jo

See also: Appendix:Variations of "jo"

Languages (46)

Albanian • Basque • Bavarian • Catalan • Czech • Dalmatian • Danish • Dutch • Esperanto • Finnish • Friulian • German • Ingrian • Italian • Japanese • Karelian • Kashubian • Konabéré • Lashi • Latvian • Lithuanian • Livonian • Lower Sorbian • Luxembourgish • Murui Huitoto • North Frisian • Northern Sami • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Occitan • Old French • Old Frisian • Plautdietsch • Polabian • Polish • Saterland Frisian • Slovincian • Spanish • Swahili • Swedish • Veps • Votic • West Frisian • Ye'kwana • Yoruba

Page categories

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

jo

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

(Scotland) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒoː/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Rhymes: -oː

Etymology 1

From Scots jo (“joy”), from Middle English joye, from Old French joie, from Late Latin gaudia, neuter plural (mistaken as feminine singular) of Latin gaudium (“joy”), from gaudēre (“to be glad, rejoice”). Doublet of joy and gaudy (“Oxford college reunion”).

Noun

jo (plural jos)

(Scotland) Darling, sweetheart.
- 1711, traditional, published by James Watson, Old Long Syne:
  On Old long syne my Jo,
  on Old long syne,
  That thou canst never once reflect,
  on Old long syne.
- My Jo Janet (traditional Scottish song)
  Keek into the draw-well, Janet, Janet;
  There ye'll see your bonnie sel',
  My jo, Janet.

Alternative forms

joe

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Japanese 杖.

Noun

jo (plural jo)

The staff used in the Japanese martial art of jodo or jojutsu.

Anagrams

OJ

Albanian

Etymology

Likely a babble word, compare Turkish yok (“no”), and its derivates in other Balkanic languages such as Romanian ioc, Macedonian јок (jok). Comparison with German ja (“yes”)^[1] is semantically hard to explain.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /jɔ/
Audio: (file)

Determiner

jo

negates non-verbal phrases: no, not

Synonyms

nauk (Tetova)
nouk (Gostivar)

References

^ Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “jo”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 159

Basque

Etymology

Unknown.

Pronunciation

Audio: (file)

IPA^(key): (Navarro-Lapurdian) /ɟo/ [ɟo]

IPA^(key): (Gipuzkoan) /xo/ [xo]
IPA^(key): (Biscayan) /d͡ʒo/ [d͡ʒo]
IPA^(key): (Navarrese) /jo/ [jo]

Rhymes: -o
Hyphenation: jo

Verb

jo du (imperfect participle jotzen, future participle joko, short form jo, verbal noun jotze)

to hit, strike, punch
(music) to play
Gitarra jo nahi dut. ― I want to play the guitar.
to knock, rap
Gizon itsusi batek etxeko atea jo du. ― An ugly man knocked on the door.
to crash
to head, go
to blow (the wind)
Synonym: ibili

Bavarian

Etymology

Cognate with Icelandic jú, Swedish jo. Equivalent to standard High German doch.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /joː/

Particle

jo

yes (in response to a negative question).
Woids es ned na fuat heid? Jo, owa's wedda is a weng schlecht.
Wolltet ihr nicht noch heute furt? Doch, aber das Wetter is etwas schlecht.

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Old Catalan jo~io~yo, from Vulgar Latin eō (attested from the sixth century), from Latin ego, from Proto-Italic *egō, from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂; akin to Greek εγώ (egó), Sanskrit अहम् (aham), all from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂. Compare Occitan jo, Spanish yo, French je, Italian io.

