Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Han character

也 (radical 5 乙+2, 3 strokes, cangjie input 心木 (PD), four-corner 4471₂, composition ⿻乜丨)

Descendants

• ㄝ
• や
• ヤ

References

• KangXi: page 84, character 4
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 171
• Dae Jaweon: page 170, character 4
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 1, page 50, character 5
• Unihan data for U+4E5F

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 也
Bronze inscriptions	Bamboo and silk script	Large seal script	Small seal script
Bronze inscriptions b17218 Large seal script L35048 L35049 L35050 L35051 L17347 L17348 L17349 L17350 L17351 L17352 L17353 Small seal script s09381
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (large seal) and Xu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Uncertain. There are various possible explanations:

1. The traditional glyph origin given in Shuowen explains the character to be a pictograph of female genitalia.
2. It is possibly a pictograph of an ancient funnel or wash basin. It may be an early form of 匜.
3. It was once interchangeable with 它 and may have originated as a simplification.
4. It may have been created to represent the modal particle (語氣詞／语气词 (yǔqìcí)). In some bronze inscriptions, it appears to be a mouth (口) with a curved line descending from it to represent air coming out of the mouth.

Pronunciation

Definitions

也

1. also; too; as well

   我也去了。  ―  Wǒ yě qù le.  ―  I also went.

   • 我也是中國人。 / 我也是中国人。  ―  Wǒ yě shì zhōngguórén.  ―  I am Chinese too.
2. (in negative sentences) neither, either

   你如果不去，我也不去。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]

   Nǐ rúguǒ bù qù, wǒ yě bù qù. [Pinyin]

   If you don't go, I won't either.

   • 我也沒有看見過它。 [MSC, trad.]
     我也没有看见过它。 [MSC, simp.]

     Wǒ yě méiyǒu kànjiàn guò tā. [Pinyin]

     I haven't seen it either.

3. Used for emphasis with object fronting. even
   • 他飯也不吃，覺也不睡。 [MSC, trad.]
     他饭也不吃，觉也不睡。 [MSC, simp.]

     Tā fàn yě bù chī, jiào yě bù shuì. [Pinyin]

     (Disappointingly) he neither eats nor sleeps.

   Used in the 連……也…… constructions for stronger emphasis. Interchangeable with 都. even

   • 他連畜生也不如，連自己的父母也不養活。 [MSC, trad.]

     他连畜生也不如，连自己的父母也不养活。 [MSC, simp.]

     Tā lián xùshēng yě bùrú, lián zìjǐ de fùmǔ yě bù yǎnghuó. [Pinyin]

     He is no better than an animal, because he doesn't even support his own parents.

4. Used for emphasis.

   這也太不像話了。 / 这也太不像话了。  ―  Zhè yě tài bùxiànghuà le.  ―  This is way too outrageous.

5. (classical) An emphatic final particle of strong affirmation or identity.
   • 生而知之者，上也 [Classical Chinese]  ―  shēng ér zhī zhī zhě, shàng yě [Pinyin]  ―  Those who are born with the possession of knowledge are the highest class of men.
   • 其西有大山，天下至高者也。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     Qí xī yǒu dà shān, tiānxià zhì gāo zhě yě. [Pinyin]

     Laden with surrounding mountains, it is clearly the most supreme under heaven.

6. A surname​. Ye

Synonyms

Compounds

Japanese

Kanji

(“Jinmeiyō” kanji used for names)

1. to be
2. also
3. too

Readings

• Goon: や (ya)
• Kan’on: や (ya)
• Kun: なり (nari), また (mata)

Korean

Hanja

也 • ‎(ya)
Eumhun:

• Sound (hangeul): 야 (revised: ya, McCune-Reischauer: ya)

• Name (hangeul): 이끼, 어조사 (revised: ikki, eojosa, McCune-Reischauer: ikki, ǒjosa)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

• Naver Hanja Dictionary: 也

Vietnamese

Han character

也 (dã, dạ, giã)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

• Nom Foundation