ya

English Online Dictionary. What means ya‎? What does ya mean?

English

Etymology 1

Reduced form of you. Compare Dutch je, reduced/unstressed form of jij (“you”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jʌ/
• Rhymes: -ʌ

Pronoun

ya

1. Nonstandard spelling of you.

Usage notes

• Never used with prosodic stress.

Derived terms

See also

• yer

Etymology 2

Apparently from German ja and cognates in other Germanic languages; related to English yeah.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɑ/
• Rhymes: -ɑ

Interjection

ya

2. (informal) Yeah; yes.

Etymology 3

From Middle English ya, from Old English ġēa, iā (“yea, yes”). More at yea.

Alternative forms

• yaa, yaw, yah, yha

Pronunciation

• (West Country, UK) IPA^(key): /ˈjɑː/, /ˈjɐ/
• Rhymes: -ɑː, -ɐ

Adverb

ya (not comparable)

1. (UK dialectal, West Country, Northern England, Scotland) yea; yes

Etymology 4

Variation of hyah.

Interjection

ya

1. (informal) Go. (Spoken to horses and cattle.)

Etymology 5

Determiner

ya

1. Nonstandard spelling of your.

Derived terms

• chewie on ya boot

Etymology 6

From Russian я (ja).

Noun

ya (plural yas)

1. A letter of the Cyrillic alphabet: Я, я.

Translations

Anagrams

• -ay, AY, ay, ay^

Abui

Noun

ya

1. water

References

• František Kratochvíl, A grammar of Abui: a Papuan language of Alor (2007)
• František Kratochvíl, Benidiktus Delpada, Abui-Indonesian-English Dictionary (2008)

Angkamuthi

Verb

ya

1. (Yadhaykenu) throw

References

• Claire Bowern, Harold James Koch, Australian Languages: Classification and the Comparative Method (2004), page 537

Anguthimri

Verb

ya

1. (transitive, Mpakwithi) to give
2. (transitive, Mpakwithi) to bring

References

• Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 189

Anyin Morofo

Adjective

ya

1. bad

Azerbaijani

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Arabic يَا (yā, “o, hey, you”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [jɑː]

Particle

ya

1. vocative particle

   Synonym: ey

   Ya Əli! (Shiite exclamation) ― O Ali!

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Persian یا (yâ, “either, or”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɑ/

Conjunction

ya … ya …

1. either … or

Derived terms

Further reading

• “ya” in Obastan.com.

Baoule

Noun

ya

1. Friday (day of the week)

Adjective

ya

1. bad

Barngarla

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja/

Noun

ya

1. mouth

References

• Page 74 of Zuckermann, Ghil'ad, Emma Richards and the Barngarla (2021), Mangiri Yarda (Healthy Country: Barngarla Wellbeing and Nature), Adelaide: Revivalistics Press.

Bilbil

Noun

ya

1. fire

Further reading

• Malcolm Ross, Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian Languages of Western Melanesia, Pacific Linguistics, series C-98 (1988)

Breton

Particle

ya

1. yes, word used to show agreement or acceptance.

   Ya, gwir eo! ― Yes, that's correct!

Antonyms

• nann (“no”)

Cameroon Pidgin

Determiner

ya

1. Alternative spelling of your (“2st person singular possessive determiner”)

Central Huasteca Nahuatl

Pronoun

ya

1. third person; he, she

Chamorro

Conjunction

ya

1. and

Usage notes

Used to indicate causation. To connect two similar words or phrases the alternate yan.

Chavacano

Etymology

Inherited from Spanish ya.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʝa/, [ˈʝ͡ʝa]

Particle

ya

1. indicates the past tense

Chickasaw

Verb

ya (stative, irregular)

1. to be (something)

Usage notes

• It cannot be used by itself and must always have a preceding noun that names what it or the person "is".
• It can only be used with a Class II subject marker.
• Ya is never used with N prefixes.
• It can be used with verb suffixes such as -tok, -taam, -a'chi, etc.
• For sentences where a Class II subject marker is not needed or cannot be used, then the verb root oo can be used instead.
• For the future tense, a'chi can be used as a standalone word rather than a suffix completely replacing the use of a verb and having the meaning "will be". Similarly, a'ni, "might be" could possibly work in a similar fashion, replacing the presence of an explicit verb as well, although it is not normally used in sentences expressing being something.
• The prefix hoo- is never used with any forms of the verb "to be" (ya, oo, a'chi).
• To ask questions such as "Is it a/an....", see the entries for the noun suffixes -to̠ (used after consonants) and -hto̠ (used after vowels).

Synonyms

• oo

Dyula

Adverb

ya

1. here

Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl

Pronoun

ya

1. third person; he, she

See also

• yaha
• yahaya

Ewe

Noun

ya

1. wind

Fala

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese ja, from Latin iam (“already”).

Pronunciation

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

Adverb

ya

1. already

References

• Valeš, Miroslav (2021) Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu (web)‎^[1], 2nd edition, Minde, Portugal: CIDLeS, published 2022, →ISBN

Gban

Verb

ya

1. to go

Gedaged

Noun

ya

1. fire

Further reading

• Malcolm Ross, Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian Languages of Western Melanesia, Pacific Linguistics, series C-98 (1988)

Guinea Kpelle

Noun

ya

1. water

Ido

Etymology

Borrowed from Esperanto ja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja/

Adverb

ya

1. indeed

Igbo

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja/

Pronoun

ya (independent form, dependent form o)

1. (personal, epicene) he, she, it

See also

Ilocano

Etymology

Borrowed from Kankanaey ya.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjaʔ/ [ˈjɐʔ]

Particle

ya (Kur-itan spelling ᜌ)

1. (Baguio, Benguet) Expressing apprehension following or preceding a reasoning or excuse; eh.

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja/
• Rhymes: -ja
• Hyphenation: ya

Etymology 1

Probably from Dutch ja.

Particle

ya

1. used to show agreement or acceptance; yes

   Synonym: hooh

2. used to reinforce a question; huh

3. used to emphasize curiosity about a question.

4. used to indicate a request; okay

Alternative forms

• iya

Etymology 2

Inherited from Malay ya, from Classical Malay ي (ya), from Arabic يَا (yā).

Particle

ya

1. the vocative particle, used for direct address; O

Further reading

• “ya” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Jamaican Creole

t

Etymology

Derived from English here.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja/

Adverb

ya

1. here

See also

• yaso

Further reading

• ya at majstro.com

Japanese

Romanization

ya

1. The hiragana syllable や (ya) or the katakana syllable ヤ (ya) in Hepburn romanization.

Kankanaey

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Standard Kankanaey) IPA^(key): /ja/ [jʌ]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: ya

Conjunction

ya

1. and

   Synonym: ken

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Standard Kankanaey) IPA^(key): /ˈjaʔ/ [ˈjʌʔ]
• Rhymes: -aʔ
• Syllabification: ya

Particle

ya

1. Expressing apprehension following or preceding a reasoning or excuse; eh.

Kesawai

Noun

ya

1. water

Further reading

• Carol Priestley, Talking about space in Koromu
• Carol Priestley, Social categories, shared experience, reciprocity and endangered meanings: examples from Koromu

Kituba

Preposition

ya

1. of

Kou

Noun

ya

1. water

Further reading

• Johannes A. Z'graggen, A Comparative Word list of the Rai Coast Languages, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Linguistics (1980) (as Sinsauru)

Laboya

Verb

ya

1. to eat

References

• Rina, A. Dj., Kabba, John Lado B. (2011) “ya”, in Kamus Bahasa Lamboya, Kabupaten Sumba Bakat [Dictionary of Lamboya Language, West Sumba Regency], Waikabubak: Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata, Kabupaten Sumba Bakat, page 103

Lingala

Preposition

ya

1. of

Usage notes

In colloquial Lingala, this does not vary depending on noun class.

