耶
question mark
Readings
On'yomi
- ヤ
- ジャ
Kun'yomi
- か
Meaning
耶 centers on marking a question or expressing uncertainty, functioning as a question mark in classical or literary contexts.
Most common words using 耶
- 有耶無耶うやむやN1
indefinite; hazy; vague; unsettled; undecided
- 伽耶かや
Kaya (ancient Korean confederacy); Karak
- 三昧耶さんまや
time
- 三昧耶形さんまやぎょう
object or shape that symbolizes the vow of a buddha or bodhisattva to save all life
- 三昧耶戒さんまやかい
precepts given to an adherent prior to being consecrated as an Acharya (in esoteric Buddhism)
- 三昧耶曼荼羅さんまやまんだら
samya mandala (in Shingon); mandala where each deity is represented by an object (lotus flower, gem, sword, etc.)
- 伽耶琴カヤグム
gayageum (12-stringed Korean zither)
- 摩耶ケーブル線まやケーブルせん
Maya Cable Line
- 摩耶蘭まやらん
Cymbidium macrorhizon (species of orchid)
- 耶嬢やじょう
father and mother
- 耶蘇やそ
Jesus (Christ)
- 耶蘇会やそかい
Society of Jesus; Jesuits
- 耶蘇教やそきょう
Christianity
- 阿頼耶識あらやしき
alaya-vijnana (store consciousness, consciousness forming the base of all human existence)
Study
Etymology
耶 is a phono-semantic compound combining 耳 (ear) with ⻏ (a variant of 邑, city), but the exact historical development of its meaning as a question marker is uncertain. It may have been borrowed phonetically for its sound.
Meaning mnemonic
Imagine an ear (耳) listening to a city (⻏) and hearing a questioning tone, as if the city itself is asking a question. The shape suggests an ear beside a city, prompting a question mark.
Reading mnemonic
For ヤ, picture a person asking a question with a raised hand: 'Ya?' The sound 'ya' cues ヤ, and the questioning gesture matches the kanji's meaning.