ja

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ja"

Languages (75)

Translingual • English

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Achang • Afrikaans • Alemannic German • Anambé • Atong (India) • Catalan • Central Melanau • Champenois • Cimbrian • Cypriot Arabic • Danish • Dimasa • Dutch • Esperanto • Estonian • Faroese • Finnish • Franco-Provençal • Garo • German • Gothic • Guerrero Amuzgo • Gutnish • Hausa • Hungarian • Ido • Ikizu • Ingrian • Japanese • Kashubian • Kwanyama • Latvian • Lithuanian • Livonian • Lower Sorbian • Lule Sami • Maltese • Mbati • Ngarla • North Frisian • Northern Sami • Northern Sotho • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Old French • Old Polish • Old Saxon • 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 Flemish • West Frisian • West Makian • Yao (Africa) • Ye'kwana • Yoruba • Zialo

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Page categories

Translingual

Etymology

Clipping of English Japanese.

Symbol

ja

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

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Japanese terms

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

Achang

Pronunciation

• (Myanmar) /dʒa˧/

Noun

ja

1. kind, type, sort

   oeng dvja

   a kind of fish

   oeng xing ja

   a kind of long fish

Further reading

• Inglis, Douglas; Sampu, Nasaw; Jaseng, Wilai; Jana, Thocha (2005), A preliminary Ngochang–Kachin–English Lexicon‎^[3], Payap University, page 44

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. yes

References

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

Anambé

Pronoun

ja

1. I (first person singular)

References

• Maria Risolêta Silva Julião, L'expression de personne en Anambé du Cairari (2010)

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

• (Eastern) IPA^(key): [ʒa], [ja]
• (Western) IPA^(key): [ja], [d͡ʒa]

• Audio (Catalonia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a

Adverb

ja

1. already, (in negative sentences) any more

   El va conèixer quan ja era casat. ― She met him when he was already married.

2. (before a verb in the present tense) now, immediately, at once

   Ja arribem a casa. ― We'll be right home.

3. (before a verb in the future tense) confidence in the outcome

   Ja veuràs com guanyarem. ― You will see how we'll win.

4. (before a verb) affirmative concession or ponderance

   Entesos, ja ho entenc. ― Understood, I do understand

   Ja m’agradaria que fos així. ― I would like it to be like that.

Usage notes

• ÉsAdir accepts both [ʒa] and [ja] in Central Catalan and both [d͡ʒa] and [ja] in Northwestern Catalan. The same applies to jo.
• DNV accepts [ja] in Valencian.

Derived terms

• ja n'hi ha prou
• ja que

Further reading

• “ja”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “ja”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “ja” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “ja”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)
• ÉsAdir - Fonètica: les paraules "jo" i "ja"

Central Melanau

Central Melanau cardinal numbers

<  0	1	2  >
Cardinal : ja

Alternative forms

• je-

Numeral

ja

1. one

Synonyms

• satu

Champenois

Alternative forms

• jaque

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)‎^[4] (in French), Rumilly-lés-Vaudes
• Baudoin, Alphonse (1885), Glossaire de la forêt de Clairvaux‎^[5] (in French), Troyes

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

Inherited 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 já (“yes”).

Pronunciation

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

Interjection

ja

1. yes

Antonyms

• nej

Related terms

• jo

Noun

ja n (singular definite jaet, plural indefinite jaer)

1. yes

Inflection

Declension of ja

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

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jaː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ja
• Rhymes: -aː

Adverb

ja

1. yes

   Synonym: jep

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

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

False cognates

• Malay: ya (false cognate)
  • Indonesian: ya (false cognate)

Esperanto

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *ja

Old High German ja

Middle High German ja

German jabor.

Esperanto ja

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja/

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: ja

Adverb

ja

1. emphatic particle; indeed, certainly, surely, after all
   • 2012, Plato, translated by Donald Broadribb, La Respubliko (Traduko al Esperanto) [The Republic (Translation into Esperanto)], 2nd corrected edition (paperback), New York: Mondial, →ISBN, page 18:

     "Nu, Kefalo," mi diris, "mi ja ĝuas konversacii kun maljunuloj. Mi opinias ke ni devus lerni de personoj kiuj jam laŭiris la vojon laŭ kiu ankaŭ ni mem devos iri."

