'y

See also: Appendix:Variations of "y"

Old Tupi

Alternative forms

• îy (North Tupi)
• u (Língua Geral Paulista)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *ʔɨ, from Proto-Tupian *ʔɨ.

Cognate with Aurá, Awetí, Emerillon, Guajá, Sateré-Mawé, Tapirapé, Tembé, and Xingú Asuriní ʔɨ and Guaraní y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʔɨ/
• Rhymes: -ɨ
• Hyphenation: 'y

Noun

'y (possessable)

1. water

   Synonym: y

2. river

   Synonym: y

3. spring (water source)

Derived terms

• 'y rapé
• 'yaipuka
• 'yakã
• 'yanhangoty
• 'yape'ara
• 'yape'ara rupi
• 'yapyra
• 'yapyrakoty
• 'yapé
• 'yapé 'arybo
• 'yapó
• 'yaíba
• 'ye'ẽ
• 'yembe'yba
• 'yembykoty
• 'yeté
• 'ykatu
• 'ykûabapûana
• 'ymombukaba
• 'ypabe'ymba'e
• 'ypytera
• 'ysyryka
• 'yîebyra

Descendants

• Nheengatu: ií

Further reading

• Navarro, Eduardo de Almeida (2013), “'y”, in Dicionário de tupi antigo: a língua indígena clássica do Brasil [Dictionary of Old Tupi: The Classical Indigenous Language of Brazil ] (overall work in Portuguese), São Paulo: Global, →ISBN, page 513, columns 1–2

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• ,i, — obsolete, Spanish-based spelling
• 'i — obsolete

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /j/ [ɪ̯]

Particle

'y (Baybayin spelling ᜌ᜔)

1. contraction of ay

Usage notes

• Only used following a word ending in a vowel or ⟨n⟩
• Where it is used after a word ending in n, it usually elides that letter (e.g. paraa'y from paraan ay)
• Where it is used after a word ending with a diphthong, it usually elides the final letter of the diphthong (e.g. ika'y from ikaw ay)

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/

Determiner

’y (triggers nasal mutation)

1. informal form of fy (“my”)

Zo'é

Noun

'y

1. water

   'y týpusĩn

   Water is dirty

References

• Castro, Onesimo Martins de, Nilton Varela Hitotuzi, Alessandro Borges Tatagiba, e Maria da Conceição Queiroz Vale. 2025. “Revisão fonológica E Proposta ortográfica Para a língua Zo’é: Contribuições Para a educação Escolar indígena”. Caderno Pedagógico 22 (5):e14603. https://doi.org/10.54033/cadpedv22n5-031.
• Camara Cabral, Ana Suelly & Jennings, Erik & Pinto, Suely. (2020). Manual Linguístico de Apoio ao Atendimento de Saúde junto ao Povo Zo'é.
• Castro, Onesimo. “DICIONARIO LEXICAL ZOE PORTUGUES 1993.” DICIONARIO LEXICAL ZOE PORTUGUES (Poturu), 1993.