Pronunciation

(Central) IPA^(key): /ˈʒɔ/, /ˈjɔ/
(Valencia) IPA^(key): /ˈjo/, /ˈjɔ/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -o, -ɔ

Pronoun

jo (strong)

I
(after certain prepositions) me

Declension

Catalan personal pronouns and clitics

	strong/subject	weak (direct object)		weak (indirect object)		possessive
singular		proclitic	enclitic	proclitic	enclitic
1st person	jo, mi³	em, m’	-me, ’m	em, m’	-me, ’m	meu
1st person majestic¹	nós	ens	-nos, ’ns	ens	-nos, ’ns	nostre
2nd person	tu	et, t’	-te, ’t	et, t’	-te, ’t	teu
2nd person formal¹	vós	us	-vos, -us	us	-vos, -us	vostre
2nd person very formal²	vostè	el, l’	-lo, ’l	li	-li	seu
3rd person masculine	ell	el, l’	-lo, ’l	li	-li	seu
3rd person feminine	ella	la, l’⁴	-la	li	-li	seu
3rd person neuter		ho	-ho	li	-li	seu
3rd person reflexive	si	es, s’	-se, ’s	es, s’	-se, ’s	seu
plural
1st person	nosaltres	ens	-nos, ’ns	ens	-nos, ’ns	nostre
2nd person	vosaltres	us	-vos, -us	us	-vos, -us	vostre
2nd person formal²	vostès	els	-los, ’ls	els	-los, ’ls	seu
3rd person masculine	ells	els	-los, ’ls	els	-los, ’ls	seu
3rd person feminine	elles	les	-les	els	-los, ’ls	seu
3rd person reflexive	si	es, s’	-se, ’s	es, s’	-se, ’s	seu
adverbial
ablative/genitive		en, n’	-ne, ’n
locative		hi	-hi
¹⁾ Behaves grammatically as plural. ²⁾ Behaves grammatically as third person.			³⁾ Only as object of a preposition. ⁴⁾ Not before unstressed (h)i-, (h)u-.

Synonyms

mi (after most prepositions)

Noun

jo m (uncountable)

ego (the self)
Synonym: ego

References

“jo” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
“jo”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
“jo” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
“jo” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Czech

Etymology

Compare Polish jo.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈjo]
Audio: (file)

Particle

jo

(colloquial) yeah, yep
Synonym: ano

Antonym: ne

Dalmatian

Alternative forms

io

Etymology

From Latin ubi. Compare Romanian iuo, Italian ove, French où, Old Spanish o.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /jo/

Adverb

jo

where

Danish

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle Low German jo. Used like Swedish ju, German ja (adverb) / je (conjunction).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [jo] (unstressed in context)

Adverb

jo

as you know or should know; sometimes vaguely translatable as after all or obviously
- 2015, Henriette E. Møller, Jelne, Gyldendal A/S, →ISBN:
  Jeg ved ikke, hvad de talte om, hendes sind blev så mørkt, jeg kunne jo ikke rigtigt snakke med hende.
  I do not know of what they spoke, her mind became so dark, I could not really talk with her, as you should be able to see.
- 2009, Sven Arvid Birkeland, I krigens kølvand: danske skæbner efter 2. verdenskrig, Gyldendal A/S, →ISBN, page 479:
  Han gik jo ikke i krig i håb om, at det skulle blive den store sejr
  After all, he did not go to war in the hopes of achieving great victory.
- 2016, Anita Krumbach, Dorte Lilmose, Hanne Kvist, Helle Perrier, Iben Mondrup, Louis Jensen, Ronnie Andersen, Sissel Bergfjord, Svend Åge Madsen, Tomas Lagermand Lundme, Det du ikke ved: Noveller for unge, Gyldendal A/S, →ISBN:
  Jeg mener, at selv ens eget navn eller alder KAN man jo ikke være 100 procent sikker på er Dennis/17, vel?
  I mean, one obviously cannot even be 100% sure that one's own name or age are Dennis and 17, can one?

Conjunction

jo

the
Jo mere jeg løber, desto trættere bliver jeg.
The more I run, the more tired I become.

Usage notes

jo ... desto ..., jo ... des ... are common constructions.

