CS Knowledge Base

ي U+064A, ي ARABIC LETTER YEH ← ى [U+0649] Arabic ◌ً → [U+064B]

Isolated form	Final form	Medial form	Initial form
ي	ـي	ـيـ	يـ

ﻱ U+FEF1, ﻱ ARABIC LETTER YEH ISOLATED FORM ← ﻰ [U+FEF0] Arabic Presentation Forms-B ﻲ → [U+FEF2]

ﻲ U+FEF2, ﻲ ARABIC LETTER YEH FINAL FORM ← ﻱ [U+FEF1] Arabic Presentation Forms-B ﻳ → [U+FEF3]

ﻳ U+FEF3, ﻳ ARABIC LETTER YEH INITIAL FORM ← ﻲ [U+FEF2] Arabic Presentation Forms-B ﻴ → [U+FEF4]

ﻴ U+FEF4, ﻴ ARABIC LETTER YEH MEDIAL FORM ← ﻳ [U+FEF3] Arabic Presentation Forms-B ﻵ → [U+FEF5]

• (Name of letter) IPA^(key): [ja]
• (Phoneme) IPA^(key): [j]

ي (ya) (no case)

1. The thirty-fourth letter of the Acehnese alphabet, written in the Arabic script.

• Arabic script letters: حرف (haraih, harah) (script appendix): ا, ب, ت, ة, ث, ج, چ, ح, خ, د, ذ, ر, ز, س, ش, ص, ض, ط, ظ, ع, غ, ڠ, ف, ڤ, ق, ک, ݢ, ل, م, ن, و, ۏ, ه, ء, ي, ى, ڽ ^[edit]

From the Nabataean letter 𐢍 (l, “yodh”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤉 (l, “yodh”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓂝. See also Classical Syriac ܝ (l, “yodh”), Hebrew י (l, “yodh”), Ancient Greek Ι (I), Latin I and Latin J.

• ی (Egypt)

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /jaːʔ/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /j/, /iː/ (in Literary Arabic)
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /j/, /i(ː)/, /e(ː)/ (in Arabic dialects and loanwords)

ي / ي‍ـ‍ / ‍ـي‍ـ / ـي • (yāʔ) (no case)

1. The twenty-eighth and last letter of the Arabic alphabet, written in the Arabic script; preceded by و (w).

• After kasra it is pronounced as a long ī /iː/ or y /j/ after fatḥa, ḍamma and before other vowels.
• In the final position أَلِف مَقْصُورَة (ʔalif maqṣūra, literally “shortened alif”) is always written without dots (ـى). ʔalif maqṣūra always follows a fatḥa and is transliterated as ā; see ى for its pronunciation. It is also called أَلِف لَيِّنَة (ʔalif layyina, literally “flexible alif”).
• The traditional usage remains in Egypt and Sudan, for which the final yāʾ is written without dots and is visually identical to ʔalif maqṣūra.

• Persian: ی

ي / ي‍ـ‍ / ‍ـي‍ـ / ـي • (yāʔ)

1. The tenth numeral symbol of the Arabic alphabet (traditional abjad order, used for list numbering), written in the Arabic script; preceded by ط (ṭ) and followed by ك (k).

Inherited from Proto-Semitic *-ī and/or Proto-Semitic *-ya, from Proto-Afroasiatic *yi (“me”). Compare Biblical Hebrew ־ִי (-i).

ـِي or ـِيَ or ـيَ • (-ī or -iya or -ya)

1. bound object pronoun: me, my

   ‎لِـ (li-, “to”) + ‎ـِي (-ī) → ‎لِي (lī, “to me”)

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 7:105:

     قَدْ جِئْتُكُم بِبَيِّنَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ فَأَرْسِلْ مَعِيَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ

     qad jiʔtukum bibayyinatin min rabbikum faʔarsil maʕiya banī ʔisrāʔīla

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Translation: I have come to you with clear evidence from your Lord, so send with ‘’’me’’’ the Children of Israel.

