أي

See also: إي, آی, ای, ایی, and آیی

Arabic

Etymology 1

From Proto-Semitic *ʔayy-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔajj/

• Audio:

  (file)

Pronoun

أَيّ • (ʔayy) 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 ʔayyi baladin ʔanta?

   From which country are you?

   أَيًّا مِنْ هٰذِهِ الْأَلْعَابِ تُفَضِّلُ؟

   ʔayyan min hāḏihi l-ʔalʕābi 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-ʔayyi ʔarḍin tamūtu

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

2. whichever

   أَيَّ كِتَابٍ تَقْرَأْ يُفِدْكَ

   ʔayya kitābin taqraʔ yufidka

   Whichever book you read, it'll benefit you.

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 17:110:

     أَيًّا مَا تَدْعُوا فَلَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَاءُ ٱلْحُسْنَى

     ʔayyan mā tadʕū fa-lahu l-ʔasmāʔu l-ḥusnā

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

3. any

   زُرْنِي فِي أَيِّ وَقْتٍ

   zurnī fī ʔayyi waqtin

   Visit me at any time.

Usage notes

• While أَيّ (ʔayy) can be used with masculine as well as feminine nouns, the form أَيَّة (ʔayya) is exclusively used with feminine nouns.

Declension

Declension of pronoun أَيّ (ʔayy)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَيّ ʔayy	—	أَيّ ʔayy
Nominative	أَيٌّ ʔayyun	—	أَيُّ ʔayyu
Accusative	أَيًّا ʔayyan	—	أَيَّ ʔayya
Genitive	أَيٍّ ʔayyin	—	أَيِّ ʔayyi

Derived terms

• أَيٌّ مَا (ʔayyun mā)
• أَيَّمَا (ʔayyamā)
• كَأَيِّنْ (kaʔayyin)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔaj/

Conjunction

أَيْ • (ʔay)

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

Moroccan Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic أَيّ (ʔayy).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔajj/

Determiner

أي • (ʔayy)

1. any

   أي طريق خدتي غتوصلك لاين باغية.

   ʔayy ṭrīq ḵadti ḡatwaṣṣalki lāyin bāḡya.

   Any road you take will lead you to where you want.

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic أيّ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔajj/, [ʔaj]

• Audio (Birzeit):

  (file)

Determiner

أيّ • (ʔayy)

1. which?
2. any

Pronoun

أيّ • (ʔayy)

1. which?

Synonyms

• أنو (ʔanū)