yaʼni
That Is: Yaʼni
Yaʼni means that is or in other words. It adds a clearer version of what you just said: Ertaga, yaʼni shanba kuni, kelaman (I'll come tomorrow, that is, on Saturday).
How It Works
Yaʼni works like English that is, i.e. or in other words. The part after it names the same thing again, but more exactly or more simply:
- Ertaga, yaʼni shanba kuni, kelaman. (I'll come tomorrow, that is, on Saturday.)
- U mening amakivachcham, yaʼni amakimning oʻgʻli. (He is my cousin, that is, my uncle's son.)
Commas. Put a comma before yaʼni. If the explaining part sits in the middle of the sentence, close it with a second comma, as in the first example.
Spelling. The word is written with the apostrophe sign: yaʼni, never yani. See tutuq belgisi.
The whole thing, not one example. Yaʼni restates everything you meant. To give one example out of many, use masalan (for example), or the literary chunonchi. Compare Men uch tilni, yaʼni oʻzbek, rus va ingliz tillarini bilaman (I know three languages, namely Uzbek, Russian and English): all three are named.
In conversation. People also say yaʼni while they look for the right words, much like English I mean: U kelmadi, yaʼni kela olmadi. (He didn't come, I mean, he couldn't come.)
Yaʼni is an explaining conjunction, not one of the parenthetical words. A parenthetical word such as masalan has a comma on both sides (masalan, olmani), but yaʼni takes a comma only before it. It often introduces a definition, a job that degan also does.
Examples (5)
- Ertaga, yaʼni shanba kuni, kelaman.
I'll come tomorrow, that is, on Saturday.
Word by Word: Tomorrow, that-is Saturday day-its, come-will-I.
The part between the commas makes ertaga more exact.
- U mening amakivachcham, yaʼni amakimning oʻgʻli.
He is my cousin, that is, my uncle's son.
Word by Word: He my cousin-my, that-is uncle-my-of son-his.
Amakivachcha is a cousin on the father's side; yaʼni explains the word.
- Men pediatrman, yaʼni bolalar shifokoriman.
I'm a pediatrician, that is, a children's doctor.
Word by Word: I pediatrician-am, that-is children doctor-their-am.
The simpler words after yaʼni explain a less familiar word.
- Poyezd soat sakkizda, yaʼni bir soatdan keyin joʻnaydi.
The train leaves at eight, that is, in an hour.
Word by Word: Train hour eight-at, that-is one hour-from after leaves.
- Men uch tilni, yaʼni oʻzbek, rus va ingliz tillarini bilaman.
I know three languages, namely Uzbek, Russian and English.
Word by Word: I three language-ACC, that-is Uzbek, Russian and English languages-ACC know-I.
Yaʼni lists the complete set, not just one example.
Common Mistakes
Using yaʼni to give just one example (meant: I like fruit, for example apples).
Men mevalarni, yaʼni olmani, yaxshi koʻraman.Men mevalarni, masalan, olmani yaxshi koʻraman.The incorrect sentence is grammatical, but it says that by fruit you mean only apples. To pick one example out of many, use masalan.
Writing yaʼni without the apostrophe sign.
Ertaga, yani shanba kuni, kelaman.Ertaga, yaʼni shanba kuni, kelaman.The ʼ sign is part of the spelling, as in maʼno (meaning) and taʼlim (education). Leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Builds on And.
Related Patterns
- Parenthetical Words
Parenthetical words such as masalan take commas on both sides; yaʼni, a conjunction, takes a comma only before it.
Level 4 - chunonchiNamely, For Instance
A literary word for namely or for instance, used when listing examples.
Level 6 - deganCalled, Meaning: Degan
Another common way to explain what a word or name means.
Level 4 - The Apostrophe Sign
Explains the ʼ sign in the spelling of yaʼni.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
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