Where does “や” come from?
や (Japanese) comes from Japanese じゃ, from Japanese である, from Japanese で, from Japanese ぜ, from Japanese ぞえ, from Japanese え, from Middle Chinese 衣.
や (Japanese): and/or; is, are; Alternative form of いや
Definitions
- and/or; is, are; Alternative form of いや
Ancestry of “や”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | じゃ | so, then—used for connecting to a reasonable... |
| 2 | Japanese | である | To be: the copula, with the same function as だ and its polite form です |
| 3 | Japanese | で | at; with, by, using; indicating the following... |
| 4 | Japanese | ぜ | sentence-ending particle signifying emphasis,... |
| 5 | Japanese | ぞえ | sentence-ending particle signifying emphasis, used to lightly press one's point, with affectionate overtones |
| 6 | Japanese | え | Alternative form of い |
| 7 | Middle Chinese | 衣 | — |