Etymology 2

From Old Norse jaur.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈjɔʊ̯ˀ]

Interjection

jo

yes (used to contradict a negative statement or negatively phrased question) (often followed by I do, he is, etc. in English to indicate contradiction rather than affirmation); identical in usage to the French si. Contrasts with ja which confirms positive statements or positively phrased questions.
Du elsker mig ikke, gør du vel? — Jo!
You don't love me, do you? — Yes, I do!

Jeg har ikke gjort noget! — Jo!
I didn't do anything! — Yes, you did!

Usage notes

Negatively phrased questions like Kommer du ikke?, Du kommer ikke, vel?, Du kommer ikke? ("Are you not coming?", "You are not coming, are you?", "You are not coming?") must be answered with jo to indicate that the speaker is, in fact, coming; they cannot be answered with ja ("yes").

References

“jo” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

From English yo.

Interjection

jo

hi
Ey! - Jo! - Hey! - Hi!
bye
Later! - Jo! - Later! - Bye!
you too
Fijn weekend! - Jo! - Have a nice weekend! - You too!

Esperanto

Pronunciation

Audio: (file)

IPA^(key): [jo]
Hyphenation: jo

Noun

jo (accusative singular jo-on, plural jo-oj, accusative plural jo-ojn)

The name of the Latin-script letter J/j.

Finnish

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *jo (compare Estonian ju, Ingrian jo, Karelian jo, Livonian jo, Veps jo, Votic jo), borrowed from Proto-Germanic *ju (compare Gothic 𐌾𐌿 (ju, “already”), Old High German ju (“already”)).^[1]^[2]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈjo/, [ˈjo̞]
Rhymes: -o
Hyphenation^(key): jo

Adverb

jo

already (prior to some time; so soon)
Luin kirjan jo loppuun.
I already finished (reading) the book.
(literally, “I already read the book to the end.”)

Nytkö jo lähdet?
You're already leaving?
now, already (emphasizer)
Tule jo! (impatiently)
Come now!

Derived terms

References

^ Itkonen, Erkki, Kulonen, Ulla-Maija, editors (1992–2000), “jo”, in Suomen sanojen alkuperä [The origin of Finnish words]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online version; note: also includes other etymological sources; this source is labeled "SSA 1992–2000"), Helsinki: Institute for the Languages of Finland/Finnish Literature Society, →ISBN
^ “ju”, in [ETY] Eesti etümoloogiasõnaraamat [Estonian Etymological Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2012

Friulian

Etymology

Inherited from Late Latin eo, from Classical Latin egō̆.

Pronoun

jo

I

German

Alternative forms

joa, jö

Etymology 1

Alteration of ja (“yes”) or the respective dialectal cognates. Compare English yo.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /jɔː/

Interjection

jo

(colloquial, dialectal) yes, yeah, well; expresses agreement in a hesitant or ponderous manner.

Etymology 2

From the respective dialectal words for yes in about half of Northern and Central Germany and all of Western Germany (compare Low German ja, jo). Possibly from Proto-Germanic *ja (“yes, thus, so”), possibly from an unrecorded root. The form with /oː/ must have existed in the Middle Ages already, since the word often partakes in the same sound shifts as words with /oː/ from other sources, cf. Swedish jo, Middle English yo (> English yo).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /joː/

Interjection

jo

(colloquial) yes; expresses firm agreement.

Derived terms

johlen

Ingrian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *jo. Cognates include Finnish jo and Estonian ju.

Pronunciation

(Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈjo/, [ˈjo̞]
(Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈjo/, [ˈjo̞]
Rhymes: -o
Hyphenation: jo

Adverb

jo

already
- 1936, N. A. Iljin and V. I. Junus, Bukvari iƶoroin șkouluja vart, Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 25:
  Kiko ja Miko jo uijuut.
  Kiko and Miko are already swimming.
Emphasises the sentence.
- 1936, N. A. Iljin and V. I. Junus, Bukvari iƶoroin șkouluja vart, Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 64:
  Jo nyt mahan lukkia.
  Now I can read.

References

Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 105

Italian

Pronoun

jo

(obsolete) Alternative form of io

Japanese

Romanization

jo

The hiragana syllable じょ (jo) or the katakana syllable ジョ (jo) in Hepburn romanization.
The hiragana syllable ぢょ (jo) or the katakana syllable ヂョ (jo) in Hepburn romanization.

Karelian

Regional variants of jo
North Karelian (Viena)	jo
South Karelian (Tver)	jo

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *jo. Cognates include Finnish jo and Veps jo.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈjo/
Hyphenation: jo

Adverb

jo

already

Interjection

jo

(North Karelian) yes

Synonyms

(yes): (North Karelian) kyllä, (South Karelian) da

References

A. V. Punzhina (1994) “jo”, in Словарь карельского языка (тверские говоры) [Dictionary of the Karelian language (Tver dialects)], →ISBN
Pertti Virtaranta, Raija Koponen (2009) “jo”, in Marja Torikka, editor, Karjalan kielen sanakirja‎^[3], Helsinki: Kotus, →ISSN
P. M. Zaykov et al. (2015) Venäjä-Viena Šanakirja [Russian-Viena Karelian Dictionary], →ISBN

Kashubian

Etymology

Borrowed from German jo. Compare Slovincian jo (“yes”), Silesian ja (“yes”), regional Polish ja (“yes”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈjɔ/
Rhymes: -ɔ
Syllabification: jo

Particle

jo

yes
Synonym: tak

Jo, mògã to zrobic. ― Yes, I can do it.

Jo, jô jem tam béł. ― Yes, I have been there.

Konabéré

Pronunciation

(Kouka) IPA^(key): /ɟō/
(Tansilla Toma) IPA^(key): /ɟû/

Noun

jo

water

Alternative forms

zo

Lashi

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d͡ʑo/, /d͡ʑɔ/

Verb

jo

to be
to exist

References

Hkaw Luk (2017) A grammatical sketch of Lacid‎^[5], Chiang Mai: Payap University (master thesis)

Latvian

Pronunciation

This entry needs an audio pronunciation. If you are a native speaker with a microphone, please record this word. The recorded pronunciation will appear here when it's ready.

Conjunction

jo

because
for

Particle

jo

the... the...
jo vairāk naudas, jo labāk ― the more money the better

Lithuanian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [jo]

Etymology 1

Determiner

jo

his (3rd person singular masculine possessive)

Pronoun

jo m

third-person singular genitive of jis
Alternative form of juo

Etymology 2

From Middle High German ja, possibly via Yiddish יאָ (yo). Compare Latvian jā.

Particle

jo

(colloquial) yeah
Synonym: (standard term) taip

Usage notes

Formerly considered obsolete, but seems to have been revived, possibly by influence of English yeah.
Usage discouraged by the VLKK.

References

“jo”, in Lietuvių kalbos žodynas [Dictionary of the Lithuanian language], lkz.lt, 1941–2024

Livonian

Alternative forms

juo

Etymology 1

Perhaps borrowed from Latvian jo (“because, yet (more)”), /juo/.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /jo/

Preposition

jo

more; used with adjectives to form comparatives
- Tiit-Rein Viitso, Valts Ernštreits (2012–2013), Līvõkīel-ēstikīel-lețkīel sõnārōntõz, Tartu, Rīga: TÜ, LVA
  pitkā, jo pitkā
  long, longer

Etymology 2

Perhaps borrowed from Latvian jau (“yet, already, after all”). However, compare also Finnish jo (“already”), thus ultimately a common Finnic borrowing from Proto-Germanic *ju that has likely been contaminated by the more figurative senses of Latvian jau, with the latter ultimately a distant cognate of the initial Germanic borrowing.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /jo/

