也

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

• 他, 吔, 地, 她, 弛, 彵, 忚, 扡, 池, 𮋭, 阤, 𤜣, 肔, 杝, 灺, 牠, 迆, 𥐨, 𦧇, 祂, 䄬, 毑, 䊶, 𦏸, 虵, 衪, 訑, 貤, 酏, 釶, 䪧, 馳, 䶔, 乸, 㐌, 㦾, 竾, 髢, 匜, 𥒃, 𮌊
• 𰀸

• ㄝ (Zhuyin alphabet)
• ㆤ (Zhuyin alphabet)
• や (Hiragana character derived from Man'yōgana)
• ヤ (Katakana character derived from Man'yōgana)

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 84, character 4
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 171
• Dae Jaweon: page 170, character 4
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 50, character 5
• Unihan data for U+4E5F

Historical forms of the character 也
Spring and Autumn	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts
Bronze inscriptions b17218 Small seal script s09381 Transcribed ancient scripts L35048 L35049 L35050 L35051 L17347 L17348 L17349 L17350 L17351 L17352 L17353
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 (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Uncertain. There are various possible explanations:

• The traditional glyph origin given in Shuowen explains the character to be a pictogram (象形) of female genitalia.
• It is possibly a pictogram (象形) of an ancient funnel or wash basin. It may be an early form of 匜.
• It was once interchangeable with 它 and may have originated as a simplification.
• 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.
• It may have signified a big-headed scorpion with its legs flattened, signifying as something very "flat" or "stretched out".

classical sentence-ending copulative particle, topic particle

Unclear. Possibly Sino-Tibetan, connectable to Tibetan ལ (la), which is often used as a marker (for oblique locative, dative, possessor in constructions with a copula verb, etc.) but also a topicalizer like ནི (ni, “as for”) (Schuessler, 2007).

On the other hand, Pulleyblank (1995) notes the similarity with anteclassical 唯 (OC *ɢʷi) as a copula and a topicalizer.

also, too, as well

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

也

1. also; too; as well; (in negative sentences) neither; either

   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.

   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.

2. Used for emphasis.

   這也太不像話了。 [MSC, trad.]
   这也太不像话了。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhè yě tài bùxiànghuà le. [Pinyin]

   This is way too outrageous.

   1. With object fronting.

      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.

   2. Used in the 連……也……／连……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.

   3. Used in the 再……也…… concessive constructions. still, anyway, nevertheless

      你再聰明，也回答不了這個問題。 [MSC, trad.]
      你再聪明，也回答不了这个问题。 [MSC, simp.]

      Nǐ zài cōngmíng, yě huídá bùliǎo zhè ge wèntí. [Pinyin]

      No matter how smart you are, you won't be able to answer this question.

3. (Classical) Particle used at the end of copular constructions involving a nominal predicate; to be (although not grammatically a verb)

   我亦人也。 [Literary Chinese]  ―  Wǒ yì rén yě. [Pinyin]  ―  I am a person, too.

   其西有大山，天下至高者也。 [Literary Chinese, trad. and simp.]

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

   In the west there are great mountains, which are the tallest in the world.

   • 君子人與？君子人也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     君子人与？君子人也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE

     Jūnzǐ rén yú? Jūnzǐ rén yě. [Pinyin]

     Is he a noble person? He is a noble person.

   • 滕小國也，間於齊楚。事齊乎？事楚乎？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     滕小国也，间于齐楚。事齐乎？事楚乎？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

     Téng xiǎoguó yě, jiān yú Qí Chǔ. Shì Qí hū? Shì Chǔ hū? [Pinyin]

     Teng is a small kingdom, between Qi and Chu. Should we serve Qi? Or Should we serve Chu?

   • 由是觀之，無惻隱之心，非人也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     由是观之，无恻隐之心，非人也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

     Yóushì guān zhī, wú cèyǐn zhī xīn, fēi rén yě. [Pinyin]

     From this we may see that if somebody lacks a commiserating heart, they are not a human being.

   • 萬物雖多，其治一也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     万物虽多，其治一也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

     Wànwù suī duō, qí zhì yī yě. [Pinyin]

     Though the myriad things are many, their government is one.

   1. Often used more loosely than the English copula to indicate a cause or relation.

      • 死生，命也，其有夜旦之常，天也。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

        From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

        Sǐ shēng, mìng yě, qí yǒu yè dàn zhī cháng, tiān yě. [Pinyin]

        Life and death are [matters of] destiny. That there is the constancy of night and dawn is [a matter of] Heaven.

      • 桀紂之失天下也，失其民也；失其民者，失其心也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
        桀纣之失天下也，失其民也；失其民者，失其心也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

        From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

        Jié Zhòu zhī shī tiānxià yě, shī qí mín yě; shī qí mín zhě, shī qí xīn yě. [Pinyin]

        That Jie and Zhou lost the empire was because they lost their people; that they lost their people was because they lost their hearts.

4. (Classical) Topic-marking particle used at the end of noun phrases.

   Synonym: 者 (zhě)

   • 回也，不愚。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE

     Huí yě, bù yú. [Pinyin]

     Hui is not foolish.

   • 人之生也，固若是芒乎！其我獨芒，而人亦有不芒者乎！ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     人之生也，固若是芒乎！其我独芒，而人亦有不芒者乎！ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

     Rén zhī shēng yě, gù ruò shì máng hū! Qí wǒ dú máng, ér rén yì yǒu bù máng zhě hū! [Pinyin]

     As for a man's life, is it hazy like this all along? Or is it mine alone which is hazy, and there are others who are not?

   • 凡法術之難行也，不獨萬乘，千乘亦然。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     凡法术之难行也，不独万乘，千乘亦然。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Han Feizi, circa 2^nd century BCE

     Fán fǎshù zhī nán xíng yě, bù dú wànchéng, qiānchéng yì rán. [Pinyin]

     Generally concerning the difficulty of carrying out the law, not only the imperial realm but kingdoms are also [faced with] this.

   1. when, at the time of; especially commonly used for temporal topics, often as 及其……也.

      • 丈夫之冠也，父命之；女子之嫁也，母命之。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

        From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

        Zhàngfū zhī guàn yě, fù mìng zhī; nǚzǐ zhī jià yě, mǔ mìng zhī. [Pinyin]

        When a man is capped [at the age of twenty], his father instructs him; when a girl is married, her mother instructs her.

      • 三代之得天下也以仁，其失天下也以不仁。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

        From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

        Sāndài zhī dé tiānxià yě yǐ rén, qí shī tiānxià yě yǐ bù rén. [Pinyin]

        When the Three Dynasties gained the empire, it was through benevolence; when they lost the empire, it was through lack of benevolence.

      • 昔者，魯昭公少喪其母，有慈母良。及其死也，公弗忍也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
        昔者，鲁昭公少丧其母，有慈母良。及其死也，公弗忍也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

        From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

        Xīzhě, Lǔ Zhāogōng shào sàng qí mǔ, yǒu címǔ liáng. Jí qí sǐ yě, gōng fú rěn yě. [Pinyin]

        Duke Zhao of Lu was once bereaved of his mother when he was a child, and had a foster mother who was kind. When she died, the Duke could not bear it.

5. (Classical) Verb phrase-final particle marking continuous aspect, especially common for assertions of unchanging fact.

   • 孟武伯問：「子路仁乎？」子曰：「不知也。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     孟武伯问：「子路仁乎？」子曰：「不知也。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE

     Mèng Wǔ Bó wèn: “Zǐlù rén hū?” Zǐ yuē: “Bù zhī yě.” [Pinyin]

     Meng Wu Bo asked. "Is Zilu benevolent?" The Master said, "I do not know."

   • 當是之時，堅車良馬不知貴也，刻鏤文采不知喜也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     当是之时，坚车良马不知贵也，刻镂文采不知喜也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mozi, c. 4^th century BCE

     Dāngshì zhī shí, jiānchē liángmǎ bù zhī guì yě, kèlòu wéncǎi bù zhī xǐ yě. [Pinyin]

     In that age, they did not find value in sturdy chariots and good horses; they did not find pleasure in carvings and adornments.

   • 人皆知有用之用，而莫知無用之用也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     人皆知有用之用，而莫知无用之用也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

     Rén jiē zhī yǒuyòng zhī yòng, ér mò zhī wúyòng zhī yòng yě. [Pinyin]

     Everybody knows the use in being useful, but nobody knows the use in being useless.

6. (Teochew) if
7. a surname. Ye

• Caboara, Marco (2010) The particle ye 也 and related constructions in the Guodian manuscripts of IV century BCE (PhD)‎, University of Washington

(“Jinmeiyō” kanji used for names)

1. to be
2. (uncommon) also

• Go-on: や (ya); え (e)
• Kan-on: や (ya)
• Kun: なり (nari, 也); か (ka); また (mata, 也)

As an alternative form of 迆:

• Go-on: い (i)
• Kan-on: い (i)
• Kun: これ (kore, 也)

Orthographic borrowing from Literary Chinese 也 (yě, copula).

Orthographic borrowing from Mandarin 也 (yě, “also”). Probably an early modern innovation.

也 (eumhun 잇기 야 (itgi ya))

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

也 (eumhun 어조사 야 (eojosa ya))

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

也 (eumhun 잇달을 야 (itdareul ya))

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也: Hán Việt readings: giã, dã
也: Nôm readings: dạ, dã, giã, rã

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

• Hồ Lê (1976). Bảng Tra Chữ Nôm. Hanoi: Viện Ngôn Ngữ Học.
• Nguyễn, Quang Hồng (2014). Tự Điển Chữ Nôm Dẫn Giải (Nôm Characters with Quotations and Annotations). Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học Xã hội (Social Sciences Publishing House).
• Williams, Noriko Kurosawa (2010). "The Key to Kanji". Boston: Cheng & Tsui Company, Inc.