# ja
## Translingual
### Symbol

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

### Anagrams

* AJ

## Afrikaans
### Etymology

From Dutch ja.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /jaː/
* Audio:(file)

### Adverb

ja
* 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
* (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
* I (first-person singular subjective)

#### Synonyms

* aj

#### Related terms

* ajun

## Atong (India)
### Etymology

Cognate with Garo ja (“moon, month”).

### Noun

ja
* month
* 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

* IPA: (Central, Balearic) [ˈʒa]
* IPA: (Valencia) [ˈd͡ʒa]
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -a

### Adverb

ja
* already, (in negative sentences) any more
    El va conèixer quan ja era casat. ― She met him when he was already married.
* (before a verb in the present tense) now, immediately, at once
    Ja arribem a casa. ― We'll be right home.
* (before a verb in the future tense) confidence in the outcome
    Ja veuràs com guanyarem. ― You will see how we'll win.
* (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

### Further reading

* “ja” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Central Melanau
### Alternative forms

* je-

### Numeral

ja
* one

#### Synonyms

* satu

## Champenois
### Alternative forms

* jaque

### Etymology

Inherited from Old French jai, from Late Latin gaius.

### Pronunciation

IPA: /ʒɑ/

### Noun

ja m (plural jas)
* 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
* (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
### Etymology

From Arabic جَاءَ (jāʔa).

### Verb

ja I (present pijí)
* to come, to arrive at
* to derive from
* 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: /ja/, [jɛ]
* IPA: /jar/, [jæɐ̯]
* Rhymes: -a

### Interjection

ja
* yes

#### Antonyms

* nej

#### Related terms

* jo

### Noun

ja n (singular definite jaet, plural indefinite jaer)
* yes

#### Inflection
## Dimasa
### Noun

já
* 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: /jaː/

### Adverb

ja
* 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)
* 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
* yes!
    Synonym: yes
    "Ja!" riep hij luid toen er een doelpunt viel. ― Yes! he screamed loudly when they scored a goal.
* (Suriname, informal) A casual greeting acknowledging the presence of a person; hey, hi, what's up
* (Suriname, informal) Used as a request for someone to repeat something not heard or understood clearly; say again, what's that

#### Descendants

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

## Esperanto
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ja]
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: ja

### Adverb

ja
* 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
* and

#### Synonyms

* ning

## Faroese
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /jɛaː/
* Rhymes: -ɛaː

### Adverb

ja
* yes

#### Antonyms

* nei, neiggj

#### Related terms

* jú, júgv

### Noun

ja n (genitive singular jas, plural ja)
* yes

#### Declension
## Finnish
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈjɑ/, [ˈjɑ̝]
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɑ
* Hyphenation: ja

### Conjunction

ja
* (coordinating) and
    Siellä oli poikia ja tyttöjä. ― There were boys and girls there.
    Menin kotiin ja aloin soittaa pianoa. ― I went home and started playing the piano.
    Iltapalaksi on leipää, juustoa, kinkkua, tomaattia ja maitoa. ― For supper we have bread, cheese, ham, tomato and milk.
    Mies juoksee ja juoksee. ― The man runs and runs.
    Ja sitten alkoi sataa. ― And then it started raining.
    Mene ja tiedä. ― Go figure. (literally, “Go and know.”)
    viisi ja puoli ― five and a half
    ensimmäisen ja viimeisen kerran ― for the first and the last time

#### Usage notes

* On the differences between ja and sekä:
** ja can be used more widely than sekä. As an example, sekä may not be used to join two independent clauses.
    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

#### Synonyms

* sekä (see the above usage notes)

### Adverb

ja
* (dialectal) also, as well (primarily Southwest Finnish, Satakunta, Uusimaa, Kymenlaakso, South Karelia)
    Synonyms: -kin, myös

### Noun

ja
* 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").
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
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
jansa
jansa
accusative
nom.
jansa
jansa
gen.
jansa
genitive
jansa
jaidensa jaittensa
partitive
jataan jatansa
jaitaan jaitansa
inessive
jassaan jassansa
jaissaan jaissansa
elative
jastaan jastansa
jaistaan jaistansa
illative
jahansa
jaihinsa
adessive
jallaan jallansa
jaillaan jaillansa
ablative
jaltaan jaltansa
jailtaan jailtansa
allative
jalleen jallensa
jailleen jaillensa
essive
janaan janansa
jainaan jainansa
translative
jakseen jaksensa
jaikseen jaiksensa
abessive
jattaan jattansa
jaittaan jaittansa
instructive
comitative
—jaineen jainensa :

### References

* ↑ 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)
* 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
* month

#### Synonyms

* mas

## German
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [jäː] (Standard, overall more common)
* IPA: [ʝäː] (standard, overall less common)
* Audio:(file)
* Audio:(file)
* IPA: [jɑː] (Austrian German)
* IPA: [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
* yes; yea, yeah, aye
    Synonym: jawohl
    Willst du das? Ja. ― Do you want that? Yes.
    Aber ja! ― Yes, of course!
* (intensifier) obviously; certainly; of course; really; just; as you know; as is generally known (indicates and emphasises that one is expressing a known fact)
    Synonyms: doch, bekanntlich
    Es kann ja nicht immer so bleiben. ― It obviously cannot always remain so.
    Der Peter war ja gestern krank. ― Peter was sick yesterday, as you know.

#### Usage notes

* (yes): Ja is used to indicate agreement with a positive statement. To contradict a negative statement (where English would use “yes”), doch is used instead.
* (obviously): Ja means roughly the same as English obviously or as you know, but given its shortness it is used much more frequently. In colloquial German, ja is used in most statements of facts already known to the one addressed.

#### Antonyms

* nein

#### Derived terms

* bejahen
* Ja
* jein

### Interjection

ja
* yes
    Synonym: jawohl
    Antonym: nein

### Further reading

* “ja” in Duden online
* “ja” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

## Gothic
### Romanization

ja
* Romanization of 𐌾𐌰

## Guerrero Amuzgo
### Adjective

ja
* heavy

### Pronoun

ja
* I

## Gutnish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /jaː/, [jɑː]

### Etymology 1

From Old Norse ek. Compare Swedish jag.

#### Alternative forms

* jag (Fårö and Lau dialects)

#### Pronoun

ja
* 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
* 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
* 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: /(d)ʒáː/
** (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA: [d͡ʒáː]

### Adjective

jā (feminine jā, plural jājā̀yē)
* red

## Hungarian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈjɒ], [ˈjɒː] (the long pronunciation is used in case of great surprise)
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -jɒ

### Interjection

ja
* (informal) yep (indicates agreement, approval, or understanding)
    Synonyms: aha, ühüm, jaja
    Jössz holnap a meccsre? – Ja.“Are you coming to the game tomorrow?” “Yep.”
* (informal) oh (indicates understanding something finally after a misunderstanding or confusion)
    Este nem jár a vonat. – Ja, hát akkor menjünk busszal!“No train is leaving in the evening.” “Oh, well then let's travel by bus!”
    Ezt nem is Miki küldte! – Ja, lehet, hogy én értettem félre.“This was not sent by Miki!” “Oh, then I must have misunderstood it.”

### Further reading

* (yep, oh): ja in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
* (indeed, actually, as a matter of fact): ja in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

## Ido
### Etymology

Borrowed from French déjà, Italian già, Spanish ya, from Latin iam, replacing Esperanto jam which is cognate. Decision no. 987, Progreso VI.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ʒa/, /d͡ʒa/

### Adverb

ja
* 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

## Ingrian
### Etymology 1

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

#### Pronunciation

* (Ala-Laukaa) IPA: /ˈjɑ/, [ˈjɑ]
* (Soikkola) IPA: /ˈjɑ/, [ˈjɑ]
* Rhymes: -ɑ
* Hyphenation: ja

#### Conjunction

ja
* 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
* 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: /ˈjɑ/, [ˈjɑ]
* (Soikkola) IPA: /ˈjɑ/, [ˈjɑ]
* Rhymes: -ɑ
* Hyphenation: ja

#### Particle

ja
* yes
** 1936, V. I. Junus, N. A. Iljin, Inkeroisin keelen oppikirja alkuşkouluja vart (toine osa), Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 42:Onok se maa teil? - Ja, ono.Is that your land? Yes, it is.

