יה

Hebrew

Pronunciation

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /jah/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ja(h)/

Etymology 1

Contracted form of יהוה (“YHWH, Yahweh, Jehovah”).

Proper noun

יָהּ • (Yah) m

1. Jah, one of the names of God and a common theophoric element in Hebrew names.

Usage notes

• Observant Jews, outside of prayer, may prefer to write and say קָהּ (kah), so as not to abuse the name of God.

References

• H3050 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Etymology 2

From י (“ten”) +‎ ה (“five”).

Noun

יה • (15) m

1. Alternative form of טו ("fifteen"), usually avoided owing to its homonymy with the holy name Jah.