أَنَا (ʔanā) has four enclitic forms, used in different contexts and generally not interchangeable. The enclitic forms ـنِي (-nī) and ـنِيَ (-niya) are attached to prepositions ending in نْ (n) with no final vowel (e.g., مِنْ (min) and عَنْ (ʕan)) and to verbs. They may also be added to the class of particles traditionally called "the sisters of إِنَّ (ʔinna)" (except لَعَلَّ (laʕalla)).

The forms ـِي (-ī) and ـيَ (-ya) are used elsewhere mostly interchangeably, though restrictions in metrical poetry often determine which variant is used. All short case endings before the suffix are elided (that is, those of the singular, the broken plural, and the so-called sound feminine plural), as in قَوْلِي (qawlī, “my speech (nominative, accusative, or genitive)”), أَصَابِعِي (ʔaṣābiʕī, “my fingers (nominative, accusative, or genitive)”), and مُعَلِّمَاتِي (muʕallimātī, “my female teachers (nominative, accusative, or genitive)”).

In cases where ـِي (-ī) would be preceded by a long vowel, as when suffixing sound masculine plural nouns or nouns ending in -ā or -an, only ـيَ (-ya) is used and this -n (if present in the first place) is removed, as in أَمْرِيكَايَ (ʔamrīkāya, “my America (nominative, accusative, or genitive)”), عَصَايَ (ʕaṣāya, “my stick (nominative, accusative, or genitive)”), فَتَايَ (fatāya, “my boy (nominative, accusative, or genitive)”).

If the word ends in a long close vowel (that is, -ū or -ī), the long close vowel assimilates to /i/ and the suffix is geminated, thus producing ـِيَّ (-iyya), as in مُعَلِّمِيَّ (muʕallimiyya, “my teachers (nominative, accusative, or genitive)”) (from مُعَلِّمُو (muʕallimū, “(the) teachers of (nominative)”) or مُعَلِّمِي (muʕallimī, “teachers of (accusative or genitive)”)) and قَاضِيَّ (qāḍiyya, “my judge (nominative, accusative, or genitive); my judges (nominative, accusative, or genitive)”) (from قَاضِي (qāḍī, “(the) judge of (nominative)”) or from قَاضُو (qāḍū, “(the) judges of (nominative)”) or قَاضِي (qāḍī, “(the) judges of (accusative or genitive)”)).

As for when it's attached to a deficient sound masculine plural nouns (that is, ending in the diphthong -aw or -aj), it's largely the same. Still, the long close vowel assimilates to /a/ instead, thus producing ـَيَّ (-ayya) as in مُصْطَفَيَّ (muṣṭafayya, “my chosen (ones) (nominative, accusative, or genitive)”) (from مُصْطَفَوْ (muṣṭafaw, “(the) chosen (ones) of (nominative)”) or مُصْطَفَيْ (muṣṭafay, “(the) chosen (ones) of (accusative or genitive)”)).

Therefore, when suffixed, such nouns, like nouns with short endings, are described as indeclinable in traditional Arabic grammar. However, the last long vowel is retained if it is open (that is, -ā), as in إِصْبَعَايَ (ʔiṣbaʕāya, “my two fingers (nominative)”) (from إِصْبَعَا (ʔiṣbaʕā, “(the) two fingers of (nominative)”). If the word ends in the diphthong -aj, ـيَ (-ya) is used, /j/ is elided, and the suffix is geminated, as in إِصْبَعَيَّ (ʔiṣbaʕayya, “my two fingers (accusative or genitive)”) (from إِصْبَعَيْ (ʔiṣbaʕay, “(the) two fingers of (accusative or genitive)”). Thus, suffixed dual nouns are distinguishable in case, unlike all the other forms.

Compare Akkadian -ī, Biblical Hebrew ־ִי (-i) and Egyptian -j.

ـِيّ • (-iyy)

2. The nisba suffix, an extremely productive suffix used to derive adjectives (with the meaning “related to ...”) or nouns (with the meaning “person related to ...”) from other nouns

   ‎فَنّ (fann, “art”) + ‎ي (y) → ‎فَنِّيّ (fanniyy, “artistic, artist”)

   ‎عِرَاق (ʕirāq, “Iraq”) + ‎ي (y) → ‎عِرَاقِيّ (ʕirāqiyy, “Iraqi, an Iraqi”)

• IPA^(key): /jaː/

يَٰـ • (yā-)

1. (Classical Arabic) alternative spelling of يَا (yā) (vocative particle)

See يا#Usage notes for details.

