ja
German, adverb
ja is spelled J-A (2 letters) and appears 2,138 times per million words in written German, the 62nd most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Ja is a German adverb meaning “obviously; certainly; of course; as you know; as is generally known (indicates and emphasises that one is expressing an established fact)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With a capital, Ja is a different word: “a yes”.
What does ja mean in English?
adverb
- 1
obviously; certainly; of course; as you know; as is generally known (indicates and emphasises that one is expressing an established fact)
Es kann ja nicht immer so bleiben.
- 2
informalunder any circumstances, for (absolute) certain (often with the implication of pettiness, insecurity or overblown fear regarding the issue one wants certainty on)
Er fragt jedes Mal mindestens fünf Mal nach, um auch ja alles richtig zu machen.
- 3
informalhad better; used to reinforce an imperative or other order with an implied threat, especially by an authority figure.
Komm ja nicht zu spät nach Hause!
interjection
- 1
yes; yea; yeah; aye
Willst du das? Ja.
noun
- 1
neutera yes
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
particle: 1. drückt Zustimmung, Einverständnis aus
particle: 1. bekanntlich (ist das so) 2. unbedingt 3. sogar, sozusagen
interjection: 1. Ausruf der Begeisterung über einen Erfolg
noun: 1. eine positive Antwort, eine (endgültige) Zustimmung
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of ja
- Jas nominative plural
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to ja
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is ja in German?
ja appears 2,138 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).