Preposition

jo

yet, already, after all
- Tiit-Rein Viitso, Valts Ernštreits (2012–2013), Līvõkīel-ēstikīel-lețkīel sõnārōntõz, Tartu, Rīga: TÜ, LVA
  mōnigļikizt, ne jo lǟbõd mōzõ
  bumblebees, they are already migrating to their burrows (lit. "going inside of earth")
  
  amād jo ītist äb peļļõt
  not everyone makes the same [amount of money] (lit. "everyone after all doesn't earn the same")

Usage notes

LĒL only lists jo without listing any instances of juo. Livonian-Latvian-Livonian dictionary, in turn, only lists juo for the comparative forming preposition sense.
LĒL doesn't explicitly list the second sense that seems to exactly mirror Latvian jau (including the more figurative applications.) Such a function, however, is inferred from the many usage examples available in the dictionary. As a translation of Latvian jau (strictly in its temporal sense) LĒL lists jõbā (“already”), cf. Estonian juba.

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [jɔ]

Particle

jo

yes (word used to show agreement or acceptance)

Verb

jo

third-person singular present of byś

Pronoun

jo

accusative of wóno

Alternative forms

njo (after preposition)

Luxembourgish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /jo/, [joː]
Rhymes: -oː
Homophone: Jo
Audio: (file)

Adverb

jo

yes

Verb

jo

second-person singular imperative of joen

Murui Huitoto

Etymology

Cognates include Minica Huitoto jo and Nüpode Huitoto jo.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈhɔ]
Hyphenation: jo

Root

jo

house

Derived terms

jofo

References

Katarzyna Izabela Wojtylak (2017) A grammar of Murui (Bue): a Witotoan language of Northwest Amazonia.‎^[6], Townsville: James Cook University press (PhD thesis), page 127

North Frisian

Etymology

Compare West Frisian hja.

Pronoun

jo (Föhr-Amrum)

third-person plural personal pronoun
1. they (subject case)
2. them, themselves (object case)

Alternative forms

's (reduced form)
ja, jam (Mooring, Sylt)
djo (Heligoland), jä (Halligen, Wiedingharde, Hoorning)

Northern Sami

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

(Kautokeino) IPA^(key): /ˈjo/

Adverb

jo

already
now

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

Audio: (file)

Etymology 1

From Old Norse jaur.

Adverb

jo

yes; in disagreement with the last speaker's negative statement.
Du har ikke pusset tennene vel? - Jo, det har jeg.
You haven't brushed your teeth, have you? - Yes, I have.
yes or no; expressing doubt. (colloquial)
Vil du være med? - Jo...
Do you want to join? - I'm not sure...

Usage notes

Ja can be interpreted as an agreement with the person replied to. Jo is used instead of ja if this agreement could cause ambiguity. In example 1, agreement with the person asking the question would be the opposite of a confirmation that one actually did brush the teeth. As such ja would be ambiguous. The answer jo removes the possibility of agreement with the speaker.

Related terms

jojo
joda

Etymology 2

Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:

joer

Wikipedia ^no

From Old Norse gjóðr.

Noun

jo m (definite singular joen, indefinite plural joer, definite plural joene)

a skua, seabird of family Stercorariidae.

Derived terms

storjo

References

“jo” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
“jo_1” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
“jo_2” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse jór, from Proto-Germanic *ehwaz.

Noun

jo m (definite singular joen, indefinite plural joar, definite plural joane)

a horse (only used in given names)

Related terms

Male given names:

Female given names:

Etymology 2

Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:

jofamilien

Wikipedia ⁿⁿ

From Old Norse gjóðr.

Alternative forms

gjod (alternative spelling)

Noun

jo m (definite singular joen, indefinite plural joar, definite plural joane)

a skua, seabird of family Stercorariidae.

Derived terms

storjo

Etymology 3

From Norwegian Bokmål jo, from Danish jo.

Adverb

jo

Alternative form of jau

Etymology 4

Compare Swedish ju.

