ia

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ia"

Languages (45)

Translingual

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Aromanian • Bariai • Basque • Bola • Choctaw • Chuukese • Dutch • Esperanto • Fijian • Finnish • Galician • Garo • German • Hawaiian • Hiri Motu • Indonesian • Jarai • Lindu • Macanese • Makasar • Malasanga • Malay • Mandar • Māori • Middle French • Niuean • Old English • Otomaco • Piaroa • Portuguese • Rapa Nui • Romanian • Romansh • Samoan • Sranan Tongo • Taparita • Tok Pisin • Tokelauan • Tolai • Uneapa • Vandalic • Waigeo • Welsh • West Makian

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Page categories

Translingual

Etymology

Abbreviation of English Interlingua or Interlingua interlingua.

Symbol

ia

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

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Interlingua terms

Aromanian

Pronoun

ia f

1. alternative form of ea

Bariai

Noun

ia

1. fish

References

• Steve Gallagher, Peirce Baehr, Bariai Grammar Sketch (2005)

Basque

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin iam.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ia/ [i.a]
• Rhymes: -ia, -a
• Hyphenation: i‧a

Adverb

ia (not comparable)

1. almost

Bola

Pronoun

ia

1. third person singular

See also

Bola personal pronouns

Number	Person		Free	Subject proclitic	Object Suffix	Oblique
Singular	1st		iau	a	free pronoun	nau
	2nd		ioe	o		vomu
	3rd		ia	i	-a	vona
Dual	1st	Exclusive	maria	miri	free pronoun	ne + free pronoun
		Inclusive	tarua	tu
	2nd		marua	muru
	3rd		rua	ru
Paucal	1st	Exclusive	mateu	mete
		Inclusive	teu	te
	2nd		matou	moto
	3rd		tou	to
Plural	1st	Exclusive	mia	mi
		Inclusive	hita	si
	2nd		mua	mu
	3rd		ria	ri

Choctaw

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Muskogean [Term?]. Cognate with Alabama aɬɬa, Chickasaw aiya, Creek a'yetv, Koasati aththa. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

ia (dual ittiachi, plural ilhkoli)

1. To go.

Derived terms

• akka ia
• ant ia
• ata̱klʋt ia
• awant ia
• chukka ia
• falamʋt ia
• isht ia
• issʋt ia
• ittillaui hosh ia
• misha ia
• na ia
• nusit ia
• ont ia
• ti̱kba ia
• tikba ia
• ʋba ia

References

• “ia”, in The Choctaw Dictionary, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Chuukese

Adverb

ia

1. where

Dutch

Etymology

Onomatopoeic

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Interjection

ia

1. hee-haw

Derived terms

• iaën

Esperanto

Etymology

Etymology tree

Esperanto i-

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂

Proto-Italic *-ā

Latin -ader.

▲

Latin -a

Italian -ader.

▲

Latin -a

Old Spanish -a

Spanish -ader.

Esperanto -a

Esperanto ia

From i- (indeterminate correlative prefix) + -a (correlative suffix of kind).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈia/

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Audio 3:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ia
• Syllabification: i‧a

Determiner

ia (plural iaj, accusative singular ian, accusative plural iajn)

1. some kind of (indeterminate correlative of kind)

Derived terms

• ia ajn (“any kind of”)
• iasence

See also

Esperanto correlatives

		interrogative	demonstrative	indefinite	universal	negative
		ki-	ti-	i-	ĉi-	neni-
kind of, sort of	-a	kia	tia	ia	ĉia	nenia
reason	-al	kial	tial	ial	ĉial	nenial
time	-am	kiam	tiam	iam	ĉiam	neniam
place	-e	kie	tie	ie	ĉie	nenie
motion	-en	kien	tien	ien	ĉien	nenien
manner	-el	kiel	tiel	iel	ĉiel	neniel
possessive	-es	kies	ties	ies	ĉies	nenies
demonstrative pronoun	-o	kio	tio	io	ĉio	nenio
amount	-om	kiom	tiom	iom	ĉiom	neniom
demonstrative determiner	-u	kiu	tiu	iu	ĉiu	neniu

Further reading

• “ia”, in Plena Ilustrita Vortaro de Esperanto [Complete Illustrated Dictionary of Esperanto], 2020, →ISBN
• “ia”, in Reta Vortaro [Online Dictionary] (in Esperanto), 1997-2026

Fijian

Etymology

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

Conjunction

ia

1. but, however

   Synonyms: ga, ia ka

   Au via lako ia sa sega ni rawa.

