ja

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Translingual

Symbol

ja

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

See also

English

Etymology 1

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

Alternative forms

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

Etymology 2

From the Revised Romanization of Korean (ja).

Alternative forms

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

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch ja.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /jaː/
  • Audio:(file)

Adverb

ja

  1. yes

Descendants

  • English: ja
  • Portuguese: , , ya

Alemannic German

Alternative forms

Etymology

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

Adverb

ja

  1. (Uri) yes

References

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

Atong (India)

Etymology

Cognate with Garo ja (moon, month).

Noun

ja

  1. month
  2. moon

References

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin iam.

Pronunciation

Adverb

ja

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

Derived terms

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

Numeral

ja

  1. one

Synonyms

Champenois

Alternative forms

Etymology

Inherited from Old French jai, from Late Latin gaius.

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /ʒɑ/

Noun

ja m (plural jas)

  1. jay

References

  • Daunay, Jean (1998) Parlers de Champagne : Pour un classement thématique du vocabulaire des anciens parlers de Champagne (Aube - Marne - Haute-Marne) (in French), Rumilly-lés-Vaudes
  • Baudoin, Alphonse (1885) Glossaire de la forêt de Clairvaux (in French), Troyes

Cimbrian

Etymology

From Middle High German ja, from Old High German ja, , 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 I (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, page 192

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse (yes).

Pronunciation

Interjection

ja

  1. yes

Antonyms

Noun

ja n (singular definite jaet, plural indefinite jaer)

  1. yes

Inflection

Dimasa

Noun

  1. foot

Derived terms

Dutch

Alternative forms

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

Noun

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

  1. yes
    Synonym: jawoord
    Antonym: nee
    Nee heb je al, ja kan 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 een ja...It began with a yes...

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
  • Indonesian: ya
  • Malay: ya
  • Berbice Creole Dutch: ja
  • Jersey Dutch:
  • 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

Adverb

ja

  1. emphatic particle; indeed, certainly, surely, after all
    • 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. After all, they never existed.
      (literally, “But the good Soviet time will never come again. It indeed never existed.”)

Usage notes

The word ja emphasizes 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 with ne or a correlative starting in neni-, usually with ja placed in front of it.

Derived terms

  • do (therefore, indeed, so)
  • ekzakte (exactly)
  • fakte (in fact)
  • ĝuste (just, right, 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

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse , from Proto-Germanic *ja.

Pronunciation

Adverb

ja

  1. yes

Antonyms

Noun

ja n (genitive singular jas, plural ja)

  1. yes

Declension

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).[1]

Pronunciation

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 puolifive and a half
    ensimmäisen ja viimeisen kerranfor 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.
      Vaahdota voi sekä sokeri ja sekoita joukkoon kuivat aineet.Cream the butter and sugar, and mix in the dry ingredients.
    • 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 hedelmäsäilykkeetstrawberry and raspberry jam as well as other fruit preserves
    • 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 säiliötcontainers that can be filled and emptied under pressure = containers that are both filled and emptied under pressure
      paineella tyhjennettävät sekä täytettävät säiliötcontainers 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 (Kotus type 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

Derived terms

compounds

References

  1. ^ Häkkinen, Kaisa (2004) Nykysuomen etymologinen sanakirja [Modern Finnish Etymological Dictionary] (in Finnish), Juva: WSOY, →ISBN

Further reading

  • ja”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

Franco-Provençal

Etymology

Inherited from Latin iam.

Adverb

ja (ORB, broad)

  1. already

References

  • déjà in DicoFranPro: Dictionnaire Français/Francoprovençal – on dicofranpro.llm.umontreal.ca
  • ja in Lo trèsor Arpitan – on arpitan.eu

Garo

Etymology

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

Noun

ja

  1. month

Synonyms

German

Etymology

From Middle High German ja, from Old High German ja, jā (yes), from Proto-Germanic *ja (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

Derived terms

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

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 .

Adverb

ja

  1. yes
Usage notes

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

  • (used for yes-no questions) jo, (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

Adjective

(feminine , 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 déjàItalian giàSpanish ya, from Latin iam, replacing Esperanto jam which is cognate. Decision no. 987, Progreso VI.

Pronunciation

Adverb

ja

  1. already
    Lu ja dormeskis.
    He/she has already fallen asleep.

Derived terms

  • ne ja (not yet; not even)

References

  • Progreso III (in Ido), 1910–1911, page 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

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

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
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

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
Antonyms

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. The hiragana syllable じゃ (ja) or the katakana syllable ジャ (ja) in Hepburn romanization.
  2. The hiragana syllable ぢゃ (ja) or the katakana syllable ヂャ (ja) in Hepburn romanization.

Kashubian

Etymology

Borrowed from German ja.

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”, in Kashubian Language in Canada, the USA and New Zealand; Lexical Interferences in Kashubian Language in Canada, the USA and New Zealand, Zómk Zôbòrsczi, →ISBN

Latvian

Pronunciation

This entry needs an audio pronunciation. If you are a native speaker with a microphone, please record this word. The recorded pronunciation will appear here when it's ready.

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 ().

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”.

Mbati

Noun

ja

  1. drought, famine

References

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

North Frisian

Etymology

Compare West Frisian hja.

Pronunciation

Pronoun

ja

  1. third-person plural personal pronoun
    1. (Mooring, Sylt) they (subject case)
    2. (Mooring) them, themselves (object case)

Alternative forms

See also

Northern Sami

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *jahw (and).

Pronunciation

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 .

Pronunciation

Adverb

ja

  1. yes

Antonyms

Interjection

ja

  1. yes

Noun

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

  1. yes

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse .

Adverb

ja

  1. yes

Antonyms

Interjection

ja

  1. yes

Usage notes

Depending on context, may be pronounced by some speakers through inhaling, like Northern Swedish inhaling jo (although not making the same sound as the Swedish one).

Noun

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

  1. yes

References

Old French

Etymology

From Latin iam.

Pronunciation

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 IXe au XVe siècle (1881) (ja)

Old Polish

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *(j)azъ. First attested in the 13th century.

Pronoun

ja

  1. first-person pronoun; I
Declension
Alternative forms
Descendants

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, 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”, in Słownik 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”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Pennsylvania German

Alternative forms

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

Noun

ja

  1. cooked rice

Polish

Pronunciation

 
  • Audio 1:(file)
  • Audio 2:(file)
  • Audio 3:(file)
  • Rhymes: -a
  • Syllabification: ja

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Polish ja. Doublet of ego.

Pronoun

ja

  1. first-person pronoun; I
    Ja chcę mieć przyjaciół.I want to have friends.
Usage notes

The mute forms mię and 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
noun
particle

See also

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.[1]

Etymology 2

See jo.

Particle

ja

  1. (Żywiec) Alternative form of jo

References

  1. ^ Ida Kurcz (1990) “ja”, in Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej [Frequency dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), volume 1, Kraków, Warszawa: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Języka Polskiego, page 159

Further reading

  • ja in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • ja in Polish dictionaries at PWN
  • Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “ja”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
  • JA”, in Elektroniczny 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”, 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
  • Leon Rzeszowski (1891) “ja”, in “Spis wyrazów ludowych z okolic Żywca”, in Sprawozdania Komisyi Językowej Akademii Umiejętności, volume 4, Krakow: Drukarnia Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, page 356

Portuguese

Adverb

ja (not comparable)

  1. Obsolete spelling of .

Russenorsk

Etymology

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

Pronoun

ja

  1. I (pronoun)

Synonyms

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

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

This entry needs an audio pronunciation. If you are a native speaker with a microphone, please record this word. The recorded pronunciation will appear here when it's ready.

Pronoun

(Cyrillic spelling ја̑)

  1. I
    Ja sam učio.I have studied.
Declension

Etymology 2

Borrowed from German ja.

Pronunciation

Adverb

(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

Pronoun

ja

  1. I

Usage notes

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

Declension

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, 2003–2024

Anagrams

Slovene

Etymology 1

Borrowed from German ja.

Pronunciation

Particle

  1. (informal) yes
    Synonym:
    Antonym:

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 (in Slovene), 2014–2024

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

Swahili

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

Swedish

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Etymology 1

From Old Norse , 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, sjup
    Antonym: nej
    • (Can we date this quote?), traditional (lyrics and music), “I fjol så gick jag med herrarna i hagen [Last year I went with the men in the pasture]”, in Skillingtryck [Broadside ballads]‎, performed by Hootenanny 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.

Noun

ja n

  1. a yes, an aye; a positive answer or vote
Declension
Declension of ja
nominative genitive
singular indefinite ja jas
definite jaet jaets
plural indefinite
definite

Etymology 2

See jag.

Pronunciation

Pronoun

ja

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

References

Anagrams

Tswana

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-dɪ́a.

Pronunciation

Verb

go ja (past jelê)

  1. to eat

Re jele bogobe maabane - We ate bogobe yesterday.

Tz'utujil

Alternative forms

Article

ja

  1. the

Upper Sorbian

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

Pronoun

ja

  1. I

Declension

Further reading

  • ja” in Soblex

Votic

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ja.

Pronunciation

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

Interjection

ja

  1. yes

Derived terms

Further reading

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

West Makian

Pronunciation

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

Ye'kwana

Variant orthographies
ALIV ja
Brazilian standard fa
New Tribes ja

Etymology

From Proto-Cariban *pa (grandchild).

Pronunciation

Noun

ja (obligatorily possessed; possessed jadü)

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

References

  • Cáceres, Natalia (2011) “ja, jaadi”, in Grammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana, Lyon
  • Hall, Katherine Lee (1988) The morphosyntax of discourse in De'kwana Carib, volumes I and II, Saint Louis, Missouri: PhD Thesis, Washington University, pages 219, 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, 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, pages 62–65, 71, 75:jaadü, jaa'dü, jua'de

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Cognate with Igala (to fight)

Pronunciation

Verb

  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:
    ogún War broke out
Usage notes
  • ja before a direct object
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Verb

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

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

Verb

  1. (intransitive) to occur, to take place, to begin suddenly (to break out)
    Synonym:
    gudugbẹ̀ẹ́ Calamity has broken out
Derived terms

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

Verb

  1. (intransitive) to ring out like a bell
    etí rẹ̀ ń His ears were ringing out
Derived terms

Etymology 5

Pronunciation

Verb

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

Etymology 6

Pronunciation

Verb

  1. to shine brightly
    Synonyms: , bẹ, ha
    òṣùpá já tòò bí ọ̀sánThe moon shined brightly like the afternoon (sun)

Etymology 7

Pronunciation

Verb

  1. to become aware, to come to full realization
Derived terms

Etymology 8

Pronunciation

Verb

  1. (intransitive) to become punctured
    àpò rẹ̀ẹ́ His pocket has become punctured

Etymology 9

Pronunciation

Verb

  1. (intransitive) to become saturated or oversaturated with something; to become too much of something
    iyọ̀ ọ́ ọbẹ̀ yìíSalt has saturated this stew
Derived terms

Etymology 10

Likely cognate with Igala (to harvest)

Pronunciation

Verb

  1. (transitive) to pluck off (usually referring to fruit or leaves)
    Synonym: wọ́
Derived terms

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