Declension

Malay

Pronunciation

• (Etymology 1 & 2):
  • IPA^(key): [ja]
  • Rhymes: -a
• (Etymology 3):
  • (Johor-Riau) IPA^(key): [jə]
    • Rhymes: -ə
  • (Baku) IPA^(key): [ja]
    • Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: ya

Etymology 1

From Arabic يَا (yā, “vocative particle”).

Interjection

ya (Jawi spelling يا)

1. Used to get attention; hey, oh.

   Synonyms: wahai, hai

Etymology 2

From Arabic يَا (yā, letter name).

Noun

ya (Jawi spelling يا, plural ya-ya, informal 1st possessive yaku, 2nd possessive yamu, 3rd possessive yanya)

1. The 29th letter of the Arabic alphabet (ي).

   huruf ya ― the letter ya

Etymology 3

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

Interjection

ya (Jawi spelling يا)

1. Used to express affirmation; yes.

   Synonyms: ia, haah (informal)

2. Used to inquire for confirmation; right.

   Synonym: bukan

Further reading

• “ya” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Mandarin

Romanization

ya (ya⁵／ya⁰, Zhuyin ˙ㄧㄚ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 呀
2. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 㗇

ya

1. Nonstandard spelling of yā.
2. Nonstandard spelling of yá.
3. Nonstandard spelling of yǎ.
4. Nonstandard spelling of yà.

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Maonan

Numeral

ya

1. two

Marik

Noun

ya

1. fire

Further reading

• Malcolm Ross, Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian Languages of Western Melanesia, Pacific Linguistics, series C-98 (1988)

Mbyá Guaraní

Alternative forms

• yaa

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *ɨar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɨˈa/
• Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: y‧a

Noun

ya

1. boat
2. canoe

   Synonym: kanoã

Derived terms

References

• Robert A. Dooley (2016 August) “ya”, in Léxico guarani, dialeto mbyá: guarani-português (overall work in Portuguese), Anápolis: SIL Brasil, page 204

Mednyj Aleut

Etymology

From Russian я (ja).

Pronoun

ya

1. I

Mindiri

Noun

ya

1. fire

Further reading

• Malcolm Ross, Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian Languages of Western Melanesia, Pacific Linguistics, series C-98 (1988)

Northern Ndebele

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gɪ̀a.

Verb

-ya

1. to go to, towards [with locative]

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Northern Sotho

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gɪ̀a.

Verb

ya

1. to go

Nzadi

Pronoun

yǎ`

1. you (second-person singular pronoun)

See also

Pali

Alternative forms

Etymology 1

From Sanskrit यद् (yad).

Pronoun

ya m

1. (relative) who, which, that

Declension

Pronoun

ya n

1. (relative) which, that
2. (relative) (duplicated) whatever

Declension

Derived terms

• yā
• yadidaṃ (“namely”)

Etymology 2

Probably from the pronunciation of a syllable consisting only of the letter.

Noun

ya m

1. the Pali letter 'y'

Declension

Synonyms

• yakāra

References

Pali Text Society (1921–1925) “ya”, in Pali-English Dictionary‎, London: Chipstead

Pennsylvania German

Etymology

Compare German ja, Dutch ja, Swedish ja.

Interjection

ya

1. yes, yeah

Phuthi

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gɪ̀a.

Verb

-ya

1. to go to, towards [with locative]

Inflection

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -a

Adverb

ya

1. Alternative form of iá

Scots

Numeral

ya

1. Alternative form of ae

References

• “ya, adj.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.

Sotho

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gɪ̀a.

Verb

ya

1. to go

South Slavey

Etymology

From Proto-Athabaskan *yaˑ. Cognates include Navajo yá.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [jà(ʔ)]
• Hyphenation: ya

Noun

ya (stem -ya-)

1. sky

Inflection

References

• Keren Rice (1989) A Grammar of Slave, Berlin, West Germany: Mouton de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 92

Southern Ndebele

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gɪ̀a.

Verb

-ya

1. to go to, towards [with locative]

Inflection

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Latin iam. Compare Portuguese já, French déjà and Italian già.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: ya

Adverb

ya

1. now

   Synonyms: ahora, (colloquial) ahorita

   Púlsalo ya. ― Press it now.

