tja

See also: tjá, tjå, and тя

Danish

Etymology

Variant of ja (“yes”). This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aː

Interjection

tja

1. Expression of contemplation.

   Tja... jeg ved ikke rigtig.

   Well... I am not sure about this.

Dutch

Alternative forms

• tsja

Etymology

Variant of ja (“yes”). Compare tjonge (from jongen). Compare also Danish ja (“yes”) vs tja (“well…”); Finnish jaa (“yes; oh, well”), tjaa (“well…”).

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Interjection

tja

1. Used to express thinking or pondering; hmm, yeah well

   Tja, eigenlijk weet ik dat niet.

   Yeah well, actually I don't know that.

   Waar liggen de autosleutels? — Tja, daar vraag je me wat.

   Where are the car keys? — Hmm, that's a good question.

2. Used to express ambivalence or resignation

   Een zeilboot is wel veel onderhoud, hoor. — Tja, dat hou je toch.

   A sailboat requires a lot of maintenance, though. — Oh well, it's part of the game.

   Zullen we morgen ergens gaan koffiedrinken? — Tja, of brunchen?

   How about we go somewhere for coffee tomorrow? — Hmm, how about brunch?

   • 2017 October 9, Bart van Eldert, “'Creatiever op je werk? Doe een dutje' ['Want to be more creative at work? Take a nap']”, in De Gelderlander‎^[1], retrieved 14 November 2022:

     Iedereen kan er wel eens last van hebben: een inkakmomentje op het werk. Tja, wat doe je eraan?

     It can happen to anyone: an energy slump at work. Oh well, what to do about it?

   • 2022 October 17, Ingmar Vriesema, “Dan maar douchegel gebruiken als scheerschuim [Making do with shower gel in stead of shaving cream]”, in NRC Handelsblad‎^[2], retrieved 14 November 2022:

     Door alle „onvrede” gebruikte hij deze zomer weer eens harddrugs. Maar thrills vindt René sinds kort ook in de supermarkt. Hij steelt. Een gewoonte van vroeger. Tsja. Hij komt nog altijd nauwelijks rond.

     All the "disquiet" made him use hard drugs once more this summer. But recently, René has gotten his thrills in the supermarket, too. He has been stealing. An old habit. Oh well. He still barely makes ends meet.

3. Used to express indifference

   Zal ik een tatoeage laten zetten? — Tja. Dat moet je zelf weten.

   Should I get a tattoo? — What can I say? It's up to you.

   Heb je de nieuwe Star Wars-film al gezien? — Tja, ik heb echt helemaal niets met sciencefiction.

   Did you see the new Star Wars movie yet? — Well, I'm not into science fiction at all.

4. Used to express that something is to be expected or anticipated

   Er zaten voornamelijk vijftigplussers in de zaal. — Tja, wat verwacht je bij een Bach-uitvoering?

   There were mostly over-50s in the audience. — Well, what do you expect at a Bach performance?

   Ik ben kletsnat geworden. — Tja, had je maar een regenjas moeten meenemen.

   I got soaked. — Well, should have brought a raincoat, shouldn't you?

5. Used to indirectly express disagreement or disapproval

   Gerard Cox is een geweldige zanger. — Tja, vind je?

   Gerard Cox is an amazing singer. — Hmm, you think so?

   We hebben heerlijk gewandeld tijdens onze vakantie. — Tja, ik lig liever aan het strand.

   We had some lovely hikes during our holiday. — Well, I, for one, would rather be at the beach.

   Hij vindt dit een goed voorstel... Tja.

   He thinks this is a good proposal... I have my doubts.

Descendants

• Negerhollands: tscha

Anagrams

• jat

German

Etymology

Probably from an onomatopoeia for clicking one’s tongue, which is used with the same meaning. Perhaps also a variant of ja (“yes”). Similar expressions are found in nearby Germanic languages and in Finnish, suggesting an areal feature.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tja/, /tjaː/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aː

Interjection

tja

1. well, hmm

   Was schlägst du vor? — Tja, ich schlage vor, dass wir ins Kino gehen.

   What do you suggest? — Well, I suggest that we go to the movies.

2. oh well

   Tja! Das war wohl nichts...

   Oh well! That didn’t work out as planned...

Further reading

• “tja” in Duden online

Icelandic

Etymology

Probably taken from Danish tja.

Interjection

tja

1. Expression of contemplation or hesitation

   Má bjóða þér að borða? - Tja, ég veit ekki ...

   Would you like to eat? - Well, I'm not sure ...

References

• Vísindavefurinn: Tja, nú veit ég ekki - hvers konar orð er þetta tja?

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From ja (“yes”).

Interjection

tja

1. used to express uncertainty; hm; well; compare nja

   Tja, eg veit ikkje om dét er nokon god idé.

   Well...I am not sure if that is a good idea.

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tja/

Adverb

tja (Cyrillic spelling тја)

1. (Croatia, regional) there

   Synonym: tamo

Etymology 2

Borrowed from German tja.

Interjection

tja

1. hmm, oh well

Swedish

Etymology 1

From tjena, in turn a clipping of tjenare, variant of tjänare.

Pronunciation

• (Sweden) IPA^(key): /ɕa/
• (Finland) IPA^(key): /t͡ɕɑ/

Interjection

tja

1. (colloquial) hi! hiya!
   • 2013, Ingrid Olsson, Långt ifrån cool:

     – Tja!, säger Hampus och Andreas och stannar precis framför oss.

     – Hi!, say Hampus and Andreas and stop just in front of us.

See also

• hej (has a list of greetings and farewells)

Etymology 2

Variant of ja (“yes”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /(t)ɕɑː/
• Homophone: shah (without /t/)

Interjection

tja

1. an expression of doubt and uncertainty; well
   • 2015, Stieg Larsson, Män som hatar kvinnor:

     Sedan dess hade hon juridiskt betraktats som… tja, knäpp.

     Since then she had been regarded as… well, crazy.

See also

• nja

References

• tja in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• tja in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)