يَاء النِّسبَة — The Relationship Yaʾ
يَاء النِّسبَة (yāʾ al-nisbah) is a doubled يّ (yāʾ with shaddah) added to a noun to express relationship, attribution, or resemblance to that noun.
Rule: Kasra Before the Yaʾ
When yāʾ al-nisbah is added, the letter immediately before it always takes a kasra:
دُرٌّ (pearl) → دُرِّيّ (pearly, pearl-like)
باكستان → باكستانيّ (Pakistani)
عَرَب → عَرَبِيّ (Arabic/Arab)
Ibn Mālik's Alfiyya: "The yāʾ like the yāʾ of al-kursiyy — everything which it follows must receive a kasra."
Common Uses
| Use | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Nationality | مِصرِيّ | Egyptian (from Miṣr) |
| Relation to quality | دُرِّيّ | Pearl-like, pearly |
| Scholarly title | حَنَفِيّ | Of the Ḥanafī school |
Don't Confuse with the Singularising Yaʾ
The yāʾ that singularises an ism jins jamʿī looks similar but has a different purpose:
| Yaʾ Type | Example | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| يَاء النِّسبَة | باكستانيّ | "Pakistani" — from a country (nisbah) |
| يَاء الوَحدَة | تُركِيّ | "One Turk" — single from the collective تُرك |
In the Quran
كَوكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ (Surah An-Noor 35) — "a pearly star" — the star glitters like a pearl; دُرِّيّ is yāʾ al-nisbah from دُرّ (pearl).
Session References
- Surah An-Noor Session 15: yāʾ al-nisbah introduced in context of كَوكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ; kasra rule; Ibn Mālik's Alfiyya; distinction from the singularising yaʾ of ism jins jamʿī.