чи

See also: -чи and Appendix:Variations of "ci"

Avar

Noun

чи • (či)

1. man

See also

• гӏадан (ʻadan)
• инсан (insan)

Dungan

Etymology 1

Cognate of Mandarin Chinese 汽 (qì)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ɕʰi⁴⁴/

Noun

чи • (či) (III)

1. steam

Etymology 2

Cognate of Mandarin Chinese 氣／气 (qì)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ɕʰi²⁴/

Noun

чи • (či) (I)

1. gas

Erzya

Чи.

Alternative forms

• (archaic or dialectal) че (če)

Etymology

From Proto-Mordvinic *či~*ši, inherited from Proto-Finno-Ugric *kečä (“circle, ring”). Cognates include Moksha ши (ši, “sun, day, weather”), Finnish kehä (“circle, ring”), Eastern Mari кече (keče, “sun, day”), Komi-Zyrian киш (kiš, “ring, halo”), archaic Hungarian kégy.

The *kəči > *či shift possibly influenced by *ve (“night”).

Noun

чи • (či)

1. (astronomy) sun

   Synonym: чипай (čipaj)

   чись пиди ― čiś piďi ― the sun is blazing

2. day

   тундонь чи ― tundoń či ― a spring day

   • 1821, Novum Testamentum Mordvinice litt. cyrill.‎^[1], page 138:

     Не чытнесте, лись Кесарьсто Августань кармавтомо тѣймексъ сю̂рмацтомо вясеме масторонь кялесъ.

     Ne čiťńeśťe , ľiś Kesaŕsto Avgustań karmavtomo tejmeks śûrmactomo väśeme mastoroń käľes.

     In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire [Roman] world.

Declension

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

References

• B. A. Serebrennikov, R. N. Buzakova, M. V. Mosin (1993) “чи”, in Эрзянь-рузонь валкс [Erzya-Russian dictionary], Moscow: Русский язык, →ISBN
• “päike”, in [ERSA] Eesti-ersa sõnaraamat [Estonian-Erzya Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Instituut, 2019
• Entry #275 in Uralonet, online Uralic etymological database of the Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics.

Kalmyk

Etymology

From Proto-Mongolic *či.

Pronoun

чи • (çi)

1. you (subject pronoun: the person being addressed) (singular)

See also

Kalmyk personal pronouns

	1st person				2nd person					reflexive
	singular	plural inclusive	plural exclusive		singular	singular polite	plural	plural polite		regular	from бий (biy, “body”)
nominative	би (bi)	мадн (madn)	бидн (bidn)		чи (çi)	та (ta)	тадн (tadn)	таанр (taanr)		эврән (evrän), эврәннь (evrännʹ)	бийнь (biynʹ)
oblique	нам (nam)	ма (ma)	бид (bid)		чи (çi)	та (ta)	тадн (tadn)	таанр (taanr)		эврә (evrä)	бийнь (biynʹ)
genitive	мини (mini)	мана (mana)	биднә (bidnä)		чини (çini)	тана (tana)	тадна (tadna)	таанрин (taanrin)		эврә (evrä)	бийин (biyin)
dative	намд (namd), нанд (nand)	манд (mand)	биднд (bidnd)		чамд (çamd)	танд (tand)	таднд (tadnd)	таанрт (taanrt)		эврәд (evräd)	бийд (biyd)
accusative	намаг (namag), нама (nama), нәмәг (nämäg)	мадниг (madnig), маниг (manig)	бидниг (bidnig)		чамаг (çamag)	таниг (tanig)	тадниг (tadnig)	таанриг (taanrig)		эврәг (evräg)	бийинь (biyinʹ), бийән (biyän)
instrumental	намар (namar), нанар (nanar)	маднар (madnar), манар (manar)	биднәр (bidnär)		чамар (çamar)	танар (tanar)	таднар (tadnar)	таанрар (taanrar)		эврәһәр (evräğär)	бийәрн (biyärn)
comitative	намла (namla), нанла (nanla)	маднла (madnla), манла (manla)	биднлә (bidnlä)		чамла (çamla)	танла (tanla)	таднла (tadnla)	таанрла (taanrla)		эврәлә (evrälä)	бийлә (biylä)
associative	намта (namta), нанта (nanta)	маднта (madnta), манта (manta)	биднтә (bidntä)		чамта (çamta)	танта (tanta)	таднта (tadnta)	таанрта (taanrta)		эврәтә (evrätä)	бийтә (biytä)
ablative	намас (namas), нанас (nanas)	маднас (madnas), манас (manas)	биднәс (bidnäs)		чамас (çamas)	танас (tanas)	таднас (tadnas)	таанрас (taanras)		эврәһәс (evräğäs)	бийәсн (biyäsn)
directive	намур (namur), нанур (nanur)	маднур (madnur), манур (manur)	биднүр (bidnür)		чамур (çamur)	танур (tanur)	таднур (tadnur)	таанрур (taanrur)		эврәһүр (evräğür)	бийүрн (biyürn)