Adverb

jo

Used to indicate an expectation of common understanding, or that what is said is an obvious fact – “as you well know,” “of course.”
Synonym: no

Han kom jo aldri
But he never came though

Ikkje rart at du fekk ølskummet over heile golvet. Ein skal jo ikkje slå på ølboksen fyri ein opnar den!
It’s not weird that you’ve got the beer foam all-over the floor. You shouldn’t punch the beer can before you open it, y’know!

References

“jo” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Occitan

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʒu/, /ju/

Noun

jo m

yoke

Old French

Pronoun

jo

(Old Northern French) Alternative form of je
- c. 1170, Wace, Le Roman de Rou:
  Jo di e dirai ke jo sui
  I say and will say that I am

Old Frisian

Pronoun

jō

Alternative form of jū, accusative/dative of jī

Inflection

Old Frisian personal pronoun declensions

	singular					plural
	1st	2nd	3rd m	3rd f	3rd n	1st	2nd	3rd
nominative	ik	thū	hī	hiū, hiō	hit	wī	jī	hiā
accusative	mī	thī	hine	hiā	hit	ūs	jū, jō	hiā
dative	mī	thī	him	hire, hiāre	him	ūs	jū, jō	him, hirem, hiārem
genitive	mīn	thīn	sīn	hire, hiāre	sīn	ūser	jūwer	hira, hiāra

Plautdietsch

Adverb

jo

yes

Polabian

Alternative forms

joz

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *(j)azъ.

Pronoun

jo

first-person pronoun; I

References

^{The template Template:R:pox:SejDp does not use the parameter(s): 3=2
Please see Module:checkparams for help with this warning.}Polański, Kazimierz (1971) “jo”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka Drzewian połabskich [Etymological Dictionary of the Polabian Drevani Language] (in Polish), number 2 (ďüzd – ľotü), Wrocław, Warszawa etc.: Ossolineum, page 225
Polański, Kazimierz, James Allen Sehnert (1967) “jo”, in Polabian-English Dictionary, The Hague, Paris: Mouton & Co, page 75
Olesch, Reinhold (1962) “Je”, in Thesaurus Linguae Dravaenopolabicae [Thesaurus of the Drevani language] (in German), volumes 1: A – O, Cologne, Vienna: Böhlau Verlag, →ISBN, page 374

Polish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈjɔ/

(Greater Poland):
- (Chełmno-Dobrzyń) IPA^(key): /ˈjɔ/

Rhymes: -ɔ
Syllabification: jo

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *(j)azъ.

Pronoun

jo

(dialectal) Alternative form of ja (“I”)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from German jo.

Particle

jo

(colloquial or dialectal, Chełmno-Dobrzyń) yeah, yep
Synonyms: tak, ano, no, hej

Antonym: nie

Alternative forms

ja (Żywiec)

Saterland Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian hiā. Cognates include West Frisian hja and North Frisian jo.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /joː/
Hyphenation: jo
Rhymes: -oː

Pronoun

jo (oblique hier)

they

References

Marron C. Fort (2015) “jo”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN

Slovincian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈjɔ/
Rhymes: -ɔ
Syllabification: jo

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *(j)azъ.

Pronoun

jo

I (first-person pronoun)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from German ja (“yes; yes!”). Compare Kashubian jo (“yes”), Silesian ja (“yes”), regional Polish ja (“yes”).

Particle

jo

yes

References

Lorentz, Friedrich (1908) “jǻu̯”, in Slovinzisches Wörterbuch‎^[8] (in German), volume 1, Saint Petersburg: ОРЯС ИАН, page 389
Lorentz, Friedrich (1908) “jǻu̯!”, in Slovinzisches Wörterbuch‎^[9] (in German), volume 1, Saint Petersburg: ОРЯС ИАН, page 389

Spanish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈxo/ [ˈxo]
Rhymes: -o
Syllabification: jo

Etymology 1

Interjection

¡jo!

stop, whoa (especially when commanding a horse or imitative thereof)

Derived terms

jo, jo, jo

Etymology 2

Euphemistic clipping of joder (“fuck”).