   I want to go but it is not possible.

Derived terms

• ia ka (“but, however”)

References

• Gatty, Ronald (2009), “ia”, in Fijian–English Dictionary‎^[1], Suva, Fiji: Ronald Gatty, →ISBN, page 92

Finnish

Conjunction

ia

1. obsolete spelling of ja

Anagrams

• ai

Galician

Verb

ia

1. (reintegrationist norm) first/third-person singular imperfect indicative of ir

Garo

Etymology

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

Pronoun

ia (combining form i-, plural iarang)

1. this

Declension

Garo determiners

case	proximal		distal
	singular “this”	plural “these”	singular “that”	plural “those”
nominative	ia	iarang	ua	uarang
accusative	iako	iarangko	uako	uarangko
dative	iana	iarangna	uana	uarangna
genitive	iani	iarangni	uani	uarangni
instrumental	iachi	iarangchi	uachi	uarangchi
locative	iano	iarango	uano	uarango
augmenting locative	ianoni, ianona, iachini, iachina, ianoniko, iachiniko	iarangoni, iarangona, iarangchini, iarangchina, iarangoniko, iarangchiniko	uanoni, uanona, uachini, uachina, uanoniko, uachiniko	uarangoni, uarangona, uarangchini, uarangchina, uarangoniko, uarangchiniko

German

Alternative forms

• iah
• yah (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Interjection

ia

1. hee-haw (cry of an ass or donkey)

Hawaiian

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *ia, from Proto-Central Pacific *ia, from Proto-Oceanic *ia, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *ia, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *ia, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(si-)ia, from Proto-Austronesian *(si-)ia. Cognates include Māori ia and Samoan ia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈi.a/, [ˈi.jə]

Determiner

ia

1. this, that

Pronoun

ia

1. he, she, it (third person singular pronoun)

Derived terms

• ʻo ia

See also

Hawaiian personal pronouns

	singular	dual	plural
1st person	au, wau	māua (exclusive) kāua (inclusive)	mākou (exclusive) kākou (inclusive)
2nd person	ʻoe	ʻolua	ʻoukou
3rd person	ia, ʻo ia	lāua	lākou

Particle

ia

1. obsolete spelling of ʻia, iā, and iʻa

Hiri Motu

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(si-)ia, from Proto-Austronesian *(si-)ia.

Pronoun

ia

1. third-person singular pronoun: he/she/it, him/her/it

See also

Hiri Motu personal pronouns

			singular	plural
1st person			lau	ai (exclusive) ita (inclusive)
2nd person			oi	umui
3rd person			ia	idia

Indonesian

Etymology

From Proto-Malayic *ia, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(si-)ia, from Proto-Austronesian *(si-)ia. Compare Māori ia, Tagalog siya.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈia̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

Pronoun

ia

1. they / he / she / it (genderless third person pronoun)

   Ia mengajarkan muridnya di sekolah.

   They taught his students at school.

2. it (used to refer to a non-human living thing)

   Burung bisa terbang karena ia mempunyai sayap.

   A bird can fly because it has wings

Synonyms

• dia
• beliau

Jarai

ia

Etymology

From Proto-Chamic *ʔiar, from Proto-Malayo-Chamic *air, from Proto-Malayo-Sumbawan *wair, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ia/

Noun

ia

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

• Joshua Jensen, Jarai Clauses and Noun Phrases: Syntactic Structures (2014, →ISBN)

Lindu

Pronoun

ia

1. he; she; they (singular)

Macanese

Alternative forms

• iá (stressed)

Etymology

Possibly from Malay ya.

Particle

ia

1. particle emphasizing an imminent action

   Azinha vai casa-ia, logo cai chuva ― Let's get home quickly, it's going to rain

   Iou tâ vâi-ia! ― Be right there!

   Dessâ vai-ia! ― Let it be!

   Tâ fêde-ia ― She's pregnant now

   Pacência-iá. ― Be patient.

   Já têm-ia! ― I've got it!