##### Synonyms

* niin

##### Antonyms

* ei

### References

* Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 99
* Olga I. Konkova, Nikita A. Dyachkov (2014) Inkeroin Keel: Пособие по Ижорскому Языку‎, →ISBN, page 79

## Japanese
### Romanization

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

## Kashubian
### Etymology

Borrowed from German ja.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈja/
* Rhymes: -a
* Syllabification: ja

### Particle

ja
* (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
### Etymology

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

### 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
* if
* in case

## Lithuanian
### Pronoun

ja f
* third-person singular instrumental of ji

## Lower Sorbian
### Etymology

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

### Pronoun

ja sg
* I

#### Declension
## Lule Sami
### Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *jahw (“and”).

### Conjunction

ja
* and

#### Further reading

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

## Maltese
### Etymology

From Arabic يَا (yā).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /jaː/
* Usually unstressed and then automatically shortened to /ja/.

### Particle

ja
* 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
* drought, famine

### References

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

## North Frisian
### Etymology

Compare West Frisian hja.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ja]

### Pronoun

ja
* third-person plural personal pronoun
** (Mooring, Sylt) they (subject case)
** (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

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.
* 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: /ˈja/

### Conjunction

ja
* 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
* to eat

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Etymology

From Old Norse já.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /jɑː/
* Audio:(file)

### Adverb

ja
* yes

#### Antonyms

* nei

#### Related terms

* jo
* jaja
* jada

### Interjection

ja
* yes

### Noun

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

### References

* “ja” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Etymology

From Old Norse já.

### Adverb

ja
* yes

#### Antonyms

* nei

#### Related terms

* jo

### Interjection

ja
* 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)
* yes

### References

* “ja” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

## Old French
### Etymology

From Latin iam.

### Pronunciation

* (classical) IPA: /ˈdʒa/
* (late) IPA: /ˈʒa/

### Adverb

ja
* already
* as soon as possible
* quickly
* (with "ne") never

### References

* Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX$^e$ au XV$^e$ siècle (1881) (ja)

## Old Polish
### Pronunciation

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

### Etymology 1

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

#### Pronoun

ja
* first-person pronoun; I

##### 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
* (reduplicated) The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:
** 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

## Old Saxon
### Alternative forms

* ia
* gia

### Etymology

from Proto-Germanic *ja (“yes”).

### Interjection

ja
* 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, Altsächsisches Wörterbuch (5th edition 2014)

## Pennsylvania German
### Alternative forms

* ya

### Etymology

Compare German ja, Dutch ja, Swedish ja.

### Interjection

ja
* yes, yeah

## Pite Sami
### Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *jahw (“and”).

### Conjunction

ja
* and

#### Further reading

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

## Pnar
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /d͡ʒa/

### Noun

ja
* cooked rice

## Polish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈja/
* (Middle Polish) IPA: /jɒ/
* (Lesser Poland):
** (Goral):
*** (Żywiec) IPA: /ˈja/
* 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
* 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.

##### Derived terms

* jaźń
* 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
* (Żywiec) Alternative form of jo

### References

* ↑ 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)
* Obsolete spelling of já.

## Russenorsk
### Etymology

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

### Pronoun

ja
* 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

From Proto-Bantu *-gɪ̀a.

### Verb

-ja (infinitive kuja, perfective -gīye)
* (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: /jâː/
* Audio (Central Serbia):(file)

#### Pronoun

jȃ (Cyrillic spelling ја̑)
* I
    Ja sam učio. ― I have studied.

##### Declension
### Etymology 2

Borrowed from German ja.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /jâ/

#### Adverb

jȁ (Cyrillic spelling ја̏)
* (colloquial, regional) yes, yeah

### Etymology 3
#### Interjection

ja
* 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: /ˈja/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -a
* Syllabification: ja

### Particle

ja
* yes
    Antonym: niy

### Further reading

* ja in silling.org

## Slovak
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ja]
* Audio:(file)

### Pronoun

ja
* I

#### Usage notes

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

#### Related terms

* masculine animate only, ony otherwise

### 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, 2003–2025

### Anagrams

* aj

## Slovene
### Etymology 1

Borrowed from German ja.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /jàː/, /jáː/

#### Particle

jā
* (informal) yes
    Synonym: dȁ
    Antonym: nȅ

### Etymology 2
#### Pronoun

ja
* (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), 2014–2025

## Sotho
### Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-dɪ́a.

### Verb

ja
* to eat

## Spanish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈxa/ [ˈxa]
* Rhymes: -a
* Syllabification: ja

### Interjection

ja
* 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, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

## Swahili
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* Audio (Kenya):(file)

### Verb

-ja (infinitive kuja)
* to come
* 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 future | positive subject concord + -takuja |
| Negative future | negative subject concord + -takuja |
| 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 |
| 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 :
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

* A user suggests that this Swedish entry be cleaned up.
* Please see the discussion on Requests for cleanup or the talk page for more information and remove this template after the problem has been dealt with.