• Arabic script letters: حُرُوف (ḥurūf) (alphabet appendix, script appendix): ا, ب, ت, ث, ج, ح, خ, د, ذ, ر, ز, س, ش, ص, ض, ط, ظ, ع, غ, ف, ق, ك, ل, م, ن, ه, و, ي ^[edit]
• ى
• ئ (ʔ)
• ی (Persian ye, Urdu ćho.tī yé)
• Search for entries beginning with ي
• Search for entries beginning with ى

• ى, ی (alternative form)

• From Arabic ي (y). The letter's name comes from Ottoman Turkish یه (ye) or a Learned borrowing from Arabic يَاء (yāʔ)

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /je/, /jaːʔ/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /j/, /iː/, /eː/, /i/ (word-final)

ي • (y) (no case)

1. The twenty-eighth letter of the Egyptian Arabic alphabet, called يه or ياء and written in the Arabic script.
2. misspelling of ى (alif maqṣūra/layyina)

the letter is sometimes spelled as ی in the final position. This was the original form of the letter in final position for both of -ī and -ā, before the creation of ي in the late nineteenth century in the Levant. The continued use of this form long after the creation of ي may be due to Ottoman influence in Egypt where the newer Arabic form was rare and this form was the prevalent. Compare that in Egypt, the Arabic alphabet letters are (still) named based on the Ottoman convention, a practice now almost exclusive to Egypt and Sudan.

Electronically, the similar shaped ى is used and/or interchangable with both the dotted and undotted versions.

• Arabic script letters: حروف (script appendix): ا, ب, ت, ث, ج, ح, خ, د, ذ, ر, ز, س, ش, ص, ض, ط, ظ, ع, غ, ف, ق, ك, ل, م, ن, ه, و, ي ^[edit]

Inherited from Arabic ـِي (-ī).

• IPA^(key): /i(ː)/ (after a consonant)
• IPA^(key): /ja(ː)/ (after a vowel)

ي • (-ī (after a consonant), -yā (after a vowel))

1. enclitic form of انا (anā)
   1. possessive pronoun, attached to nouns: my
   2. prepositional pronoun, attached to prepositions: me

Inherited from Arabic ـِيْ (-iy).

• IPA^(key): /i(ː)/

ـي • (-ī)

2. The nisba suffix, an productive suffix used to derive adjectives (with the meaning “related to ...”) or nouns (with the meaning “person related to ...”) from other nouns

Inherited from Arabic ـِي (-ī).

• IPA^(key): [i]

ـي • (-ī)

1. Conjugates imperative second-person feminine verbs from second-person masculine forms.

   ‎حبّ (ḥibb, “love”) + ‎ي → ‎حبّي (ḥibbī, “she loved”)

Inherited from Arabic يَـ (ya-).

• IPA^(key): [ˈje]

يـ • (yi-)

1. Conjugates subjunctive present-tense third-person masculine verbs from first-person singular forms.

   ‎ي + ‎اعمل (aʕmil, “I do”) → ‎يعمل (yiʕmil, “he does”)

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /jaːʔ/
• (phonemes): IPA^(key): /j/, /iː/, /eː/, /i/ (word-final)

ي • (jāʔ) (no case)

1. The twenty-eighth and last letter of the Hijazi Arabic alphabet, written in the Arabic script; preceded by و (wāw).

• Arabic script letters: حُرُوف (ḥurūf) (script appendix): ا, ب, ت, ث, ج, چ, ح, خ, د, ذ, ر, ز, س, ش, ص, ض, ط, ظ, ع, غ, ف, ق, ك, ل, م, ن, هـ, و, ي ^[edit]

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /ja ˌʲeki noˈqat/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /əj/ (back)
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /ij/, /ɘj/ (front)
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /j/ (consonantal)

ي • (ï, y) (no case, Cyrillic equivalent И or и or Й or й or (sometimes) Ий or ий or :ый)

1. The twenty-ninth letter of the Kazakh alphabet, written in the Arabic script; preceded by ى.

• Represents the back vowel diphthong /əj/, unless a small ء (hamza) was placed in the beginning of the word. In Kazakh the Hamza marks that all vowels in the following word are fronted.
• The letter ي cannot act as a vowel in the beginning of a word or when it is written proceeding another vowel. When ي is unable to make a vowel sound, it becomes the consonant sound /j/.

