जय (jay)
noun/interjection
Primarily a noun meaning 'victory,' but its everyday life is as the first half of greeting/hailing formulas like जय हिंद (jay hind, 'victory to India') and as a very common boy's given name.
Sense
1
:
victory, triumph
noun, feminine
Synonyms: विजय (vijay), जीत (jiit)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: जय (jay) rarely stands alone in speech -- it almost always launches a hailing phrase: जय हिंद (jay hind, 'Victory to India' -- a patriotic salutation), जय श्री राम (jay shrii raam, a religious greeting/chant), or जय हो (jay ho, 'may there be victory/glory,' also a well-known song title). Think of it less as a noun you use in daily sentences and more as the opening word of a fixed cheer or blessing.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for जय (jay) as a general everyday word for 'winning' (as in winning a game or an argument); in ordinary speech जीत (jiit) is what people actually use for that, while जय (jay) stays reserved for slogans, salutations, and elevated/patriotic or devotional contexts.
Sample Sentences:
सैनिकों ने जय हिंद का नारा लगाया।
The soldiers raised the slogan 'Victory to India.'
(sainikon ne jay hind kaa naaraa lagaayaa।)
नेताजी हमेशा जय हिंद कहकर भाषण खत्म करते थे।
Netaji always used to end his speeches by saying 'Jai Hind.'
(netaajii hameshaa jay hind kahkar bhaashan khatm karte the।)
भारत की जय हो!
May India be victorious!
(bhaarat kii jay ho!)
मंदिर में सब लोग जय श्री राम बोल रहे थे।
In the temple, everyone was chanting 'Victory to Lord Ram.'
(mandir men sab log jay shrii raam bol rahe the।)
देश की जय के लिए हर कोई प्रार्थना कर रहा था।
Everyone was praying for the country's victory.
(desh kii jay ke lie har koii praarthnaa kar rahaa thaa।)
अगर सेना की जय होती, तो पूरे शहर में जश्न मनाया जाता।
If the army had achieved victory, the whole city would have celebrated.
(agar senaa kii jay hotii, to poore shahar men jashn manaayaa jaataa।)
क्रांतिकारियों के मुख से बस एक ही बात निकलती थी -- भारत माता की जय।
From the revolutionaries' mouths came just one thing -- victory to Mother India.
(kraantikaariyon ke mukh se bas ek hii baat nikaltii thii -- bhaarat maataa kii jay।)
इस गीत का शीर्षक 'जय हो' बहुत मशहूर हुआ।
This song's title, 'Jai Ho,' became very famous.
(is giit kaa shiirshak 'jay ho' bahut mashahoor huaa।)
स्वतंत्रता सेनानियों के लिए भारत की जय सबसे बड़ा सपना थी।
For the freedom fighters, India's victory was the biggest dream.
(svatantrtaa senaaniyon ke lie bhaarat kii jay sabse badaa sapnaa thii।)
Sense
2
:
hail!, glory to...! (in fixed salutation formulas)
interjection Functions as the fixed first element of a slogan/salutation frame: जय + [name/place] (e.g. जय माता दी (jay maataa dii, 'Glory to the Mother Goddess')).
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You hear this pattern everywhere in Delhi-NCR life: political rallies close with जय हिंद (jay hind), temple visits and greetings among the devout use जय श्री कृष्णा (jay shrii krishnaa) or जय माता दी (jay maataa dii), and Sikh greetings use जो बोले सो निहाल, सत श्री अकाल (jo bole so nihaal, sat shrii akaal) with a related spirit though a different word. The formula is a call-and-response of respect, not literal conversation.
Sample Sentences:
जय हिंद!
Hail India!
(jay hind!)
जय श्री कृष्णा!
Glory to Lord Krishna!
(jay shrii krishnaa!)
जय माता दी!
Glory to the Mother Goddess!
(jay maataa dii!)
नेता ने भाषण के अंत में जय हिंद कहा।
The leader said "hail India" at the end of the speech.
(netaa ne bhaashan ke ant men jay hind kahaa।)
मंदिर में लोग जय श्री राम बोलते हैं।
People say "hail Lord Ram" in the temple.
(mandir men log jay shrii raam bolte hain।)
क्या तुम सब मिलकर जय माता दी नहीं बोलोगे?
Won't you all say "glory to the Mother Goddess" together?
(kyaa tum sab milkar jay maataa dii nahiin bologe?)
अगर मैं वहाँ होता तो मैं भी जय हिंद बोलता।
If I had been there, I would have said "hail India" too.
(agar main vahaan hotaa to main bhii jay hind boltaa।)
जुलूस में हर कोई जय श्री कृष्णा के नारे लगा रहा था।
Everyone in the procession was chanting "hail Lord Krishna."
(juloos men har koii jay shrii krishnaa ke naare lagaa rahaa thaa।)
स्कूल की प्रार्थना सभा जय हिंद के नारे से खत्म होती है।
The school's morning assembly ends with the chant of "hail India."
(skool kii praarthnaa sabhaa jay hind ke naare se khatm hotii hai।)
Sense
3
:
male given name
noun, masculine
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: जय (jay) is a hugely popular Hindu boy's name precisely because it means 'victory' -- parents are naming their son 'triumph.' It is also famous as one of the two lead characters (Jai and Veeru) in the classic Bollywood film Sholay (shole), so the name carries a warm, familiar ring for anyone who grew up watching Hindi cinema.
Sample Sentences:
जय मेरे बचपन का सबसे अच्छा दोस्त है।
Jai is my best friend from childhood.
(jay mere bachpan kaa sabse achchhaa dost hai।)
जय कल शाम को हमारे घर आ रहा है।
Jai is coming to our house tomorrow evening.
(jay kal shaam ko hamaare ghar aa rahaa hai।)
जय ने पिछले साल अपनी नई नौकरी शुरू की थी।
Jai had started his new job last year.
(jay ne pichhle saal apnii naii naukrii shuroo kii thii।)
जय, क्या तुम मेरे साथ बाज़ार चलोगे?
Jai, will you come to the market with me?
(jay, kyaa tum mere saath baazaar chaloge?)
अगर जय समय पर पहुँच जाता तो हम फ़िल्म शुरू से देख पाते।
If Jai had arrived on time, we would have seen the film from the start.
(agar jay samay par pahunch jaataa to ham film shuroo se dekh paate।)
जय, ज़रा वह किताब मुझे दे दो।
Jai, please hand me that book.
(jay, zaraa vah kitaab mujhe de do।)
श्री जय शर्मा को इस समारोह में विशेष अतिथि के रूप में आमंत्रित किया गया है।
Mr. Jai Sharma has been invited as the special guest at this ceremony.
(shrii jay sharmaa ko is samaaroh men vishesh atithi ke roop men aamantrit kiyaa gayaa hai।)
हमारे मोहल्ले में लोग कहते हैं कि जय और वीरू की जोड़ी 'शोले' के बाद से मशहूर हो गई।
People in our neighborhood say that the Jai-Veeru pair became famous after 'Sholay'.
(hamaare mohalle men log kahte hain ki jay aur viiroo kii jodii 'shole' ke baad se mashahoor ho gaii।)
मुझे उम्मीद है कि जय अपनी परीक्षा में अच्छे अंक लाए।
I hope Jai gets good marks in his exam.
(mujhe ummiid hai ki jay apnii pariikshaa men achchhe ank laae।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
जय
(jay)
(sg.f.oblique):
जय
(jay)
(pl.f.direct):
जयें
(jayen)
(pl.f.oblique):
जयों
(jayon)