-ji
-jī or Ji (Devanagari: जी, Urdu: جی) is mainly an honorific suffix used in many Indian languages such as Hindi, Urdu, Bhojpuri etc. The word "-ji" is not a mainstream word of Bengali language, but sometimes used as suffix after names.
Origin
The origin of the ji honorific is uncertain.[1] One suggestion is that it is a borrowing from an Austroasiatic language such as Sora.[2] Another is that the term means 'soul' or 'life' (similar to the jān suffix) and is derived from Sanskrit.[3]
Usage
As an honorific
-ji may be used as an honorific after names or salutations to show respect.
Example
(Names)
- Anandamurtiji
- Netaji
- Swamiji
(Other examples)
- Mamaji (Mama=Materal uncle)
- Chachaji (Chacha=Paternal uncle)
- Nanaji (Nana=Maternal grandfather)
As a standalone word
-ji may also be used as a single word and as an independent word, its meaning changes depending on the way word is pronounced or punctuation is used after it in writing.
Examples
- "-ji" as "okay" or "all right"
- Person 1: I'll reach there by 6 pm
- Person 2: Ji.
- "-ji" as "yes"
- Person 1: Do you have an English-Hebrew dictionary?
- Person 2: Ji.
References
- ^ Archiv Orientální, Volume 75, Československý orientální ústav v Praze, Orientální ústav (Československá akademie věd), 2007, ... Artur Karp is concerned with the etymology of the honorific —ji, which belongs to the basic vocabulary of Hindi. Its etymology is unclear and the author points out several possibilities ...
- ^ Sora-English Dictionary, Giḍugu Veṅkaṭarāmamūrti, Mittal Publications, 1986, ... Is honorific -ji used in the neo-Aryan languages of India borrowed from Sora? ...
- ^ Perfecting Women: Maulana Ashraf ʻAlī Thanawi's Bihishti Zewar: a Partial Translation with Commentary, Ashraf ʻAlī Thānvī, Barbara Daly Metcalf, pp. 165, University of California Press, 1992, ISBN 9780520080935, ... Seemingly used interchangeably, the terms qalb, dil, and ji are, respectively, Arabic, Persian, and Hindi in origin, the linguistic universalism suggesting the comprehensiveness the term "heart" is meant to convey; in all three cases, the meaning spills over to "self", "mind," and "soul" ...