Mongolian

Etymology

From Classical Mongolian ᠴᠢ (či), from Middle Mongol ᠴᠢ (či), from Proto-Mongolic *či. Cognate with Dongxiang chi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ɕʰi/
• Syllabification: чи (1 syllable)

Pronoun

чи • (či) (Mongolian spelling ᠴᠢ (či))

1. (informal) you (subject pronoun: the person being addressed)

Declension

    Declension of чи

nominative	чи (či)
oblique	чам (čam)
possessive determiner	чиний (činii)
possessive pronoun	чинийх (činiix)
possessive particle	чинь (činʹ)
dative-locative	чамд (čamd)
accusative	чамайг (čamajg)
ablative	чамаас (čamaas)
instrumental	чамаар (čamaar)
comitative	чамтай (čamtaj)
directional	чам руу (čam ruu)

See also

Mongolian personal pronouns

		singular	plural
1st person		би (bi)	бид (bid)
2nd person	familiar	чи (či)	та нар (ta nar), таануус (taanuus)
	polite	та (ta)
3rd person		тэр (ter)	(over there) тэд (ted), тэд нар (ted nar); (over here) эд (ed), эд нар (ed nar)

Nivkh

Etymology

Possibly akin to Mongolic *či; compare Mongolian чи (či) and Tungusic *si, compare Nanai си (si).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /cʰi/

Pronoun

чи (ț’i)

1. you, thou

Ossetian

Etymology

From Middle Persian kē.

Pronoun

чи • (ḱi)

1. who

Declension

Declension of чи singular plural nominative чи кæйӕ genitive чиы кæйы dative чиӕн кæйӕн allative чимӕ кæйӕм ablative чиӕй кæйӕй inessive чиы кæйы adessive чиыл кæйыл equative чиау кæйау comitative чиимӕ кæйимӕ

Pannonian Rusyn

Etymology

Inherited from Old Slovak či, from Proto-Slavic *či. Cognates include Polish czy and Slovak či.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈt͡ʃi]
• Rhymes: -i
• Hyphenation: чи

Conjunction

чи (či)

1. if, whether
   • 2024 September 17, А. Балатинац, “Учителька хтора жиє свой сон (I) [A teacher who is living her dream (I)]”, in Руске Слово‎^[2]:

     На руски язик ше ходзело пейц годзини тижньово, и нєшка так, алє теди нїхто анї нє роздумовал чи пойдзе чи нє пойдзе на годзини, то ше подрозумйовало – гвари Наталия.

     Na ruski jazik še xodzelo pejc hodzini tižnʹovo, i nješka tak, alje tedi njixto anji nje rozdumoval či pojdze či nje pojdze na hodzini, to še podrozumjovalo – hvari Natalija.

     Rusyn language was taught for five lessons per week, and it's the same now, but back then no one even thought of whether to go to class or not, it was taken for granted – says Natalija.

2. or

   Synonyms: або (abo), лєбо (ljebo)

Usage notes

• Often doubled. When doubled, the usage translates to "whether … or".

Particle

чи (či)

1. interrogative particle: introduces a yes-no question; whether
   • 2024 August 3, А. Саванович, “Рударенє ядариту: Розвойна шанса, чи еколоґийна катастрофа? [Jadarite mining: A development opportunity, or an ecological disaster?]”, in Руске Слово‎^[3]:

     Колумна готова, батерия витримала. Чи витрима Сербия на литиюму – то питанє за шицких нас.

     Kolumna hotova, baterija vitrimala. Či vitrima Serbija na litijumu – to pitanje za šickix nas.

     The column is ready, the battery is durable. Whether Serbia can survive on lithium – that's a question for all of us.

Usage notes

• Used at the beginning of sentences or clauses.

Further reading

• Medʹeši, H., Fejsa, M., Timko-Djitko, O. (2010) “чи”, in Ramač, Ju., editor, Руско-сербски словнїк [Rusyn-Serbian Dictionary] (in Pannonian Rusyn), Novi Sad: Faculty of Philosophy
• Fejsa, M., Šlemender, M., Čelʹovski, S. (2022) “whether”, in Анґлийско-руски словнїк [English-Rusyn Dictionary] (in Pannonian Rusyn), Novi Sad: Faculty of Philosophy; Ruska matka, →ISBN, page 375

Tabasaran

Etymology

Akin to Udi хунчи (χunči).

Noun

чи • (či)

1. sister

Ukrainian

Etymology

Inherited from Old Ruthenian чи (či), from Old East Slavic чи (či), from Proto-Slavic *či, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷéy, initially instrumental singular of pronoun *kʷo-／*kʷe-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [t͡ʃɪ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Particle

чи • (čy)

1. interrogative particle: introduces a question
2. if, whether

Conjunction

чи • (čy)

1. or

Synonyms

• або́ (abó)

Further reading

• Bilodid, I. K., editor (1970–1980), “чи”, in Словник української мови: в 11 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 11 vols] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka