ja

Translingual

Symbol

ja

1. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Japanese.

English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Afrikaans ja (“yes”), from Dutch ja (“yes”). More at yea.

Alternative forms

• ya

Adverb

ja (not comparable)

1. (chiefly South 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 the Revised Romanization of Korean 자 (ja).

Alternative forms

• cha

Noun

ja (plural jas or ja)

1. (Korean units of measure) Synonym of Korean foot: a traditional unit of length equivalent to about 30.3 cm.

Anagrams

• AJ

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch ja.

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

From Old High German ja, jā, from Proto-Germanic *ja. Cognate with German ja, Dutch ja, English yea, Swedish ja.

Adverb

ja

1. (Uri) yes

References

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

Assan

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Yeniseian *axʷ (“I”). Compare Kott ai (“I”), Pumpokol ad (“I”), and Arin aj.

Pronoun

ja

1. I (first-person singular subjective)

Synonyms

• aj

Related terms

• ajun

Atong (India)

Etymology

Cognate with Garo ja (“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

Inherited from Latin iam.

Pronunciation

• (Central) IPA^(key): /ˈʒa/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈja/

• 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” in Diccionari 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

From Middle High German ja, from Old High German ja, jā, from Proto-West Germanic *jā, from Proto-Germanic *ja. Cognate with German ja, English yea.

Particle

ja

1. (Sette Comuni) yes

References

• “ja” in Martalar, 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

From Arabic جَاءَ‎ (jāʔa).

Verb

ja (present pijí)

1. to come, to arrive at
2. to derive from
3. to turn out

References

• Borg, Alexander (2004) A Comparative Glossary of Cypriot Maronite Arabic (Arabic–English) (Handbook of Oriental Studies; I.70), Leiden and Boston: Brill, pages 192

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse já (“yes”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja/,
• IPA^(key): /jar/,
• Rhymes: -a

Interjection

ja

1. yes

Antonyms

• nej

Related terms

• jo

Noun

ja n (singular definite jaet, plural indefinite jaer)

1. yes

Inflection

Dimasa

Noun

já

1. foot

Derived terms

• jaga

Dutch

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) jae

Etymology

From Middle Dutch ja, from Old Dutch *jā, from Proto-Germanic *ja.

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /jaː/

Adverb

ja

1. yes

   Wil je met ons meegaan? — Ja, graag!

   Would you like to come with us? — Yes, I'd love to!

Synonyms

• jep

Antonyms

• nee, neen

Derived terms

• ja toch
• jawel

Noun

ja m or n (plural ja's, diminutive jaatje n)

1. yes

   Een ja kan je krijgen, een nee heb je al.

   A yes you can get, a no you already have.

   Het begon met een ja...

   It began with a yes...

Synonyms

• jawoord

Antonyms

• nee

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 from German ja. Compare Polish jo, Yiddish יאָ‎ (yo), English yea. Related to jes.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ja

Adverb

ja

1. indeed
   • 2015, Kalle Kniivilä, “Sopiro al Sovetio [Yearning for the Soviet Union]”, in Krimeo estas nia [Crimea is ours]:

     Sed la bona soveta tempo neniam revenos. Ĝi ja neniam ekzistis.

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

     (literally, “But the good Soviet time will never come back. It indeed never existed.”)

Related terms

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

Estonian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ja, from Proto-Germanic *jahw (“and”); compare Gothic 𐌾𐌰𐌷 (jah), Old High German ja, joh.

Conjunction

ja

1. and

Synonyms

• ning

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse já, from Proto-Germanic *ja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɛaː/

Adverb

ja

1. yes

Antonyms

• nei, neiggj

Related terms

• jú, júgv

Noun

ja n (genitive singular jas, plural ja)

1. yes

Declension

Declension of ja
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

From Proto-Finnic *ja (compare Estonian ja, Ingrian ja, Livonian ja, Votic ja), borrowed from Proto-Germanic *jahw (“and”) (compare Gothic 𐌾𐌰𐌷 (jah), Old High German ja, joh).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjɑ/,

• Audio:

  (file)

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

Conjunction

ja

1. (coordinating) and

   Siellä oli poikia ja tyttöjä. ― There were boys and girls there.

   Menin kotiin ja aloin soittaa pianoa. ― I went home and started playing the piano.

   Iltapalaksi on leipää, juustoa, kinkkua, tomaattia ja maitoa. ― For supper we have bread, cheese, ham, tomato and milk.

   Mies juoksee ja juoksee. ― The man runs and runs.

   Ja sitten alkoi sataa. ― And then it started raining.

   Mene ja tiedä. ― Go figure. (literally, “Go and know.”)

   viisi ja puoli ― five and a half

   ensimmäisen ja viimeisen kerran ― for the first and the last time

Usage notes

• On the differences between ja and sekä:
  • ja can be used more widely than sekä. As an example, sekä may not be used to join two independent clauses.
  • sekä has a nuance of the things being more separate than with ja. If both words are used, ja ties things closer together than sekä.

    mansikka- ja vadelmahillo sekä muut hedelmäsäilykkeet ― strawberry and raspberry jam as well as other fruit preserves

    Vaahdota voi sekä sokeri ja sekoita joukkoon kuivat aineet. ― Cream the butter and sugar, and mix in the dry ingredients.

  • In legal language, ja and sekä are distinguished more clearly. sekä is considered "stronger" than ja. For example, an attribute specified before a list will apply to every item with ja, but not with sekä.

    paineella tyhjennettävät ja täytettävät säiliöt ― containers that can be filled and emptied under pressure = containers that are both filled and emptied under pressure

    paineella tyhjennettävät sekä täytettävät säiliöt ― containers that can be filled and emptied 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 as JA-portti ("AND gate").

Inflection of ja (Kotus type 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 forms of ja (type rosé)

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

References

Further reading

• “ja”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (online dictionary, continuously updated, in Finnish), Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

Garo

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

ja

1. month

Synonyms

• mas

German

Etymology

From Middle High German ja, from Old High German ja, jā (“yes”), from Proto-Germanic *ja (“yes”), from Proto-Indo-European *yē (“already”). Cognate with Bavarian jå (“yes”), Dutch ja (“yes”), English yea (“yes, yea”), Spanish ya (“already”), and Latin iam (“already”). More at yes.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Standard, overall more common)
• IPA^(key): (standard, overall less common)

• audio

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): (Austrian German)
• IPA^(key): (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.

   Aber ja! ― 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 kann ja nicht immer so bleiben. ― It obviously cannot always remain so.

   Der Peter war ja gestern krank. ― Peter was sick yesterday, as you know.

Usage notes

• (yes): Ja is used to indicate agreement with a positive statement. To contradict a negative statement (where English would use “yes”), doch is used instead.
• (obviously): Ja means roughly the same as English obviously or as you know, but given its shortness it is used much more frequently. In colloquial German, ja is 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” in Duden online
• “ja” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Gothic

Romanization

ja

1. Romanization of 𐌾𐌰

Guerrero Amuzgo

Adjective

ja

1. heavy

Pronoun

ja

1. I

Gutnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jaː/,

Etymology 1

From Old Norse ek. Compare Swedish jag.

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

From Old Norse já.

Adverb

ja

1. yes

Usage notes

Uncertain or stalling answer; jo is used for yes-no questions

Related terms

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

Interjection

ja

1. yes

References

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

Hausa

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

jā (feminine jā, plural jājā̀yē)

1. red

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): , (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): ja in Bárczi, Géza and László 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): ja in Bárczi, Géza and László 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 from French déjà, Italian già, Spanish ya, from Latin iam, replacing Esperanto jam which is cognate. Decision no. 987, Progreso VI.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒa/, /d͡ʒa/

Adverb

ja

1. already

   Lu ja dormeskis.

   He/she has already fallen asleep.

Derived terms

• ne ja (“not yet; not even”)

Related terms

• ya

References

• Progreso III (in Ido), 1910–1911, pages 557, 691
• Progreso VI (in Ido), 1913–1914, page 164

Ingrian

Etymology 1

From Proto-Finnic *ja. Cognates include Finnish ja and Estonian ja.

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈjɑ/,
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /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, page 25:

     Kiko ja Miko jo uijuut.

     Kiko and Miko 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 ollaa ja.

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

Synonyms

• kera, i

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Ultimately from a Germanic language, from Proto-Germanic *ja (compare Swedish ja and German ja). Cognates include Finnish jaa and Estonian jah, jaa.

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈjɑ/,
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /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, page 42:

     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, page 99
• Olga I. Konkova; Nikita A. Dyachkov (2014) Inkeroin Keel: Пособие по Ижорскому Языку‎, →ISBN, page 79

Japanese

Romanization

ja

1. Rōmaji transcription of じゃ
2. Rōmaji transcription of ジャ
3. Rōmaji transcription of ぢゃ
4. Rōmaji transcription of ヂャ

Latvian

Pronunciation

Conjunction

ja

1. if
2. in case

Lithuanian

Pronoun

ja f

1. third-person singular instrumental of ji

Lower Sorbian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *(j)a, from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂.

