The Interjectory/Final/Adverbial/Bound/Conjunctive Particle や
In this lesson, we will learn about how the particle や can be used in various other capacities: as an interjectory, final1, adverbial, conjunctive, or even a conjunctive particle.
The Interjectory Particle や
The interjectory particle や shows up in various environments to heighten the emotional flare of a sentence, with there being three distinct usages:
- Following a name, や summons a person over much like how “you there!” does in English, although not with as harsh of a tone.
- Marking exclamation much like starting a sentence with “My!” would in English.
- Seen as an intensifier after a handful of adverbs―今や (now at last), またもや (yet again), ましてや (much less), etc.
1. またもや失敗しました。
I lost yet again.
2. 今や遅しと勝利を待ち侘びていた。
(He) was just impatiently tired of waiting for victory.
3. 彼の言葉に、祥子はまたもや目頭を熱くした。
His words made Sachiko yet again move to tears.
From 『冷たい誘惑』 by 乃南アサ.
4. お祖父さんや、今日はあなたの誕生日ですよ。
Why, grandfather! Today is your birthday!
5. 恐ろしいや。
My, that is scary!
6. くそ暑いなあ。ましてや風がないとなると、なおさら暑っ！
Ugh, it’s so damn hot. And with absolutely no breeze, it’s hotter than ever!
Another fascinating utilization of the interjectory particle や which heavily appears in seventeen-syllable haiku (known as hokku 発句), it functions as a “cutting word 切れ字” to create overtones.
7. 高砂や、この浦舟に帆をあげて、この浦舟に帆をあげて、月もろともに出潮の、波の淡路の島影や、遠く鳴尾の沖過ぎて、はや住江に着きにけり、はや住江に着きにけり。
Oh, Takasago, having lifted my sale, oh having lifted my sale, leaving her shore along with the moon, riding the high tides of Awaji as she too draws far, I have ventured far past the waters of Naruo and have quickly arrived at Suminoe.
From the 謡曲 entitled 『高砂2』.
8. 夏草や兵どもが夢の跡
Ah, the summer grasses! The traces of dreams of warriors!
By 『芭蕉』.
や’s utilization as a “cutting word” derives from its ability to attach to uninflected parts of speech, namely nouns (体言), or even adnominal modifiers, to lend a nuance of mild emphasis while also adjusting the rhythm of the discourse. This usage is notably even more archaic, as is evident by its ability to be wedged onto an adnominal modifier.
9. 石見のや高角山の木の間より我が振る袖を妹見つらむか
From amidst the trees of Mt. Takatsuno in Iwami, I wonder if my wife is watching, even now, as I wave my sleeve?
From the 『万葉集・Poem 132』.
10. 「わが心なぐさめかねつ更級（さらしな）や姨捨山（をばすてやま）に照る月を見て」と詠みてなむ、また行きて迎へ来にける。
“I simply cannot console myself as I gaze at the moon shining upon Ubasuteyama3 in Sarashina,” the man recited, as he then went once more (to the mountain) to fetch (her) to bring (her) back with (him).
From the 『更級日記』.
It is also worth noting that the interjectory particle や derives from the interjection や（あ） seen in sentence-initial position, which has been used since antiquity into the modern day as a mild exclamation similar to “wow” or even “why, hello there!”
The Final Particle や
Following the 終止形 or 命令形 of predicates, there are three distinct usages of the final particle や:
- Following the 命令形4 or even the 意志形 (volitional form with the auxiliary ～（よ）う), the speaker urges someone with the same or lower social status as oneself in lighthearted fashion to do something. Depending on the speaker’s dialect, the severity of tone may fluctuate.
- After the 終止形 of predicates, it expresses a sense of lightly disregarding something. This “lighthearted” almost “flippant” approach may, again, fluctuate in the precise severity of tone depending on the speaker’s dialect.
- Though dated in modern speech, it may also appear in ～ましょうや to indicate a rhetorical question5.
Overall, the use of the final particle や is indicative of a male speaker for its first usage with commands, but it is largely gender speaker albeit dialectal in nature for its second usage. As for its third usage, because it is rather dated, most speakers would not readily attribute it to either gender.
11. まあ、座れや。(Dialectical)
Well, sit down.
12. そんなこと、知らなかったや。(Dialectical)
Well, I had no idea about that!
13. こりゃええや。(Dialectical)
This is fine(; no need to sweat).
14. そうしときましょうや。(Dialectical)
Let’s go ahead and do that.
15. この結末はどうなりましょうや。(Dated)
What of this conclusion, hm?
16. どうして私に言えましょうや。(Dated)
What makes (you) think that you can say that to me?
17. 何故使いなぞ出す必要がございましょうや。(Dated)
Why, pray tell, would there be any need to send out a messenger?
18. 人体に影響ないのなら全国の農林水産省関係の食堂で使ってもらいましょうや。(Dialectical)
If it truly poses no risk to human health, then let’s have it used in all the cafeterias affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries nationwide.
The Combination やい
A combination of the final particles や and い, や’s tone of light disregard is shifted to a far more curt tone. や may also be interpreted in its interjectory sense, in which case やい would be used to more brusquely call out for someone. In Standard Japanese, this combination sounds quite dated and/or dialectal.
19. 意気地なしやい！
Why, you freakin’ coward!
20. 俺じゃねーやい！
It ain’t me!
21. 高田君やい！
Yo, Takada-kun!
The Adverbial/Bound Particle や
Deriving from the bound particle や, the adverbial particle や appears in Modern Japanese in the grammar point ～やもしれない, which is synonymous with ～かもしれない meaning “might,” as in casting light doubt as to whether something is to happen or not.
The bound particle や was heavily used in Classical Japanese to mark rhetorical questions. In Modern Japanese, however, this usage has largely been taken over by the particle か, which also began as a bound particle before becoming a final particle. In addition to ～やもしれない, you may also encounter its more archaic renderings ～やもしれぬ・やもしれず6.
22. 賛否両論あるやもしれぬ。
There might be mixed reception.
23. 午後は氷雨やもしれず。
There might be sleet in the afternoon.
The adverbial/bound particle is also preserved in various rhetorical adverbial phrases such as いつぞや (some time ago in the literal sense of “oh, when was it?”) and 何ぞや (what is with?/why~how is it?).
24. おお、いつぞや、お世話になった山口さんではないか！
Why, if it isn’t Yamaguchi-san! Oh, when was it! I know you helped me out back in the day!
25. 『いまび』とは何ぞや？
What is with this “IMABI”?
26. 巣を出でてねぐらも知らぬ雛鳥も何ぞや暮れゆくひよと鳴くらむ。
Now, why is it that fledglings, which have left the nest and can no longer find its way back to it, cry out as dusk falls?
From the 『宇津保物語』.
Below are a few more examples from Classical Japanese showcasing や’s former bound particle functionality to indicate rhetorical questions and/or general doubt.
27. 近き火などに逃ぐる人は「しばし」とや言ふ。
Would people escaping from a nearby fire ever say “hold on”? (No, they wouldn’t.)
From the 『徒然草』.
28. などや苦しき目を見るらむ。
Why is it that I go through such tough situations?
From the 『更科日記』.
29. あないみじや。いとあやしきさまを人や見つらむとて、簾下ろしつ。
Oh, how dreadful! I hope no one saw us look so unsightly!” she murmured, as she promptly lowered her bamboo blinds.
From the 『源氏物語』.
30. 子曰く、学びて時に之を習う、亦説（よろこ）ばしからず乎7。
As Confucius has said, how truly delightful it is to review what one has learned at every opportunity!
From 『論語』by 孔子.
や否や
Way back, we learned how the grammar pattern ～やいなや is used to mean “no sooner than/as soon as.” For a more literal breakdown, “the event/action that follows (Y) occurs no sooner than event/action X occurs.
