū; particularly common in Hiroshima. The use of じゃ (ja) is also common in fictional dialogue attributed to archaic characters. In Kansai, じゃ (ja) changed to や (ya) in the late Edo period.

Conjugation
Conjugation of "じゃ" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形) じゃろ
では 		jaro
de wa
Continuative (連用形) じゃっ
で 		ja'
de
Terminal (終止形) じゃ ja
Attributive (連体形) な na
Hypothetical (仮定形) なら nara
Imperative (命令形) - -
Key constructions
Passive - -
Causative - -
Potential - -
Volitional じゃろう jarō
Negative ではない
じゃない¹
でない 		de wa nai
ja nai¹
de nai
Negative continuative ではなくて
じゃなくて¹ 		de wa nakute
ja nakute¹
Formal です desu
Perfective じゃった jatta
Conjunctive で de
Hypothetical conditional ならば naraba
¹ Colloquial contraction

Etymology 4

Kanji reading.

Noun

じゃ • (ja) 

  1. 蛇: generic name for a large snake; a heavy drinker
  2. 邪: a moral wrong; a bad attitude; maliciousness, wickedness; such a person
  3. 麝: short for 麝香 (jakō, “musk”); short for 麝香鹿 (jakōjika, “musk deer”)
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