ya

¹ American  

[yuh] / yə /

pronoun

Informal.

1. you.

   Give me a hand, will ya?

2. your.

   Where's ya brother?

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ya ² American  

[yah] / yɑ /

interjection

Informal.

1. a variant of yeah.

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yā ³ American  

[yah] / yɑ /

noun

1. the 28th letter of the Arabic alphabet.

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YA ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. young adult.

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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

A sus 41 años y jugando su 23ª temporada, un récord, se le preguntó a James sobre su futuro, ya que su eventual retirada siempre parece ser motivo de curiosidad.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2026

Still, if you were hoping for a stirring redemption speech from the podium, a little I told ya so, Darnold didn’t indulge it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

It was nonetheless immortalized in Lightfoot’s lyrics: “At 7 p.m., a main hatchway caved in, he said, ‘Fellas, it’s been good to know ya.’

From Slate • Nov. 10, 2025

While filming her scenes, she kept a note in her pocket that read: "Suzanne, Love ya!"

From BBC • Oct. 22, 2025

“What am I to say to him? Gwa ya gini?”

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie