أي

See also: إي‎, آی‎, ای‎, and اي‎

Arabic

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔajj/

• Audio

  (file)

Pronoun

أَيّ • (ʾayy) m or f

1. which ...? what ...? what kind of ...? (followed by a noun in the genitive or a personal suffix)

   ‏مِنْ أَيِّ بَلَدٍ أَنْتَ؟‎‎

   min ʾayyi baladin ʾanta?

   From which country are you?

   ‏أَيًّا مِنْ هٰذِهِ الْأَلْعَابِ تُفَضِّلُ؟‎‎

   ʾayyan min hāḏihi l-ʾalʿābi tufaḍḍilu?

   Which of these games do you prefer?

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 31:34:

     ‏وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ‎

     wa-mā tadrī nafsun māḏā taksibu ḡadan wa-mā tadrī nafsun bi-ʾayyi ʾarḍin tamūtu

     [...] and no soul perceives in what land it will die.

2. whichever

   ‏أَيَّ كِتَابٍ تَقْرَأْ يُفِدْكَ‎

   ʾayya kitābin taqraʾ yufidka

   Whichever book you read, it'll benefit you.

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 17:110:

     ‏أَيًّا مَا تَدْعُوا فَلَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَاءُ ٱلْحُسْنَى‎

     ʾayyan mā tadʿū fa-lahu l-ʾasmāʾu l-ḥusnā

     [... by] whatever [name] you call upon [Him], to Him belongs the best names.

3. any

   ‏زُرْنِي فِي أَيِّ وَقْتٍ‎

   zurnī fī ʾayyi waqtin

   Visit me at any time.

Derived terms

• أَيٌّ مَا‎ (ʾayyun mā)
• كَأَيِّنْ‎ (kaʾayyin)

Declension

Declension of pronoun أَيّ (ʾayy)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَيّ ʾayy	—	أَيّ ʾayy
Nominative	أَيٌّ ʾayyun	—	أَيُّ ʾayyu
Accusative	أَيًّا‎ ʾayyan	—	أَيَّ ʾayya
Genitive	أَيٍّ ʾayyin	—	أَيِّ ʾayyi

Etymology 2

Conjunction

أَيْ • (ʾay)

1. that is to say, namely, i.e.

References

• Haywood, J.A.; Nahmad, H.M. (1965) , “أي”, in A new Arabic grammar, 2^nd edition, London: Lund Humphries, →ISBN