-ji

-ji (, ) is a gender-neutral honorific used as a suffix in many languages of the Indian subcontinent, such as Hindi and Punjabi languages and their dialects prevalent in northern India, north-west and central India.

''Ji'' is gender-neutral and can be used for as a term of respect for person, relationships or inanimate objects as well. Its usage is similar, but not identical, to another subcontinental honorific, '' sāhab''. It is similar to the gender-neutral Japanese honorific -san.

Etymology

The origin of the ''ji'' honorific is uncertain.Archiv Orientální, Volume 75
Československý orientální ústav v Praze, Orientální ústav (Československá akademie věd), 2007, "... Artur Karp is concerned with the etymology of the honorific -ji, which belongs to the basic vocabulary of Hindi. Its etymology is unclear and the author points out several possibilities ..." One suggestion is that it is a borrowing from an Austroasiatic language such as Sora.Sora-English Dictionary
Giḍugu Veṅkaṭarāmamūrti, Mittal Publications, 1986, "... Is honorific -ji used in the neo-Aryan languages of India borrowed from Sora? ..." Another is that the term means "soul" or "life" (similar to the ''jān'' suffix) and is derived from Sanskrit.Perfecting Women: Maulana Ashraf ʻAlī Thanawi's Bihishti Zewar: a Partial Translation with Commentary
Ashraf ʻAlī Thānvī, Barbara Daly Metcalf, pp. 165, University of California Press, 1992, , "... Seemingly used interchangeably, the terms qalb, dil, and ji are, respectively, Arabic, Persian, and Hindi in origin, the linguistic universalism suggesting the comprehensiveness the term 'heart' is meant to convey; in all three cases, the meaning spills over to 'self', 'mind,' and 'soul' ..."
The use of the ''ji'' indicates users identity with Hindu culture and Indian language. Harsh K. Luthar gives examples of ''ji'' in ''Master-ji'', ''Guru-ji'', and ''Mata-ji''. The use of ''ji'' is also used by Urdu speakers who associate with Indian culture and language.

Variant spellings

* ''jee'' – Anglicised spelling, common in old publications.
* ''jii'' – example: Ánandamúrtijii, founder of Ánanda Márga.
* ''jiew'' – example: Shankari Mai Jiew in Yogananda's ''Autobiography of a Yogi''.
* ''joo'' – example: Lakshman Joo of Kashmir.
* ''jiu'' – example: Radha Raman Jiu temples in Bengal ( Radha Raman Ji temples in Uttar Pradesh).
* ''jyu''
* ''zi/zee'' - Eastern Bengali pronunciation

Usage

Ji can mean respect:
* With names, ''e.g.'' Gandhiji, Nehruji, Modiji, Rahulji, Sant Ji or Shivji
* With inanimate objects of respect, ''e.g.'' Gangaji or Kailashji
* For groups to whom respect is extended, ''e.g.'' Guruji, Panditji, Khalsa Ji
* To denote respect in any relation, ''e.g.'' Mataji, Baba-ji ("respected father"), Uncle-ji, Behen-ji ("respected sister"), Devi-ji ("respected madam"), Bhabhi-Ji ("respected sister-in-law")
* In conversation, ''e.g.'' ''Ji Nahi'' (No, said with respect)
* In polite conversation, ''e.g.'' ''Navraj Ji'' (Mr. Navraj, similar to how it would be said in Japanese, Navraj-san)
* As a shorthand for yes or to denote respectful attention, ''Ji''
* To reassure that a request has been understood and will be complied with, ''Ji Ji''
* To respectfully ask for clarification, ''Ji?'' (with a questioning tone)
* In Parsi (Zoroastrian) names, e.g. in Jamsetji Tata, or Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw

Contrast with Sāhab

''Sāhab'' (or '' sāhib'') is always used for an individual, never for an inanimate object or group, though the plural term ''Sāheban'' exists as well for more than one person. ''Sāhab'' is also never used as a shorthand to express agreement, disagreement or ask clarification (whereas "ji" is, as in ''Ji'', ''Ji nahi'' or ''Ji?''). Sometimes, the two terms can be combined to ''Sāhab Ji'' to indicate a high degree of respect, roughly equivalent to ''Respected Sir''.

One important exception where ''sāhab'' is used for inanimate objects is in connection with Sikh shrines and scripture, e.g. Harmandir Sahib and Guru Granth Sahib.

Contrast with Jān

''Jān'' is also a commonly used suffix in the subcontinent, but it (and the variant, ''Jānī'') denotes endearment rather than respect and, in some contexts, can denote intimacy or even a romantic relationship. Due to these connotations of intimacy, the subcontinental etiquette surrounding ''Jān'' is more complex than the usage of the same term in Persian, where it is used somewhat more liberally (though even there, restrictions apply).

As a standalone term, ''Jān'' is the rough equivalent of ''Darling'', and is used almost exclusively for close relatives (such as spouses, lovers and children). In this context, sometimes colloquial forms such as ''Jānoo'' and ''Jānaa'', or combination words such as ''Jāneman'' (my darling) and ''Jānejaan''/''Jānejaana'' (roughly, "love of my life"), are also used. When used with a name or a relation-term, it means "dear". So, ''bhāi-sāhab'' and ''bhāi-ji'' carry the meaning of ''respected brother'', whereas ''bhāi-jān'' or ''bhaiyya-jānī'' mean ''dear brother''. The term ''meri jān'', roughly meaning ''my dear'', can be used with friends of the same gender, or in intimate relationships with the opposite gender. In subcontinental etiquette, while ''bhaijan'' can be used by males to denote a brotherly relation with any other male of a roughly similar age including total strangers (the female equivalent between women is ''apajan'' or ''didijan''), ''meri jān'' is used only with friends with whom informality has been established. Ji, on the other hand, is appropriate in all these situations and across genders because it carries no connotations of intimacy.

Popular conflation with the letter G

Because English usage is widespread in the Indian subcontinent, the fact that the honorific ''Ji'' is pronounced identically to the letter ''G'' is used extensively in puns. This is sometimes deliberately exploited in consumer marketing, such as with the popular "Parle-G Biscuits" (where the "G" ostensibly stands for 'Glucose'), which sounds like ''Parle Ji Biscuits'' (or, 'the respected Parle biscuits'). A pun popular with children in North India and Pakistan consists entirely of Latin letters ''BBG T PO G'', which is pronounced very similarly to ''Bibi-ji, Tea pi-o ji'', "respected ma'am, please have some tea". Some people add an "A" or "O" at the start as if a person is speaking to the Bibi-ji in a friendly way used in various regional types slangs of India: ''O BBG T PO G'' or ''ABBG T PO G''. The ''Bibi-ji'' may answer ''PKIG'', "I just had the tea".

Bengali names ending in ''-ji'' are sometimes rendered in Sanskrit as ''-opadhyay'' (''-a-upādhyāya'' with sandhi, i.e. ''Mukherjee'' and ''Mukhopadhyay''). ''Upādhyāya'' is Sanskrit for "teacher".

See also

* Sri

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ji
Suffixes
Hindustani language
Hindi
Indian culture
Honorifics by language