31. 帰宅するやいなや、旦那の買ってくれていた弁当を食べ、満足するとそのまま昼寝しちゃいました。
No sooner had I arrived home than I ate the bento my husband had bought me; once satisfied, I immediately drifted off into a nap.
32. 少年を担当した外科医は、顔を見るやいなや叫びました。「これは、私の息子です！」
The surgeon, who handles young boys, cried out the moment he saw (the boy’s) face: “This is my son!”
The first や in isolation with the clause that follows, [顔を見るや], can be viewed as literally deriving from its interjectory functionality, creating a sense of slight exclamation about X unfolding, then in the same breath, いなや (literally, or no?) follows, not so much to negate X but to highlight the sense of surprise that Y is now occurring no sooner than X does. The second や still appears to retain a rather exclamatory tone, fitting of an interjectory particle, and is precisely for this reason that the structure ～やいなや can be viewed as a bridging context between や’s interjectory and bound particle functionalities.
Incidentally, いなや can be omitted, which renders や as a conjunctive particle for all intended purposes.
33. 目当ての乗換駅に到着するや、さっさと降りてしまう。
I promptly get off no sooner than we arrive at the station where I intended to switch trains.
In older and/or dialectal grammar, ～やいなや may also be seen rendered as ～がいなや or even ～といなや.
34. 博士は死ぬのを見合せて町へ出ると、一人の娘を見るがいなや即座に魂を奪はれました。
The doctor, having put his death on hold, ventured into the town; the moment his eyes fell upon a certain young woman, his soul was instantly stolen away.
From 『フアウスト』by 牧野信一.
35. 朝飯過ぎるといなや
No sooner was I done with breakfast, then…
From 『世間胸算用』 by 井原西鶴.
36. 月の水にかげをうつすは、いかにもすみやかなる物也。はる〲高き天にあ
れども、雲がのくといなや、はや水にかげがさす也。
The moon’s projection onto the water is, indeed, speedy. Although the moon is high above in the heavens, no sooner do the clouds recede, than its shadow is cast onto the water.
From the 『兵法家伝書』.
If, however, both や retain its bound particle “rhetorical question” functionality, the interpretation of ～やいなや switches to “will X occur? (Probably not).”
37. 頼みの雨は降るや否や。
Now, will the rain we’re counting on come (or not? It probably won’t.)
38. 単純なる経済問題と見るべきや否や。
Now, should this be viewed as a simple economic problem (or not? No, it should not).
- The difference between “interjectory” and “final particles” is largely insignificant, with “interjectory particle” being designated to largely emphatic roles seen in sentence-medial position, which necessarily give rise to said functions expanding to sentence-final position, thus the term “final particles.” “Final particles” are also viewed as being more essential to the meaning of a sentence than their “interjectory particle” predecessors. ↩︎
- “Takasago” is a traditional Noh play, considered to be a very auspicious story involving a loving, long-married couple. ↩︎
- Legend has it that on Ubasuteyama/Obasuteyama, people would carry their elderly relatives up the mountain and leave them there to die. ↩︎
- The use of や after negative imperatives is possible but far more dialectal. ↩︎
- In Classical Japanese, the particle や could function as a bound particle—a particle type which dictates that its predicate be in a particular base—and in this capacity it denoted a rhetorical question, either sentence-medial or in sentence-final position. In sentence-medial position, it would be bound at the end by the 連体形, but in sentence-final position, it would appear after the 終止形. This transition between appearing in sentence-medial position to sentence-final position is attributed to the ellipsis of the presumed main clause that would refute the rhetorical question. ↩︎
- As for when to use ～ず over ～ぬ, this relies on how linguistically pure the speaker wishes to be. Using the 連体形 – ぬ – over the 終止形 – ず – has been true not just for this auxiliary but for all inflectional words for centuries. Furthermore, as is still technically the case in Modern Japanese, sentence endings (語尾) may choose one base over the other, in which only one form would be grammatical. Suffice to say, there is no distinguishable difference between the two iterations in sentence-final position. ↩︎
- Here, 乎 is seen as the kanji rendering of や. ↩︎