     "Well, Cephalus," I said, "I certainly enjoy conversing with old people. I have the opinion that we should learn from people who already went along the path along which we ourselves will also have to go."

   • 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

• jes ja (“yes indeed”)

Related terms

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

Further reading

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

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/
• Rhymes: -ɛaː

Adverb

ja

1. yes

Antonyms

• nei, neiggj

Related terms

• jú, júgv

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). Attested since the time of Mikael Agricola (output c. 1543–1552).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjɑ/, [ˈjɑ̝]

• Audio:

  (file)

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

Conjunction

ja

1. (coordinating) and

   Synonyms: sekä (see note), ynnä (dated), plus (informal)

   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.

    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 hedelmäsäilykkeet ― strawberry 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 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

Adverb

ja

1. (dialectal) also, as well (primarily Southwest Finnish, Satakunta, Tavastia, Uusimaa, Kymenlaakso, South Karelia)

   Synonyms: -kin, myös

Noun

ja

1. AND (logic gate or connector)

Usage notes

Often spelled in capital letters (JA).

Declension

Not inflected. If inflection is necessary, it is used as the first component in a compound, such as JA-portti (“AND gate”), and portti is then inflected.

Further reading

• “ja”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[6] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

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

• mas

German

Etymology

From Middle High German ja, from Old High German ja, jā (“yes”), from Proto-Germanic *ja (“yes”). Cognate with Yiddish יאָ (yo).

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 (modal particle)

1. obviously; certainly; of course; as you know; as is generally known (indicates and emphasises that one is expressing an established fact)

   Synonyms: doch, bekanntlich, bekanntermaßen

   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.

2. (informal) under any circumstances, for (absolute) certain (often with the implication of pettiness, insecurity or overblown fear regarding the issue one wants certainty on)

   Er fragt jedes Mal mindestens fünf Mal nach, um auch ja alles richtig zu machen.

   Eery time, he asks to make sure at least five times to be absolutely positively sure that he does it all correctly.

   Wenn der Lehrer eine Frage stellt, schauen alle auf den Boden und hoffen, ja nicht aufgerufen zu werden.

   When the teacher asks a question, everybody's staring at the ground, hoping to not get called on under any circumstances.

   • 1999 August 8, Hosse & Schwarzkopf, “Gestose”, in de.sci.medizin.misc‎^[7] (Usenet):

     Ihrer Meinung nach darf ich jetzt nicht mehr soviel Flüssigkeit (höchstens 2 Liter) und Salz zu mir nehmen, damit ich ja keine Gestose entwickele.

     In her opinion I shouldn't be consuming as much fluid (2 liters max) and salt now anymore, so that I won't develop gestosis under any circumstances.

   1. had better; used to reinforce an imperative or other order with an implied threat, especially by an authority figure.

      Komm ja nicht zu spät nach Hause!

      You'd better not be late in coming back home!

Usage notes

• In the sense of "obviously", it is always unstressed; while in the sense of "under any circumstances" it is always stressed.
• (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.

Interjection

ja

1. yes; yea; yeah; aye

   Synonym: jawohl

   Antonym: nein

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

   Aber ja! ― Yes, of course!

Usage notes

• Ja is used to indicate agreement with a positive statement. To contradict a negative statement (where English would use “yes”), doch is used instead.

Derived terms

• bejahen
• Ja
• jap
• jein

Further reading

• “ja” in Duden online
• “ja”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[8] (in German)

Gothic

Romanization

ja

1. romanization of 𐌾𐌰

Guerrero Amuzgo

Adjective

ja

1. heavy

Pronoun

ja

1. I

Gutnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jaː/, [jɑː]

Etymology 1

From Old Gutnish iek, 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): [d͡ʒáː]

Adjective

jā (feminine jā, plural jājā̀yē)

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): ja in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.
• (indeed, actually, as a matter of fact): ja in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (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, page 557, 691
• Progreso VI (in Ido), 1913–1914, page 164

Ikizu

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *-gɪ̀a.