Interjection

¡jo!

(euphemistic) Used to express surprise, amazement, or confusion
¡Jo! ― I never heard anything like that before. / Are you serious? / Boy!

Swahili

Etymology

Possibly from English yo.

Pronunciation

Audio (Kenya): (file)

Interjection

jo

(Sheng) added for emphasis to the end of a sentence
Manze jo! ― Oh man!

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish iū, from Old Norse jaur.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /juː/

Interjection

jo

yes; used as a disagreement to a negative statement or a negatively phrased question (has no English equivalent, but is similar to French si)
Du har inte borstat tänderna, eller hur? - Jo, det har jag.
You haven't brushed your teeth, have you? - Yes, I have.
yes (more generally, in a similar vein to jodå – see its usage notes)
– Är det du som är han? – Jo, det är jag.
– Are you that guy? – Yep, that's me.
1. yeah
  Ah, jo, det stämmer nog när jag tänker efter
  Ah, yeah, that's probably correct when I think about it
(with an excited, rising tone) Expresses having an insight; oh
Jo(ooo)! Nu kom jag på hur man löser pusslet.
O(ooo)h! I figured out how to solve the puzzle now.
A filler, at the start of an utterance (to get someone's attention); listen, so, hey, etc. (compare "yeah")
Jo, det är så att det är en grej som jag måste berätta för er
So, there is something that I have to tell you ("So, it is such that there is a thing that I have to tell you," with some common stalling wording)

Usage notes

Ja (“yes”) can be interpreted as an agreement with the person replied to. Jo is used instead of ja if this agreement could cause ambiguity. In the example above agreement with the person asking the question would be the opposite of a confirmation that one actually did brush the teeth. As such ja would be ambiguous. The answer jo removes the possibility of agreement with the speaker. In Swedish dialects spoken in northern Sweden and Finland, it is however not uncommon for the word jo to be used in place of ja in all cases, at least in spoken language.

Related terms

References

Anagrams

oj

Veps

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *jo.

Adverb

jo

already

References

Zajceva, N. G., Mullonen, M. I. (2007) “уж, уже”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[10], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

Votic

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *jo.

Pronunciation

(Luutsa, Liivtšülä) IPA^(key): /ˈjo/, [ˈʝo]
Rhymes: -o
Hyphenation: jo

Adverb

jo

already
(with negative) any more

Particle

jo

An emphatic intensifying particle.

References

Hallap, V., Adler, E., Grünberg, S., Leppik, M. (2012) “jo”, in Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language], 2nd edition, Tallinn

West Frisian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /joː/
(unstressed) IPA^(key): /jə/

Etymology 1

From Old Frisian jū, from Proto-West Germanic *iwwiz, from Proto-Germanic *izwiz, dative/accusative of *jūz, from Proto-Indo-European *yū́.

Pronoun

jo

you (second person singular nominative formal pronoun)

Usage notes

Though it is a singular pronoun, jo takes the plural conjugation of verbs.

Inflection

West Frisian personal pronouns

Number	Person		Nominative	Objective		Possessive
Number	Person		Nominative	Normal	Reflexive	Determiner	Pronoun
Singular	First		ik	my	mysels	myn	mines
	Second	Informal	do/dû¹	dy	dysels	dyn	dines
	Second	Formal	jo	jo	josels	jo	jowes
	Third	Masculine	hy	him	himsels	syn	sines
		Feminine	sy/hja¹	har	harsels	har	harres
		Neuter	it	it	himsels	syn	sines
Plural	First		wy	ús	ússels	ús	uzes
	Second		jim(me)	jim(me)	jimsels/jinsels	jim(me)	jimmes
	Third		sy/hja¹	har(ren)	harsels	har(ren)	harres
^1. Now mostly archaic and unused

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Determiner

jo

your (second-person singular formal possessive determiner)

Ye'kwana

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [hʷo]

Postposition

jo

(with following directional suffix -nno) indicates a point of origin

Usage notes

This postposition also infrequently occurs without -nno, in which case it is not clear whether it inflects at all and its meaning is difficult to determine.

