-j

See also: Appendix:Variations of "j"

Albanian

Etymology

Related to reflexive pronoun u (“I”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /j/

Suffix

-j

1. Attached to o-stem verbs (in active voice). Indicating 1st person singular; indicative, present.

   Examples of o-stem verbs:

   • afro (“bring closer!”) + -j → afroj (“I bring closer”)

   • barazo (“equalize!”) + -j → barazoj (“I equalize”)

   • krahaso (“compare!”) + -j → krahasoj (“I compare”)

   • shko (“go!”) (2nd pers. singular verb form) + -j (“I”) → shkoj (“I go”)

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Egyptian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (reconstructed Old Egyptian) /Vj/, where V represents an unknown short vowel.

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /i/
  • Conventional anglicization: -i

Suffix

1. Marks the dual form of nouns and adjectives. Attaches to the singular form if feminine or the plural form if masculine.
2. Sometimes added to suffix pronouns attached to dual nouns.

Alternative forms

Often this suffix is represented by writing the phonetic or determinative glyph twice, e.g. for tꜣwj.

Derived terms

• -wj
• -tj

 

Etymology 2

Hypothesized to be from Proto-Afroasiatic *-i (genitive-possessive case ending).

Pronunciation

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ij/ → /ij/ → /(ej)/

• (Old Egyptian, c. 2500 BCE) IPA^(key): /ij/
• (Middle Egyptian, c. 1700 BCE) IPA^(key): /ij/
• (Late Egyptian, c. 800 BCE) (stressed) IPA^(key): /ej/ or IPA^(key): /eʔ/; (unstressed) silent, but preserves root-final IPA^(key): /t/ or IPA^(key): /ɾ/ that would otherwise be lost

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /i/
  • Conventional anglicization: -i

Suffix

1. Converts nouns (including proper nouns and nisbas used nominally), prepositions, independent pronouns, and numerals into masculine adjectives: the masculine nisba adjective ending.

Usage notes

In Old Egyptian this suffix was still productive. By Late Egyptian this was no longer the case, and adjectives with the suffix were lexicalized.

Alternative forms

This suffix is sometimes not written; in Old Egyptian, such omission is the usual practice.

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of -j  

-j	-y
[Old Egyptian]	[Old Egyptian]

Etymology 3

Hypothesized to be from earlier *-iu or *-iju, from Proto-Afroasiatic *-u (nominative case ending) attached to a root ending in *-i or *-ij.

Pronunciation

 

• (reconstructed) IPA^(key): /ij/ → /ij/ → /(ej)/

• (Old Egyptian, c. 2500 BCE) IPA^(key): /ij/
• (Middle Egyptian, c. 1700 BCE) IPA^(key): /ij/
• (Late Egyptian, c. 800 BCE) (stressed) IPA^(key): /ej/ or IPA^(key): /eʔ/; (unstressed) silent, but preserves root-final IPA^(key): /t/ or IPA^(key): /ɾ/ that would otherwise be lost

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /i/
  • Conventional anglicization: -i

Suffix

1. Forms i-stem masculine nouns from roots.

Etymology 4

Suffix

1. Forms prepositional adverbs from certain prepositions.

Etymology 5

From the earlier infinitival ending -t; the consonant of this suffix became silent over time, leaving its remaining vowel to be represented by -j.

Suffix

1. Forms the infinitive of anomalous verbs, weak verbs (except for fourth weak verbs with a geminated stem), and causative biliteral verbs.

Etymology 6

Suffix

1. Optionally marks the masculine imperfective active participle, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of -j  

-y

Etymology 7

Suffix

1. Optionally marks the masculine geminated perfective passive participle of strong biliteral verbs, intervening between the stem and the gender/number endings.

See also

• .j (first-person singular suffix pronoun)

References

• James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, 51, 61, 91, 95, 165, 328–329 page 39–40, 51, 61, 91, 95, 165, 328–329.
• Loprieno, Antonio (1995) Ancient Egyptian: A Linguistic Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN
• Allen, James P. (2017) A Grammar of the Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts, Volume 1: Unis, page 55
• Junge, Friedrich (2005) Late Egyptian Grammar: An Introduction, second English edition, Oxford: Griffith Institute, page 65

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Esperanto

Etymology

From the nominative plural in /i/ or /j/ found in many European languages, particularly the original diphthongs Ancient Greek -οι (-oi), -αι (-ai), and Latin -ae.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /j/, [i̯]

Suffix

-j

1. -s, -es (marks the plural form of nouns, adjectives, and some pronouns)

   juna patro (young father) → junaj patroj (young fathers)

   mia vundita mano (my injured hand) → miaj vunditaj manoj (my injured hands)

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Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [j]

Suffix

-j

1. (personal suffix) Used to form the second-person singular subjunctive/imperative of verbs (indefinite conjugation). It is also part of all subjunctive/imperative suffixes in both indefinite and definite conjugations.

   vár (“to wait”) → Várj! ― Wait!