Verb

-ja (infinitive ukuja)

1. to go

References

• Walker, John B. (2017), Ikizu-Sizaki - Swahili - English Dictionary.‎^[9], SIL International

Ingrian

Etymology 1

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

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, 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, tože, i

Derived terms

• ja niin etes

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/, [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, 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^[10], →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

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *ja

Old High German ja

Middle High German ja

German jabor.

Kashubian ja

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

Kwanyama

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *-gɪ̀a (“to go”).

Verb

ja

1. to go

References

• G.W.R. Tobias, M.C., M.A; B.H.C. Turvey, M.A. (1965), English-Kwanyama Dictionary‎^[11], Witwatersrand University Press Johannesburg, page 78

Latvian

Etymology

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

Conjunction

ja

1. if
2. in case

Lithuanian

Pronoun

ja f

1. third-person singular instrumental of ji

Livonian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjɑ/, [ˈjɑ]

Adverb

ja

1. and

   Synonym: un

References

• Tiit-Rein Viitso; Valts Ernštreits (2012–2013), “ja”, in Līvõkīel-ēstikīel-lețkīel sõnārōntõz [Livonian-Estonian-Latvian Dictionary]‎^[12] (in Estonian and Latvian), Tartu, Rīga: Tartu Ülikool, Latviešu valodas aģentūra

Lower Sorbian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *(j)azъ, from Proto-Indo-European *eǵh₂óm.

Pronoun

ja sg

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

From Proto-Germanic *jahw (“and”).

Conjunction

ja

1. and

Further reading

• Eino Koponen, Klaas Ruppel, Kirsti Aapala, editors (2002–2008), Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎^[13], Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

Maltese

Etymology

Inherited 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!

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

     Stagħnejt, ja Qamar,
     dal-lejl bil-poeżija
     tar-realtà.

     (please add an English translation of 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"‎^[14], University of North Dakota

Ngarla

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒa/

Verb

ja

1. A causative verbaliser

Declension

Inflection of ja

function	form
present	jarri
past	jarnu
future/imperative	jan
purposive/hortative	jalu
immediate past	janmayinyu
remote past	jarnta
undoubtedly	jarnamarta
general aspect	jantangu
nominaliser	jarnanguru

Derived terms

Terms derived from ja

• julya ja
• kurlku ja
• marlirri ja
• mintu ja
• munyjany ja
• wiiny ja

References

• Westerlund, T. (2007). A grammatical sketch of Ngarla: A language of Western Australia. Uppsala University.

North Frisian

Etymology

Compare West Frisian hja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ja]

Pronoun

ja

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

Alternative forms

• 's (reduced form)
• (them): jam (Sylt, also Mooring alternatively)
• jo (Föhr-Amrum)
• djo (Heligoland), jä (Halligen, Wiedingharde, Hoorning)

See also

Personal and possessive pronouns (Mooring dialect)

			personal					possessive
			subject case		object case			masculine referent	feminine / neuter / plural referent
			full	reduced	full	reduced
singular	1st		ik	'k	me			man	min
	2nd		dü	–	de			dan	din
	3rd	m	hi	'r	ham	'n		san	sin
		f	jü	's	har	's		harn	har
		n	hat	et, 't	ham	et, 't		san	sin
plural	1st		we		üs			üüsen	üüs
	2nd		jam	'm	jam			jarnge
	3rd		ja	's	ja, jam	's		jare

The reduced forms with an apostrophe are enclitic; they immediately follow verbs or conjunctions. Dü is deleted altogether in such contexts.
Et is not enclitic and can stand in any unstressed position; the full subject form hat is now rarely used. In reflexive use, only full object forms occur.
Dual forms wat / unk and jat / junk are obsolete. Attributive and independent possessives are not distinguished in Mooring.