Pronoun

ja sg

1. I

Declension

Lule Sami

Etymology

From Proto-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, Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic يَا‎ (yā).

Pronunciation

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

Particle

ja

1. vocative particle; oh!; you!

   Ja Mulejja! ― Oh my Lord!

   Ja iblah! ― You idiot!

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”.

Maquiritari

Etymology

From Proto-Cariban *pa (“grandchild”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

ja (obligatorily possessed; possessed jadü)

1. grandchild
2. sibling’s grandchild; grandnephew or grandniece

References

• Cáceres, Natalia (2011), “ja”, in Grammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana, Lyon
• Hall, Katherine Lee (1988), “ha:dü”, in The morphosyntax of discourse in De'kwana Carib, volume I and II, Saint Louis, Missouri: PhD Thesis, Washington University, page 289
• Hall, Katherine (2007), “hādɨ”, in Mary Ritchie Key & Bernard Comrie, editors, The Intercontinental Dictionary Series‎, Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, published 2021
• 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, page 62–65, 71, 75

Mbati

Noun

ja

1. drought, famine

References

• LePage, Sarah Gloria (2020) "The phonology of Mbati"‎, 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

From Proto-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, Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

Northern Sotho

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-dɪ́a.

Verb

ja

1. to eat

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse já.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɑː/

• Audio

  (file)

Adverb

ja

1. yes

Antonyms

• nei

Related terms

• jo
• jaja
• jada

Interjection

ja

1. yes

Noun

ja n (definite singular jaet, indefinite plural ja or jaer, definite plural jaa or jaene)

1. yes

References

• “ja” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse já.

Adverb

ja

1. yes

Antonyms

• nei

Related terms

• jo

Interjection

ja

1. yes

Noun

ja n (definite singular jaet, indefinite plural ja, definite plural jaa)

1. yes

References

• “ja” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old French

Etymology

From Latin iam.

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 du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (ja)

Old Polish

Alternative forms

• jaz

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

Proto-Slavic *(j)azъ, from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂. First attested in the 13th century.

Pronoun

ja

1. first-person pronoun; I

Declension

Descendants

• Polish: ja
• Silesian: jŏ

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Interjection

ja

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

References

• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, editor (2011–2015), “ja”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN
• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, editor (2011–2015), “ja”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Pennsylvania German

Alternative forms

• ya

Etymology

Compare German ja, Dutch ja, Swedish ja.

Interjection

ja

1. yes, yeah

Pite Sami

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *jahw (“and”).

Conjunction

ja

1. and

Further reading

• ja in Bidumsáme Báhkogirrje (“Pite Sami word list”)
• Koponen, Eino; Ruppel, Klaas; Aapala, Kirsti, editors (2002–2008) Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎, Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

Pnar

Etymology

From Proto-Khasian *ʤaː. Cognate with Khasi ja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒa/

Noun

ja

1. cooked rice

Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish ja, from Proto-Slavic *(j)azъ, from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂. Doublet of ego.

Pronunciation

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

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: ja

Pronoun

ja

1. first-person pronoun; I

   Ja chcę mieć przyjaciół. ― I want to have friends.

Usage notes

Mute forms ("mię", "mi") cannot be used in accented positions in the sentence. "Mię" is considered dated in standard Polish, but can still be heard commonly in some dialects or in colloquial speech.

Declension

Derived terms

See also

• Appendix:Polish pronouns

Trivia

According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), ja is 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.

References

Further reading

• ja in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• ja in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• “ja”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish], 2010-2023
• “JA”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 04.09.2019
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807-1814), “ja”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861), “ja”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1902), “ja”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 2, Warsaw, page 119

Portuguese

Adverb

ja (not comparable)

1. Obsolete spelling of já

Russenorsk

Etymology

From Russian я (ja). May also be a Russianized form of Danish jeg or Swedish jag.

Pronoun

ja

1. I (pronoun)

Synonyms

• moja

References

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

Rwanda-Rundi

Alternative forms

• -jya (Rwanda)

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gɪ̀a.

Verb

-ja (infinitive kuja, perfective -gīye)

1. (Kirundi) to go to

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *(j)azъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ēź-, from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jâː/

Pronoun

jȃ (Cyrillic spelling ја̑)

1. I

   Ja sam učio. ― I have studied.

Declension

Etymology 2

Borrowed from German ja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jâ/

Adverb

jȁ (Cyrillic spelling ја̏)

1. (colloquial, regional) yes, yeah

Etymology 3

Interjection

ja

1. Archaic form of jao.
   • 1891, Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, Srpske narodne pjesme:

     Ja Ivane, mio pobratime!

