ـی

Northern Kurdish

Suffix

ـی (-î)

1. Arabic spelling of -î

Ottoman Turkish

Suffix

ـی • (-ı, -i, -u, -ü)

1. 3rd-person possessive suffix

   قیامت كونی

   kıyamet günü

   judgement day

Persian

Etymology 1

From Middle Persian -yk' / 𐭩𐭪𐭩 (yky /⁠-īg⁠/), from Proto-Iranian *-akah, from Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂kos, from a-stem suffix *-eh₂ + adjectival suffix *-kos. There is no evidence to support a relation with the Arabic ـِيّ (-iyy) which however does merge with this suffix. See ـه (-e) for another instance where the 'g' phoneme is removed from the end of the Middle Persian suffix in its New Persian form.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [(j)iː]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [(j)iː]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [(j)iː]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [(j)iː]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [(j)i]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [(j)iː]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [(j)i]

Readings
Classical reading?	(y)ī
Dari reading?	(y)ī
Iranian reading?	(y)i
Tajik reading?	(y)i

Suffix

ـی • (-i)

1. Forms nouns or adjectives from nouns
   1. of or pertaining to

      ‎خورشید (xoršid, “sun”) + ‎ـی → ‎خورشیدی (xoršidi, “solar”)

   2. one from or belonging to

      ‎تهران (tehrân, “Tehran”) + ‎ـی → ‎تهرانی (tehrâni, “Tehrani”)

   3. Forms the word for a profession, and the place it is practiced, from the word for the person who practice it

      ‎خیاط (xayyât, “tailor”) + ‎ـی → ‎خیاطی (xayyâti, “tailoring; tailor shop”)

   4. able to, capabale of being, deserved to be, determined to, and/or destined to

      ‎خوردن (xordan, “to eat”) + ‎ـی → ‎خوردنی (xordani, “edible”)

      ‎رفتن (raftan, “to go”) + ‎ـی → ‎رفتنی (raftani, “destined to leave”)

2. Forms surnames.

Usage notes

ـی is the form that follows words ending in consonants. Adjectives ending in the short vowel ـه (-e) will use the form ـگی (-egi) for their derived nouns, while nouns ending in ـه (-e) will usually add the non-joining ای (-i) to form their derived adjectives. Both nouns and adjectives ending in the long vowels ـا (-â) and ـو (-u) will use the form یی (-yi)

As a derivational suffix, ـی and the above-mentioned alternative forms take the stress in a word, as in خورشیدی (xoršidi, “solar”). As the marked indefinite or relative definite suffix, the stress remains on the root of the word, as in خورشیدی (xoršidi, “a sun / the sun which”)

Most Persian surnames end in this suffix.

Derived terms

Category Persian terms suffixed with ـی not found

References

• MacKenzie, D. N. (1986). A Concise Pahlavi Dictionary. OUP. p. 45.

Etymology 2

From Middle Persian 𐭩𐭧 (yḥ /⁠-īh⁠/).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [iː]

Suffix

ـی • (-i)

1. Forms abstract nouns from adjectives.

   ‎بزرگ (bozorg, “big”) + ‎ـی → ‎بزرگی (bozorgi, “bigness”)

   ‎شیرین (širin, “sweet”) + ‎ـی → ‎شیرینی (širini, “sweetness”)

   ‎جوان (javân, “young”) + ‎ـی → ‎جوانی (javâni, “youth”)

Etymology 3

From Middle Persian 𐭸 (1 /⁠ē(w)⁠/), from Old Persian 𐎠𐎡𐎺 (a-i-v /⁠aiva⁠/), Proto-Iranian *Háywah, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *Háywas, from Proto-Indo-European *óywos. Compare Ancient Greek οἶος (oîos), and Avestan 𐬀𐬉𐬎𐬎𐬀 (aēuua).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [(j)eː]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [(j)eː]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [(j)eː]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [(j)eː]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [(j)eː]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [(j)iː]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [(j)e]

Readings
Classical reading?	(y)ē
Dari reading?	(y)ē
Iranian reading?	(y)i
Tajik reading?	(y)e

Suffix

Dari	ـی
Iranian Persian
Tajik	-е

ـی • (-i)

1. a, one; Marks a noun phrase as indefinite or non-specific, especially in the literary language.

   Synonym: (colloquial) یه (ye)

2. Marks a noun phrase attributed by a subordinate clause as restrictive.

   ساختمانی که علی در آن زندگی می‌کند بزرگ است.

   sâxtemân-i ke 'ali dar ân zendegi mi-konad bozorg-ast.

   The building where Ali lives is big.

   Contrast with:

   آن ساختمان که علی در آن زندگی می‌کند بزرگ است.

   ân sâxtemân ke 'ali dar ân zendegi mi-konad bozorg-ast.

   That building, where Ali lives, is big.

Usage notes

This suffix is attached as a suffix to a noun in a sentence and acts as the indefinite object marker. Most words use the non-joining ای (-i), unless the word ends in the long vowels ـا (-â) and ـو (-u) or a non-joining consonant. For instance, “a house” would be خانه‌ای (xâne-i), “a dog” would be سگ‌ای (sag-i), and “houses” would be خانه‌هایی (xâne-hâ-yi).

Urdu

Etymology 1

Inherited from Sauraseni Prakrit -𑀇𑀅 (-ia), from Sanskrit -इक (-ika, diminutive suffix) or Sanskrit -ईय (-īya, adjectival suffix). Later influenced by Persian ـی (-i).

Suffix

ـی • (-ī) (Hindi spelling -ई)

1. relating to, forms adjectives from nouns

   ‎جوکھم (jokhim, “risk”) + ‎ـی (-ī) → ‎جوکھمی (jokhimī, “risky”)

   ‎پستہ (pista, “pistachio”) + ‎ـی (-ī) → ‎پستئی (pistaī, “having the color of [shelled] pistachios”)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from the nominative singular form of Sanskrit -इन् (-in, doer, possessor).

Suffix

ـی • (ī) m (Hindi spelling -ई)

1. doer, possessor

   ‎ساتھ (sāth, “company, support”) + ‎ـی (-ī) → ‎ساتھی (sāthī, “companion, partner”)

   ‎روگ (rog, “sickness, disease”) + ‎ـی (-ī) → ‎روگی (rogī, “sick person, patient”)

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Classical Persian ـی (-ī), from Middle Persian 𐭩𐭧 (yḥ /⁠-īh⁠/).

Suffix

ـی • (-ī) f (Hindi spelling -ई)

1. forms abstract nouns from adjectives or common nouns

   ‎روشن (rauśan, “bright”) + ‎ـی (-ī) → ‎روشنی (rauśnī, “brightness”)

Derived terms

Urdu terms suffixed with ـی