Jump To:

• ya
  ya

  pronoun

  you.
• yā
  yā

  noun

  the 28th letter of the Arabic alphabet.
• YA
  YA

  abbreviation

  young adult.

ya

¹ American  

[yuh] / jə /

pronoun

Informal.

1. you.

   Give me a hand, will ya?

2. your.

   Where's ya brother?

---

ya ² American  

[yah] / jɑ /

interjection

Informal.

1. a variant of yeah.

---

yā ³ American  

[yah] / jɑ /

noun

1. the 28th letter of the Arabic alphabet.

---

YA ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. young adult.

---

Etymology

Origin of ya¹

First recorded in 1820–25; a phonetic spelling representing the pronunciation of you and your in continuous rapid speech

Origin of yā³

From Arabic

Example Sentences

Would that be worth something to ya, Boyo?

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

But the agent checking me in said little beyond, “Where ya going?”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Later in the email, the sender asks: "How's LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?" before signing off "see ya A xxx".

From BBC • Dec. 23, 2025

Kojo even adopted Kojak’s famous catchphrase, “Who loves ya, baby?”

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

“Thought ya mite,” Wilf says, looking back over his shoulder at us again.

From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness