Japanese

Syllable

じゃ ‎(romaji ja)

1. The hiragana syllable じゃ ‎(ja). Its equivalent in katakana is ジャ ‎(ja).

Etymology 2

Contraction of particles で ‎(de, form of copula, referring to preceding statement) + は ‎(wa, topic marker).

Conjunction

じゃ ‎(romaji ja)

1. (colloquial) so, then - used for connecting to a reasonable conclusion, supposition

Interjection

じゃ ‎(romaji ja)

1. well; then; so
2. by extension from the "so then" meaning: bye, goodbye

Etymology 3

Contraction of で ‎(de, form of copula) + ある ‎(aru, “to be, to exist”).

Verb

じゃ ‎(romaji ja)

1. to be

Usage notes

Variation on the Japanese copula だ ‎(da) used in western Japan, such as in Chūgoku, Shikoku, or Kyūshū; particularly common in Hiroshima. The use of じゃ ‎(ja) is also common in fictional dialogue attributed to archaic characters.

Etymology 4

Kanji reading.

Noun

じゃ ‎(romaji ja)

1. 蛇: generic name for a large snake; a heavy drinker
2. 邪: a moral wrong; a bad attitude; maliciousness, wickedness; such a person
3. 麝: short for 麝香 ‎(jakō, “musk”); short for 麝香鹿 ‎(jakōjika, “musk deer”)