### Etymology 1

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

#### Pronunciation
##### Interjection

* IPA: /jɑː/, (Scania) /jaː/, /ja/
* Audio:(file)

##### Noun

* IPA: /jɑː/, (Scania) /jaː/

#### Adverb

ja (not comparable)
* 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.

##### Related terms

* aa, nja, tja, jadå, jaha, jaja

#### Noun

ja n
* a yes, an aye; a positive answer or vote

##### Declension
### Etymology 2

See jag.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /jɑː/

#### Pronoun

ja
* (colloquial, text messaging) Pronunciation spelling of jag.

### References

* ja in Svensk ordbok.

### Anagrams

* aj

## Tswana
### Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-dɪ́a.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /dʒa/

### Verb

go ja (past jelê)
* to eat
Re jele bogobe maabane - We ate bogobe yesterday.

## Tz'utujil
### Alternative forms

* jar

### Article

ja
* the

## Upper Sorbian
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈja/

### Pronoun

ja
* I

#### Declension
### Further reading

* “ja” in Soblex

## Votic
### Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ja.

### Pronunciation

* (Luutsa, Liivtšülä) IPA: /ˈjɑ/, [ˈʝɑ]
* Rhymes: -ɑ
* Hyphenation: ja

### Conjunction

ja
* and
    Synonym: i

### References

* Hallap, V., Adler, E., Grünberg, S., Leppik, M. (2012) “ja”, in Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language], 2nd edition, Tallinn

## West Frisian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ja/, /jaː/

### Interjection

ja
* yes

#### Derived terms

* jawis

#### Further reading

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

## West Makian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /d͡ʒa/

### Verb

ja
* (intransitive) to cry

#### Conjugation
### References

* Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours‎, Pacific linguistics

## Ye'kwana
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [hʷa]

### Noun

ja (obligatorily possessed; possessed jadü)
* grandchild
* 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 jà (“to fight”)

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /d͡ʒà/

#### Verb

jà
* (intransitive, reciprocal) to fight, to wrestle, to struggle
* (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: /d͡ʒá/

#### Verb

já
* (intransitive, transitive) to snap, to break off, to break loose

##### Derived terms

* ìjá

### Etymology 3
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /d͡ʒá/

#### Verb

já
* (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: /d͡ʒá/

#### Verb

já
* (intransitive) to ring out like a bell
    etí rẹ̀ ń já ― His ears were ringing out

##### Derived terms

* ìjá

### Etymology 5
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /d͡ʒá/

#### Verb

já
* (heading, intransitive) to fall off (from some height)

##### Derived terms

* ìjá
* jábọ́ (“to fall down”)

### Etymology 6
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /d͡ʒá/

#### Verb

já
* to shine brightly
    Synonyms: là, bẹ, ha
    òṣùpá já tòò bí ọ̀sán ― The moon shined brightly like the afternoon (sun)

### Etymology 7
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /d͡ʒá/

#### Verb

já
* to become aware, to come to full realization

##### Derived terms

* já sí

### Etymology 8
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /d͡ʒá/

#### Verb

já
* (intransitive) to become punctured
    àpò rẹ̀ẹ́ já ― His pocket has become punctured

### Etymology 9
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /d͡ʒá/

#### Verb

já
* (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: /d͡ʒá/

#### Verb

já
* (transitive) to pluck off (usually referring to fruit or leaves)
    Synonym: wọ́

##### Derived terms

* ìjá
* jáwé
* jáwó
* jérèé

## Zialo
### Noun

ja
* water

### References

* Kirill Vladimirovich Babaev, Zialo: the newly-discovered Mande language of Guinea (2010), page 213

## Zou
### Verb

ja
* hear

#### References

* http://www.languageinindia.com/feb2013/zouphonologyfinal.pdf