Personal and possessive pronouns (Sylt dialect)

			personal					possessive
			subject case		object case			singular referent	plural referent
			full	reduced	full	reduced			attributive	independent
singular	1st		ik	'k	mi			min		minen
	2nd		dü	–	di			din		dinen
	3rd	m	hi	'r	höm	'n		sin		sinen
		f	jü	's	höör	's		höör		höören
		n	hat	et, 't	höm	et, 't		sin		sinen
dual	1st		wat		unk		unk		unken
	2nd		at		junk		junk		junken
	3rd		jat		jam	's	jaar		jaaren
plural	1st		wü		üüs		üüs		üüsen
	2nd		i		juu		juu		juuen
	3rd		ja	's	jam	's	jaar		jaaren

• The reduced forms with an apostrophe are enclitic; they immediately follow verbs or conjunctions. Dü is deleted altogether in such contexts.
• Et is not enclitic and can stand in any unstressed position; the full subject form hat is now rarely used. In reflexive use, only full object forms occur.
• The dual forms are dated, but not obsolete as in other dialects.
• Independent possessives are distinguished from attributive ones only with plural referents.

Northern Sami

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *jahw (“and”).

Pronunciation

• (Kautokeino) IPA^(key): /ˈja/

Conjunction

ja

1. and

Further reading

• Eino Koponen, Klaas Ruppel, Kirsti Aapala, editors (2002–2008), Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎^[15], 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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɑː/

• Audio:

  (file)

  (juxtaposed with ingressive)

Adverb

ja

1. yes

Antonyms

• nei

Related terms

• jo

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

• “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

• Frédéric Godefroy (1880–1902), “ja”, in Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle […], Paris: F[riedrich] Vieweg; Émile Bouillon, →OCLC.

Old Polish

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *(j)ãzъ. 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

• 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

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

Old Saxon

Alternative forms

• ia
• gia

Etymology

from Proto-Germanic *ja (“yes”).

Interjection

ja

1. yes
   • 9th c. Heliand, verse 1522-1523

     ...queđe iā, gef it sī, [geha] thes thār wār is, queđe nēn, af it nis, [lāta] im genōg an thiu;...

     ...say yes, if it be, confess of that where the truth is, say no, if it is not, let enough (for) him in that;...

Antonyms

• nen

References

Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch‎^[16] (in German), 5th edition

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”)
• Eino Koponen, Klaas Ruppel, Kirsti Aapala, editors (2002–2008), Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎^[17], 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

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈja/

• (Middle Polish) IPA^(key): /jɒ/
• (Lesser Poland):
  • (Goral):
    • (Żywiec) IPA^(key): [ˈja]

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Audio 3:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: ja

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Slavic *(j)ãzъ

Old Polish ja

Polish ja

Inherited from Old Polish ja. Doublet of ego.

Alternative forms

• jo (dialectal, Zagórze)

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

Declension of ja

	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 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.

Etymology 2

See jo.

Particle

ja

1. (Żywiec) alternative form of jo

Further reading

• “ja”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[18] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “ja”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[19] (in Polish)
• Maria Renata Mayenowa, et al., editors (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], 4 September 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
• Leon Rzeszowski (1891), “ja”, in “Spis wyrazów ludowych z okolic Żywca”, in Sprawozdania Komisyi Językowej Akademii Umiejętności‎^[20], volume 4, Krakow: Drukarnia Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, page 356

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: A pidgin language in Norway], 2 edition, Oslo: Novus Forlag

Rwanda-Rundi

Alternative forms

• -jya (Rwanda)

Etymology

Inherited 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/

• Audio (Central Serbia):

  (file)

Pronoun

jȃ ? (Cyrillic spelling ја̑)

1. I

   Ja sam učio. ― I have studied.

Declension

Declension of ja

	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

See also

Serbo-Croatian personal pronouns

		singular	plural
1st person		ja	mi
2nd person	familiar	ti	vi
	polite	Vi
3rd person	m	on	oni
	f	ona	one
	n	ono	ona

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

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *ja

Old High German ja

Middle High German ja

German jabor.

Silesian ja

Borrowed from German ja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈja/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: ja

Particle

ja

1. yes

   Antonym: niy

Further reading

• ja in silling.org

Slovak

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂

Proto-Slavic *(j)a

Slovak ja

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja/, [ˈja]
• Rhymes: -a

• Audio:

  (file)

Pronoun

ja

1. I

Usage notes

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

Declension

Declension of ja

	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, ony otherwise

Further reading

• “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, 2003–2026

Anagrams

• aj

Slovene

Slovene phrasebook

This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness.