• Arabic script letters: әріптер (ärıpter) (alphabet appendix, script appendix): ا, ب, پ, ت, ج, چ, ح, د, ر, ز, س, ش, ع, ف, ق, ك, گ, ڭ, ل, م, ن, ە, ھ, و, ۇ, ۋ, ۆ, ى, ي ^[edit]

• (Name of letter) IPA^(key): [jɐ]
• (Phoneme, Consonant) IPA^(key): [j]
• (Phoneme, Vowel) IPA^(key): [i], [e], [ɛ]
• (Phoneme, Vowel, Closed ultima, Johor-Selangor) IPA^(key): [e], [ɛ]

ي / ي‍ـ / ‍ـي‍ـ / ـي (no case)

1. The thirty-fourth letter of the Malay alphabet, written in the Arabic script.

• Arabic script letters (alphabet appendix, script appendix): ا, ب, ت, ة, ث, ج, چ, ح, خ, د, ذ, ر, ز, س, ش, ص, ض, ط, ظ, ع, غ, ڠ, ف, ڤ, ق, ک, ݢ, ل, م, ن, و, ۏ, ه, ء, ي, ى, ڽ ^[edit]

ي • (j) (no case)^[1] (Middle Belarusian Arabica)

1. A letter of the Old Ruthenian alphabet, written in the Arabic script.

• Arabic script letters (script appendix): ا, ب, پ, ت, ث, ج, چ, ح, د, ࢮ, ر, ز, ژ, ش, ࢯ, ص, ض, ط, غ, ف, ق, ك, ل, م, ن, ه, و, ي (خ, ذ, ڛ, س, ظ, ع, ء) ^[edit]

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /ˈklaka je/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /j/, /i/

ي • (klaka ye) (no case)

1. The forty-first letter of the Pashto alphabet, written in the Arabic script; preceded by ۀ and followed by ې.

ي • (transliteration needed)

1. indicates the third person plural present form of verbs
2. at the end of nouns and adjectives, indicates that the word is masculine in the singular oblique case or plural direct case
3. used in the non-declining adjective class

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /jeː/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /j/, /iː/, /eː/

ي • (ye) (no case, Devanagari equivalent य, Khudabadi equivalent 𑋘)

1. The fifty-second letter of the Sindhi alphabet, written in the Arabic script; preceded by ء.

• Arabic script letters: اَکَرَ (akhara) (script appendix): ا, ب, ٻ, ڀ, ت, ٿ, ٽ, ٺ, ث, پ, ج, ڄ, جھ, ڃ, چ, ڇ, ح, خ, د, ڌ, ڏ, ڊ, ڍ, ذ, ر, ڙ, ز, س, ش, ص, ض, ط, ظ, ع, غ, ف, ڦ, ق, ڪ, ک, گ, ڳ, گھ, ڱ, ل, م, ن, ڻ, و, ه, ء, ي ^[edit]

Inherited from Arabic ـِي (-ī).

ـي • (-i after consonant, -y after vowel) m or f

2. Enclitic form of أنا (ʔana)
3. I, me, my

• This form is only used attached to nouns, prepositions and conjunctions. After verbs, the form ـني (-nee) is used instead.

Inherited from Arabic ـِي (-ī).

ـي • (-i) m (feminine ـيّة (-iyye), plural ـيّين (-iyyīn))

1. Nisba suffix turning nouns into adjectives or nouns for people related to

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /je/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /j/

ي • (ye) (no case)

1. The thirty-second and last letter of the Uyghur alphabet, written in the Arabic script; preceded by ئى.

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /jí/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /j/

ي (transliteration needed) (no case, Latin equivalent Y or y)

1. The twenty-fifth letter of the Yoruba alphabet, written in the Arabic script; preceded by و.