ja

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ja"

Languages (73)

Translingual • English

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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, 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. (Uri) yes

References

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

Assan

Etymology

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

Pronoun

ja

1. I (first-person singular subjective)

Synonyms

• aj

Related terms

• ajun

Atong (India)

Etymology

Cognate with Garo ja (“moon, month”).

Noun

ja

1. month
2. moon

References

• van Breugel, Seino. 2015. Atong-English dictionary, second edition. Available online: https://www.academia.edu/487044/Atong_English_Dictionary.

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin iam.

Pronunciation

• (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.

Derived terms

• ja que

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.

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, 2025
• “ja” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “ja” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
• 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)‎ (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, jā, from Proto-West Germanic *jā, from Proto-Germanic *ja. Cognate with German ja, English yea.

Particle

ja

1. (Sette Comuni) yes

References

• “ja” in Martalar, Umberto Martello; Bellotto, Alfonso (1974), Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo

Cypriot Arabic

Root
j-y-y
2 terms

Etymology

From Arabic جَاءَ (jāʔa).

Verb

ja 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

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /jaː/

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
• 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
• → Indonesian: ya (probably)
• → Malay: ya (probably)
• → Saramaccan: jahái, jaái

Esperanto

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: ja

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

• jes ja (“yes indeed”)

Related 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

• 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