   Várjak? ― Should I wait?

Usage notes

• (subjunctive/imperative suffix) Allomorphs are listed below. For verbs ending in -ik, remove the -ik to determine the correct case.

  -j used in all subjunctive forms not mentioned below

  ír (“to write”) → írj! (“write!”)

  -gy used in the verbs eszik, iszik, lesz, tesz, vesz, visz

  eszik (“to eat”) → egyél! (“eat!”)

  -ggy used only in the verb hisz

  hisz (“to believe”) → higgyél! (“believe!”)

  -jj used only in the verb jön

  jön (“to come”) → jöjj! (“come!”), an archaic/literary variant of the irregular (suppletive) form gyere (“come!”)

  -s used in verbs ending in -t and -s, compare yod coalescence

  tanít (“to teach”) → taníts! (“teach!”)

  újjászületik (“to be born again”) → szüless újjá! (“be born again!”)

  keres (“to seek”) → keress! (“seek!”)

  késik (“to be late”) → ne késs! (“don't be late!”)

  -z used in verbs ending in -z

  hoz (“to bring”) → hozz valamit! (“bring something!”)

  dohányzik (“to smoke”) → ne dohányozz! (“don't smoke!”)

  ∅ denotes the covert subjunctive suffix -j in the short form of second-person singular definite forms

  vár (“to wait”) → várd (vár-∅-d)! (“wait for him/her/it!”)

    Subjunctive/imperative indefinite – personal endings

Person		Back     vowel	Front vowel
			unrounded	rounded
én	1st person singular	-jak	-jek
te	2nd person singular	-j
	long form	-jál	-jél
ő maga ön	3rd person singular	-jon	-jen	-jön
	-ik verbs (optional)	-jék
mi	1st person plural	-junk	-jünk
ti	2nd person plural	-jatok	-jetek
ők maguk önök	3rd person plural	-janak	-jenek
See also: present-tense definite-object suffixes and second-person-object suffixes for informal addressing.
Verb ending	Assimilation rules of -j
-s -sz -z -dz	The -j assimilates to the verb ending:   keres →‎ keress   metsz →‎ metssz   hoz →‎ hozz   edz →‎ eddz
-st -szt	The -t is removed; the -j assimilates to the -s, -sz:   fest →‎ fess   fáraszt →‎ fárassz
long vowel + t or consonant + t	The -j becomes -s:   segít →‎ segíts   bont →‎ bonts Exceptions: bocsát → bocsáss, lát → láss
short vowel + t	Both the stem-final -t and the -j become -s:   mutat → mutass, szeret → szeress

    Subjunctive/imperative definite – personal endings

Person		Back    vowel	Front    vowel
én	1st person singular	-jam	-jem
te	2nd person singular	-d
	long form	-jad	-jed
ő maga ön	3rd person singular	-ja	-je
mi	1st person plural	-juk	-jük
ti	2nd person plural	-játok	-jétek
ők maguk önök	3rd person plural	-ják	-jék
See also: present-tense indefinite-object suffixes and second-person-object suffixes for informal addressing.
Verb ending	Assimilation rules of -j
s sz z dz	The -j assimilates to the verb ending:   keres →‎ keress   metsz →‎ metssz   hoz →‎ hozz   edz →‎ eddz (No change in the short -d form of 2nd-person singular definite: keresd, metszd, hozd, edzd.)
st szt	The -t is removed, the -j assimilates to the -s, -sz:   fest →‎ fess   fáraszt →‎ fárassz Short -d forms: fesd, fáraszd.
long vowel + t or consonant + t	The -j becomes -s:   segít →‎ segíts   bont →‎ bonts Exceptions: bocsát → bocsáss, lát → láss Short -d forms: segítsd, bontsd; lásd, bocsásd.
short vowel + t	Both the stem-final -t and the -j become -s:   mutat → mutass, szeret → szeress Short -d forms: mutasd, szeresd.

See also

• Category:Hungarian verb forms
• Appendix:Hungarian suffixes

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Polish

Alternative forms

• -yj, -ij

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /j/
• Syllabification: j

Suffix

-j

1. Forms imperatives of vowel stems

   a → działać → dzialaj

   e → bieleć → bielej

   i → bić → bij

   u → kuć → kuj

   y → gaworzyć → gaworzyj

Derived terms

Category Polish words suffixed with -j not found

Further reading

• -j in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• -j in Polish dictionaries at PWN