   Más bôm trabalâ-ia manejante têm aqui! ― We'd better get to work, the boss is here!

Usage notes

• Usually appended at the end of another word (regardless of part of speech), connected with a hyphen.

References

• https://www.macaneselibrary.org/pub/english/uipatua.htm

Makasar

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ia.

Pronoun

ia (Lontara spelling ᨕᨗᨐ or 𑻱𑻳𑻬)

1. he, she, it, they (third person)

See also

Makasar free and bound pronouns

	independent	absolutive	nominative	possessive
1st sg / 1st pl exclusive	nakke	-a'	ku-	-ku
1st pl exclusive (archaic)	kambe	-kang	ki-	-mang
1st pl inclusive / 2nd sg polite	katte	-ki'	ki-	-ta
2nd sg / pl familiar	kau	-ko	nu-	-nu
3rd sg / pl	ia	-i	na-	-na

Malasanga

Etymology

Proto-Austronesian *Sikan.

Noun

ia

1. fish

Further reading

• Ross, Malcolm (1988), Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian Languages of Western Melanesia (Pacific Linguistics; C-98)‎^[2], Canberra, ACT: Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University (ia)
• John Carter, Katie Carter, John Grummitt, Bonnie MacKenzie, Janell Masters, A Sociolinguistic Survey of the Mur Village Vernaculars (2012) (iə)

Malay

Alternative forms

• (Etymology 2): iya

Pronunciation

• (Southern Peninsular Malaysia Standard) IPA^(key): [i.jə]

  • Audio (Malaysia):

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -iə, -ə
• (Literary Standard) IPA^(key): [i.ja]

  • Audio (Malaysia):

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -ia, -a
• Hyphenation: i‧a

Etymology 1

From Proto-Malayic *ia, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(si-)ia, from Proto-Austronesian *(si-)ia.

Pronoun

ia (Jawi spelling اي, cliticized form -nya)

1. Genderless third person pronoun; he, she, they.

   Ia merupakan Perdana Menteri Kanada.

   He is the Prime Minister of Canada.

2. Pronoun for something that is being discussed; it.

   Benda yang paling mengejutkan tentang universiti ini ialah bahawa ia sudah wujud untuk lebih daripada 500 tahun.

   The most surprising thing about this university is that it has existed for more than 500 years.

Derived terms

Affixations

• ialah

See also

Malay personal pronouns

	Singular	Plural
1st person	saya1 aku3	kita4 kami2 & 5 kita orang3 & 5
2nd person	awak1 anda2 awda8 (eng)kau3 kamu3	(2nd person) + semua6 kalian2 (eng)kau orang3
3rd person	dia ia beliau7 -nya2	mereka2 dia orang3

¹ Polite.
² Formal.
³ Informal.
⁴ Includes the listener (inclusive).
⁵ Excludes the listener (exclusive).
⁶ Formality depends on the second person pronoun used.
⁷ Honorific.
⁸ Formal (Brunei).

Notes:

• This table mostly only shows personal pronouns that are commonly used in the standard language and within the Klang Valley area.
• The second person pronouns are often replaced by kinship terms, titles, or the like.
• The enclitic -nya is only used obliquely (as an object or possessor).
• The second person pronoun kamu is usually only used when speaking with younger speakers.

See each entry for more information.

Etymology 2

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

Interjection

ia (Jawi spelling اي)

1. Used to express affirmation; yes.

   Synonyms: ya, haah (informal)

   Antonyms: tak, tidak, bukan

   Ia, itulah jawapan saya.

   Yes, that is my answer.

Derived terms

Affixations

• beria
• beria-ia
• iakan
• mengia
• pengiaan
• seia

Further reading

• "ia" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017
  (also see "ia" at PRPM first version)

Mandar

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(si-)ia, from Proto-Austronesian *(si-)ia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ia/

Pronoun

ia

1. (Genderless third person singular pronoun) he, she, it, they

References

• Nadia Almira Sagitta (2016), Kamus Mandar-Indonesia‎^[3], page 14

Māori

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *ia, from Proto-Central Pacific *ia, from Proto-Oceanic *ia, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *ia, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *ia, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(si-)ia, from Proto-Austronesian *(si-)ia. Cognates include Hawaiian ia and Samoan ia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈia/ [ˈiɐ]

Pronoun

ia

1. he / she / it (third person singular pronoun)

   I titiro ia ki te kurī.

   S/he looked at the dog.

See also

Māori personal pronouns

			singular	dual	plural
1st person			au, ahau	māua (exclusive) tāua (inclusive)	mātou (exclusive) tātou (inclusive)
2nd person			koe	kōrua	koutou
3rd person			ia	rāua	rātou

Middle French

Alternative forms

• ja

Etymology

From Old French ja, from Latin iam.

Adverb

ia

1. already
   • 1488, Jean Dupré, Lancelot du Lac, page 61:

     le Roi Artus estoit ia couché

     King Arthur was already in bed

Descendants

• French: jà (obsolete)

Niuean

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *ia, from Proto-Oceanic *ia, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *ia, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *ia, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(si-)ia, from Proto-Austronesian *(si-)ia.

Pronoun

ia

1. he, she, it

See also

Niuean personal pronouns

			singular	dual	plural
1st person			au	maua (exclusive) taua (inclusive)	mautolu (exclusive) tautolu (inclusive)
2nd person			koe	mua	mutolu
3rd person			ia	laua	lautolu

References

• Wolfgang B. Sperlich, editor (1997), Tohi Vagahau Niue—Niue Language Dictionary‎^[4], Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, →ISBN, page 130

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɑː/

Adverb

iā

1. alternative form of ġēa

Otomaco

Etymology

Compare Taparita ia.

Noun

ia

1. water

References

• Tierra Firme (other copy)

Piaroa

Noun

ia

1. clipping of ahiia

References

• A. Ernst, Upper Orinoco Vocabularies

Portuguese

Etymology

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈi.ɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈi.ɐ/

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iɐ
• Hyphenation: i‧a

Verb

ia

1. first/third-person singular imperfect indicative of ir
2. (informal) alternative form of iria

Rapa Nui

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *ia, from Proto-Oceanic *ia, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *ia, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *ia, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(si-)ia, from Proto-Austronesian *(si-)ia.

Pronoun

ia

1. he, she

See also

Rapa Nui personal pronouns

independent	singular	dual	plural
1st person	au	māua (exclusive) tāua (inclusive)	mātou (exclusive) tātou (inclusive)
2nd person	koe	kōrua
3rd person	ia	rāua

Romanian

Alternative forms

• i- — colloquial

Etymology

Perhaps from one of several similar words in neighboring languages, or perhaps from iacă. Alternatively, perhaps a spontaneous creation of expression.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a
• Homophone: ea

Interjection

ia

1. used to attract attention to the speaker; well, now, now then

Related terms

• iacă
• iată

Verb

ia

1. inflection of lua:
   1. third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. third-person plural present subjunctive
   3. second-person singular imperative

Romansh

Pronoun

ia (Surmiran)

1. alternative form of jau (“I”)

Samoan

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *ia, from Proto-Oceanic *ia, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *ia, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(si-)ia, from Proto-Austronesian *(si-)ia.

Pronoun

ia

1. he, she

   E fanau mai e ia le tama tane, e te faaigoa foi ia te ia o Iesu; aua e faaola e ia lona nuu ai a latou agasala.

   And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

See also

Samoan personal pronouns

			singular	dual	plural
1st person			aʻu, ʻou	māʻua, mā (exclusive) tāʻua, tā (inclusive)	mātou (exclusive) tātou (inclusive)
2nd person			ʻoe, ʻe	ʻoulua	ʻoutou, tou
3rd person			ia, na	lāʻua	lātou

Particle

ia

1. Precedes a name to mark it as a direct object

References

• Milner, G.B. (1993), Samoan Dictionary, Auckland: Polynesian Press, →ISBN, page 81

Sranan Tongo

Adverb

ia

1. obsolete form of dya

Taparita

Etymology

Compare Otomaco ia.

Noun

ia

1. water

References

• Tierra Firme (other copy)

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English ear.

Noun

ia

1. (anatomy) ear

Synonyms

• yau

Tokelauan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈi.a]
• Hyphenation: i‧a

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *ia. Cognates include Hawaiian ia and Samoan ia.

Pronoun

ia

1. he, she

See also

Tokelauan personal pronouns

independent	singular	dual		plural
		long	short
1st person (exclusive)	au, kita1	ki māua	ki mā	ki mātou
1st person (inclusive)	―	ki tāua	ki tā	ki tātou
2nd person	koe	koulua		koutou
3rd person	ia	ki lāua	ki lā	ki lātou
agentive clitic	singular	dual		plural
1st person (exclusive)	kō	ki mā		ki mātou
1st person (inclusive)	―	ki tā		ki tātou
2nd person	kē	koulua		koutou
3rd person	ia	ki lā		ki lātou

¹⁾ Sympathetic
Pronouns preceded by ki may drop this preposition when in a possessive phrase.

Article

ia

1. The personal article.
   • 1948, Tūlāfono fakavae a Tokelau [Constitution of Tokelau]‎^[5], page 1:

     Ko kimatou, ia tagata o Tokelau, e takutino

     We, the people of Tokelau, say openly

Usage notes

• Used before a personal pronoun, proper noun, human collective, natural disaster or subject of a numeral not preceded by a preposition.

Derived terms

• ia te

See also

Tokelauan articles

impersonal
	singular	plural
definite	te	nā
indefinite	he	ni
personal
	nominal	pronominal
simple	ia
after i/ki	a	a te
after mai	ia te

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *ia. Cognates include Māori ia and Samoan ia.

Particle

ia

1. Emphasises the preceding noun.

Interjection

ia

1. Used to attract attention; hey, oi
2. Used to introduce a new topic; so, anyway

References

• R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎^[6], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 26

Tolai

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *ia, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *ia, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *ia, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(si-)ia, from Proto-Austronesian *(si-)ia.

Pronoun

ia

1. Third-person singular pronoun: he, him; she, her

Declension

Tolai personal pronouns

	singular	dual	paucal	plural
1st person exclusive	iau	amir mir	amital mital	avet ave1
1st person inclusive	-	dor	datal	dat da1
2nd person	u	amur mur	amutal mutal	avat ava1
3rd person	ia i	dir di	dital	diat dia1

¹⁾ The plural pronouns lose the final -t when preceding a verb.

Uneapa

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *ia, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(si-)ia, from Proto-Austronesian *(si-)ia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ia/

Pronoun

ia

1. he
2. she
3. it

Further reading

• Terry Crowley et al, The Oceanic Languages (2013), page 365

Vandalic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *jahw, cognate with Gothic 𐌾𐌰𐌷 (jah), Old English ġe.

Conjunction

ia

1. and
   • c390, De conviviis barbaris

     Inter eils Gothicum scapia matzia ia drincan / non audet quisquam dignos educere versus.

     Between the Gothic [cries] “Hail” and “Let’s get [something to] eat and drink” / nobody dares to put forth decent verses.

Waigeo

Pronoun

ia

1. third person singular animate subject pronoun: he, she

References

• Arnold, Laura (2018), Grammar of Ambel, an Austronesian language of Raja Ampat, west New Guinea (PhD thesis)‎^[7]

Welsh

Etymology

From ie with the unstressed final vowel lowered from /ɛ/ to /a/, a feature of north-west Walian speech.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈiː.a/, /ja/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːa

Particle

ia

1. (North Wales, colloquial) yes, aye

   Synonym: ie

   Antonyms: naci, nage

   Fo ’di dy dad di? Ia, dyna fo.

   Is he your dad? Yes, that’s him.

2. (North Wales, colloquial) interrogative particle (used sentence-finally when a non-verbal element is fronted for emphasis)

   Synonym: ife

   Fo ’di dy dad, ia?

   He’s your dad, is he?

Usage notes

• Used to reply to questions or statements with a non-verbal element fronted for emphasis. For a regular unemphatic verb-initial question or statement, other words of agreement are employed.
• Used in this way, the characteristically colloquial northern. In the standard and colloquial southern language, ie is the preferred form.
• When used sentence-finally in the north, it follows a sentene containing a non-verbal element fronted for emphasis. The equivalent southern particle is ife.

References

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “ia”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

West Makian

Etymology

Compare Ternate gia, Sahu giama.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈi.a/

Noun

ia

1. hand

   Synonyms: kamma, (polite) joujou

References

• James Collins (1982), Further Notes Towards a West Makian Vocabulary‎^[8], Pacific linguistics
• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982), The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[9], Pacific linguistics