   Preparados, listos, ya. ― Ready, set, go.

2. already, yet

   Ya lo hice. ― I already did it.

3. in the near future; soon

   Voy a terminar mi trabajo ya. ― I am going to finish my work soon.

4. immediately

   Synonym: ahora mismo

5. anymore; no longer

   Ya no quiero volver a ese lugar. ― I don't want to go back to that place anymore.

6. (emphatic) emphatic (similar to the use of English "so" or "oh" as an interjection)

   ¡Ya lo sé! ― I do know!

7. (in negatives) only

   no ya... ― not only...

8. (before pero) yes

   ya, pero... ― yes, but...

9. (before que) since, now

   ya que... ― now that...

10. OK

Derived terms

Conjunction

ya ... ya ...

1. first (something) then (something else); first (something), now (something else)

2. whether (something) or (something else)

Interjection

ya

1. come on!, let's go!

   Synonyms: vamos, vámonos, adelante, ándale, (Mexico) órale, (Chile) ya po

2. (colloquial) used to acknowledge or dismiss the previous statement

Derived terms

Further reading

• “ya”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28

Swahili

Pronunciation

Particle

ya

1. N class inflected form of -a (singular only).
2. Mi class inflected form of -a.
3. Ma class inflected form of -a.

Usage notes

Follows adverbs to make them function as prepositions.

Tabaa Zapotec

Noun

ya

1. reed

Tagalog

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ja/ [jɐ]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: ya

Etymology 1

Influenced by Baybayin character ᜌ (ya).

Noun

ya (Baybayin spelling ᜌ)

1. the name of the Latin-script letter Y/y, in the Abakada alphabet

   Synonyms: (in the Filipino alphabet) way, (in the Abecedario) ye

See also

Etymology 2

Interjection

ya (Baybayin spelling ᜌ)

1. expression used to drive cattle: yah

   Synonym: hiya

Further reading

• “ya”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018

Anagrams

• ay, -ay

Ternate

Etymology

Possibly from Indonesian ya (“yes”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈja]

Interjection

ya

1. yes

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

Tlahuica

Noun

ya

1. stomach

Tswana

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gɪ̀a.

Verb

ya

1. to go

Ke ya lapeng - I'm going home.

Turkish

Alternative forms

• yaa (colloquial)

Etymology 1

Onomatopoeic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja/ (sense 1,4,5 and 6)
• IPA^(key): /jaː/ (sense 2 and 3)

Interjection

ya

1. Expression of surprise or confusion.

2. aw (Used to express affection.)

3. Expresses frustration.

4. An expression used to indicate ratification of a statement that requires an approval or necessity.

5. Used after inflected verbs in order to intesify the meaning.

6. Provides the actual meaning of the sentence by stressing the latter sentence.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Ottoman Turkish یا (ya), from Arabic يَا (yā, “o, hey, you”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja/

Particle

ya

2. vocative particle

   Synonym: ey

Related terms

Further reading

• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “ya2”, in Nişanyan Sözlük

Etymology 3

Inherited from Ottoman Turkish یا (ya), from Persian یا (yâ, “either, or”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja/

Conjunction

ya

1. what if (used to introduce speculation about future)

2. what about (used to ask someone to consider something or someone that they have apparently not considered)

3. (preceding the last term in a list) above all, especially

Related terms

Conjunction

ya … ya …

1. either … or

   Synonyms: ya … ya da …, ya … yahut …

Derived terms

Further reading

• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “ya1”, in Nişanyan Sözlük

Further reading

• “ya”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu
• Ayverdi, İlhan (2010) “ya”, in Misalli Büyük Türkçe Sözlük, a reviewed and expanded single-volume edition, Istanbul: Kubbealtı Neşriyatı
• Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “ya”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 5019

References

• Parlatır, İsmail et al. (1998) “ya”, in Türkçe Sözlük, 9th edition, volume I, Ankara: Türk Dil Kurumu, page 2357a
• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “یا”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[7], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 2177

Usan

Noun

ya

1. water
2. rain

Venda

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gɪ̀a.