     O woe, Ivan, dear blood-brother!

Silesian

Etymology

Borrowed from German ja.

Pronunciation

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

Particle

ja

1. yes

   Antonym: niy

Further reading

• ja in silling.org

Slovak

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *(j)a, from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Pronoun

ja

1. I (first person singular)

Usage notes

• Following prepositions, ma and mi are replaced by mňa and mne respectively.

Declension

Related terms

See also

• ty
• on, ona, ono
• my
• vy
• oni, ony

References

• “ja”, in Slovníkový 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, 2023

Anagrams

• aj

Slovene

Etymology 1

Borrowed from German ja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jàː/, /jáː/

Particle

jā

1. (informal) yes

   Synonym: dȁ

   Antonym: nȅ

Etymology 2

Pronoun

ja

1. (dialectal) Alternative form of jȁz

   Ja sem Slovenec. ― I am Slovenian.

Further reading

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

Sotho

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-dɪ́a.

Verb

ja

1. to eat

Spanish

Pronunciation

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

Interjection

ja

1. representation of laughter, ha

   Also used repeatedly: jaja, jajaja

Derived terms

Further reading

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

Swahili

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-jìja. Compare Zulu -za.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya)

  (file)

Verb

-ja (infinitive kuja)

1. to come
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 see n(X) or ma(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 see n(X) or ma(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 see n(X) or ma(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. See Appendix:Swahili verbs for more information.

Derived terms

• Verbal derivations:
  • Applicative: -jia

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

Swedish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse já, from Proto-Germanic *ja.

Pronunciation

Interjection

• IPA^(key): /jɑː/, (Scania) /jaː/, /ja/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

• IPA^(key): /jɑː/, (Scania) /jaː/

Adverb

ja (not comparable)

1. yes

   Synonyms: japp, jo

   Antonym: nej

Related terms

• nja
• tja
• jadå
• jaha
• jaja

Noun

ja n

1. a yes, an aye; a positive answer or vote

Declension

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

Etymology 2

See jag.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɑː/

Pronoun

ja

1. (colloquial, text messaging) Pronunciation spelling of jag.

Anagrams

• aj

Tswana

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-dɪ́a.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dʒa/

Verb

go ja (past jelê)

1. to eat

Re jele bogobe maabane - We ate bogobe yesterday.

Tz'utujil

Alternative forms

• jar

Article

ja

1. the

Upper Sorbian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *(j)a, from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja/

Pronoun

ja

1. I

Declension

Votic

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ja.

Pronunciation

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

Conjunction

ja

1. and

   Synonym: i

References

• Hallap, V.; Adler, E.; Grünberg, S.; Leppik, M. (2012), “ja”, in Vadja 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”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

West Makian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒa/

Verb

ja

1. (intransitive) to cry

Conjugation

Conjugation of ja (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, Pacific linguistics

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Cognate with Igala jà (“to fight”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒà/

Verb

jà

1. (intransitive, reciprocal) to fight, to wrestle, to struggle
2. (intransitive) to occur, to take place, to break out (as in a war or disease)

   Synonym: já

   ogún jà ― War broke out

Usage notes

• ja before a direct object

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. (intransitive, transitive) to snap, to break off, to break loose

Derived terms

• ìjá

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. (intransitive) to occur, to take place, to begin suddenly (to break out)

   Synonym: jà

   gudugbẹ̀ẹ́ já ― Calamity has broken out

Derived terms

• ajáàmù
• ìjá

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. (intransitive) to ring out like a bell

   etí rẹ̀ ń já ― His ears were ringing out

Derived terms

• ìjá

Etymology 5

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. (heading, intransitive) to fall off (from some height)

Derived terms

• ìjá
• jábọ́ (“to fall down”)

Etymology 6

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. to shine brightly

   Synonyms: là, bẹ, ha

   òṣùpá já tòò bí ọ̀sán ― The moon shined brightly like the afternoon (sun)

Etymology 7

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. to become aware, to come to full realization

Derived terms

• já sí

Etymology 8

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. (intransitive) to become punctured

   àpò rẹ̀ẹ́ já ― His pocket has become punctured

Etymology 9

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. (intransitive) to become saturated or oversaturated with something; to become too much of something

   iyọ̀ ọ́ já ọbẹ̀ yìí ― Salt has saturated this stew

Derived terms

• ìjá

Etymology 10

Likely cognate with Igala já (“to harvest”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒá/

Verb

já

1. (transitive) to pluck off (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