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 (in Slovene), 2014–2026

Sotho

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-dɪ́a.

Verb

ja

1. to eat

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”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swahili

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Sabaki *-i̧ja, from Proto-Bantu *-jìja.

In Sabaki, cognate with Ngazidja Comorian -dja and Giryama -dza. Other Bantu cognates include Rwanda-Rundi -za and 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/
• Rhymes: -ɑː

Adverb

ja (not comparable)

1. yes

   Synonyms: japp, jo, sjup

   Antonym: nej

   • (Can we date this quote?), traditional, “I fjol så gick jag med herrarna i hagen [Last Year I Went With the Men in the Pasture]”, in Skillingtryck [Broadside ballads]‎^[21], 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.

Related terms

• aa, nja, tja, jadå, jaha, jaja

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

• IPA^(key): /jɑː/

Pronoun

ja

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

References

• “ja”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “ja”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “ja”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)

Anagrams

• aj

Tswana

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-dɪ́a.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dʒa/

Verb

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

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *(j)ãzъ. Cognate with Lower Sorbian ja.

Pronunciation

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

Pronoun

ja

1. I
   • 2019, Marko Grojlich, A srjedźa Kaponica, Bautzen: Domowina Publishing House, →ISBN, page 21:

     Ta taflička so mi scyła njelubi a twjerdźu, zo by wjele lěpje było, hdy bychu ju wotstronili.

     I don't like the sign at all and I maintain that it would be much better if they had removed it.

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

• Křesćan Pful, editor (1866), “ja”, in Łužiski serbski słownik / Lausitzisch Wendisches Wörterbuch‎^[22] (in German), Budyšin: Maćica Serbska, page 228
• “ja”, in Mudra corpus [Upper Sorbian–Czech dictionary] (in Czech), 2024–2026
• “ja” in Soblex

Votic

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ja.

Pronunciation

• (Luutsa, Liivčülä) IPA^(key): /ˈjɑ/, [ˈʝɑ]
• (Jõgõperä) IPA^(key): /ˈjɑ/, [ˈʝɑ]
• (Central Votic) IPA^(key): /ˈjɑ/, [ˈʝɑ]
• (Eastern Votic) 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”, in Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language]‎^[23], 2nd edition, Tallinn

West Flemish

Etymology

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

Adverb

ja

1. yes

Inflection

Contracted forms of ja with a following personal pronoun are common in West Flemish; thus ja ik contracts to joak. See English Wikipedia and West Flemish Wikipedia for more information.

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^[24], Pacific linguistics

Yao (Africa)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *-gɪ̀a.

Verb

-ja (infinitive kuja, perfective -jile)

1. to go

Derived terms

• -jawula (“to go”)

Etymology 2

From ji (“Class 4 pronominal concord”) +‎ -a (“associative particle”) or from Proto-Bantu *gɪ́á- (“Class 4 possessive concord”) used as a particle.

Particle

ja

1. Class 4 inflected form of -a (“associative particle”).

Derived terms

• jangalumbana (“bad”)

Etymology 3

From ji (“Class 9 pronominal concord”) +‎ -a (“associative particle”) or from Proto-Bantu *jɪ̀á- (“Class 9 possessive concord”) used as a particle.

Particle

ja

1. Class 9 inflected form of -a (“associative particle”).

Derived terms

• jangalumbana (“bad”)

References

• Ciyawo - English Dictionary: Dikishonale ja Ŵakulijiganya
• Padre Pedro Dupeyron (1880), Pequeno Vademecum da Lingua Bantu na Provincia de Moçambique ou Breve Estudo da Lingua Chi-Yao ou Adjaua‎^[25], Administração do Novo Mensageiro do Coraçao de Jesus, page 152
• Meredith Sanderson, M.R.C.S., F.R.G.S., F.R.A.I. (1922), A Yao Grammar‎^[26], Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, page 24

Ye'kwana

Variant orthographies

ALIV	ja
Brazilian standard	fa
New Tribes	ja

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [hʷa]

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^[27], 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^[28], 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 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

• 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) 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