References

Cáceres, Natalia (2011) Grammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana‎^[11], Lyon, pages 277–278

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Proposed to be derived from Proto-Yoruboid *jó, compare with Igala jó

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d͡ʒó/

Verb

jó

(intransitive) to dance

Derived terms

ijó (“dance”)
jójó (“to dance [a dance]”)
àlùjó

Etymology 2

Possibly from Proto-Yoruboid *jó, cognate with Igala jó

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d͡ʒó/

Verb

jó

(ergative) to burn
(transitive) to sting; to irritate

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d͡ʒò/

Verb

jò

to drip

Derived terms

jíjò (“leaking”)
ìjòdànù (“leakage”)
òjò (“rain”)

[1] Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “jo”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 159

[2] Itkonen, Erkki, Kulonen, Ulla-Maija, editors (1992–2000), “jo”, in Suomen sanojen alkuperä [The origin of Finnish words]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online version; note: also includes other etymological sources; this source is labeled "SSA 1992–2000"), Helsinki: Institute for the Languages of Finland/Finnish Literature Society, →ISBN

[3] “ju”, in [ETY] Eesti etümoloogiasõnaraamat [Estonian Etymological Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2012

[1]

[1]

[2]

		singular	plural
1st person		jo	nô
2nd person	familiar	tu	vô
2nd person	polite	lui, jê	lôr
3rd person	m	lui,	lôr
3rd person	f	jê	lôr

		personal				possessive
		subject case		object case		masculine referent	feminine / neuter referent	plural referent
		full	reduced	full	reduced	masculine referent	feminine / neuter referent	attributive	independent
singular	1st	ik	'k	mi		man	min		minen
	2nd	dü	–	di		dan	din		dinen
	3rd m.	hi	'r	ham	'n	san	sin		sinen
	3rd f. / n.	hat	at, 't	ham	at, 't	san	sin		sinen
plural	1st	wi	'f	üs		üüs			üüsen
	1st	wi	'f	üs		üsens
	2nd	jam	'm	jam		jau			jauen
	2nd	jam	'm	jam		jamens
	3rd	jo	's	jo	's	hör			hören
	3rd	jo	's	jo	's	hörens
notes		The reduced forms with an apostrophe are enclitic; they immediately follow verbs or conjunctions. Dü is deleted altogether in such contexts. At is not enclitic; it can stand in any unstressed position and refers mostly to things. In reflexive use, only full object forms occur. Dual forms wat / onk and jat / jonk are obsolete, as is feminine jü / hör. Independent possessives are distinguished from attributive ones only with plural referents. The forms üsens, jamens, hörens are used optionally (and decreasingly) when the possessor is a larger community, such as a village, city or nation.

	singular					plural
	1st	2nd	3rd m	3rd f	3rd n	1st	2nd	3rd
stressed	iek	du	hie	ju	dät	wie	jie	jo
unstressed	iek	du	er	ze	et	wie	jie	ze
objective	mie	die	him	hier	dät	uus	jou	hier

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Alternative forms

Etymology 2

Noun

Anagrams

Albanian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Determiner

Synonyms

See also

References

Basque

Etymology

Pronunciation

Verb

Further reading

Bavarian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Particle

Catalan

Etymology

Pronunciation

Pronoun

Declension

Synonyms

Noun

References

Czech

Etymology

Pronunciation

Particle

Further reading

Dalmatian

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adverb

Danish

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Adverb

Conjunction

Usage notes

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Interjection

Usage notes

References

Dutch

Etymology

Interjection

Esperanto

Pronunciation

Noun

See also

Finnish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adverb

Derived terms

References

Further reading

Friulian

Etymology

Pronoun

See also

German

Alternative forms

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Interjection

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Interjection

Derived terms