-ji

Jī (Hindi: जी, Urdu: جی‎, IAST: jī, IPA: [dʒiː]) is an honorific used as a suffix in Hindustani and many other languages of the Indian subcontinent.

Its usage is similar, but not identical, to another subcontinental honorific, sāhab. Similar to the Japanese honorific -san, ji is gender-neutral and can be used for as a term of respect for inanimate objects as well.

Etymology

The origin of the ji honorific is uncertain. One suggestion is that it is a borrowing from an Austroasiatic language such as Sora. Another is that the term means 'soul' or 'life' (similar to the jān suffix) and is derived from Sanskrit.

Variant spellings

Usage

Ji can mean respect:

Ji

Ji or ji may refer to:

Ji (surname 纪)

Jǐ is the Mandarin pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written 纪 in simplified Chinese and 紀 in traditional Chinese. It is romanized as Chi in Wade–Giles, and Kei in Cantonese. Ji is the 136th most common surname in China, with a population of 1.1 million. It is listed 122nd in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames.

Demographics

As of 2008, Ji 纪 is the 136th most common surname in China, shared by 1.1 million people, or 0.088% of the Chinese population. It is concentrated in Beijing, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Shandong, which together account for 48% of the total.

Origin

Ji 纪 originated from the ancient state of Ji in present-day Shouguang, Shandong province. In 690 BC, Ji was conquered and annexed by Duke Xiang of the neighbouring state of Qi, and the people of Ji adopted the name of their former state as their surname. The Ji 纪 surname is a branch of Jiang 姜, the surname of ruling clan of the Ji state.

Notable people