Verb

ya

1. to go

Volapük

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish ya (“already”).

Adverb

ya

1. already

Warao

Noun

ya

1. sun

Synonyms

• hokohi

Western Huasteca Nahuatl

Pronoun

ya

1. third person; he, she

White Hmong

Etymology

Cognate with Western Xiangxi Miao [Fenghuang] eint.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʝa˧/

Verb

ya

1. to fly

Xhosa

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gɪ̀a.

Verb

-ya

1. (intransitive) to go to, towards [with locative]

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Yami

Etymology

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

Pronoun

ya

1. he; she

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English yaf. Doublet of gae (“gave”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jiː/
• Homophones: ye, yee, yie

Verb

ya

1. simple past of yie

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 90

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /já/

Verb

yá

1. to borrow

   Wọ́n yá owó lọ́wọ́ mi. ― They borrowed money from me.

2. to lend

   Wọ́n yá mi lówó. ― They lent me money.

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /já/

Verb

yá

1. to be fast

   Synonym: yára

   Aago yẹn fi wákàtí kan yá. ― That clock is ahead by an hour.

2. to be ready

   Ó ti yá! ― It's time!

   Nígbà tó yá, ó jáde. ― Later, she went out.

3. to be fit
   1. (with ara (“body”)) to be healthy

      Synonyms: le, yá gágá

      Ara mi ò yá. ― I'm not feeling well. (literally, “My body is not healthy.”)

Derived terms

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jā/

Verb

ya

1. to tear; to be torn; to rip

   Tó o bá jíwèé wò, màá ya pépà ẹ. ― If you cheat, I'll rip your paper.

   Má fa aṣọ rẹ ya. ― Don't tear your clothes.

   Ó fa ọkàn mi ya. ― It tore my heart

   Ìjì máa ya á lulẹ̀. ― The storm will tear it down.

Usage notes

• Used with fà (“to stretch; to pull”) in the V2 position

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jā/

Verb

ya

1. to flow; to overflow

   Odò ti ya wọ oko. ― The river has flooded into the fields.

   Odò yẹn ya wọ odò Ọya. ― That river flows into the Niger.

   Ẹrẹ̀ ti ya wọ̀lú. ― A mudslide has flowed into the town.

Derived terms

Etymology 5

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jà/

Verb

yà

1. to turn

   Lọ tààrà, kó o sì yà sósì. ― Go straight, then turn left.

Etymology 6

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jà/

Verb

yà

1. to depict; to draw; to take (picture)

   Yà mí ní fọ́tò níbí báyìí. ― Take my picture here.

   Ó ń ya àwòrán. ― He's drawing a picture.

Usage notes

• ya when followed by direct object.

Derived terms

Etymology 7

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jà/

Verb

yà

1. to comb

Usage notes

• ya when followed by direct object.

Derived terms

Etymology 8

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jà/

Verb

yà

1. to split; to divide

   Ibí ni ọ̀nà ti yà. ― The road branches off from here.

2. (with ẹnu (“mouth”)) to surprise; to shock

   Ó yà wá lẹ́nu gan-an. ― It surprised us a lot.

   Ẹnu ya mí. ― I was shocked

Usage notes

• ya when followed by direct object.

Derived terms

Etymology 9

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jà/

Verb

yà

1. to become; to be

   ya wèrè ― to go crazy

   ya pòkíì ― to become a delinquent

   ya ọ̀lẹ ― to be lazy

   yabo ― to go well (in reference to a year)

   ya ahun ― to become stingy

Usage notes

• ya when followed by direct object.
• usually has a negative connotation

Derived terms

Etymology 10

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jà/

Verb

yà

1. to visit

   Synonym: bẹ̀

   Mo ya ilé ọ̀rẹ́ ìyá mi lánàá ― I visited my mother's friend's house yesterday.

Usage notes

• ya when followed by direct object.

Derived terms

Zulu

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-gɪ̀a.

Verb

-ya

1. (intransitive) to go to, towards [with locative]

Inflection

References

• C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “ya”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “ya”

Zuni

Noun

ya

1. moon