जिं छितः यः
jin chita ya
The English phrase "I love you" is expressed in Newari as जिं छितः यः (jin chita ya).
This phrase is used to express an affirmation of romantic feeling.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
How do you pronounce it?
jin chita ya
Did you know?
- Newari is a Tibeto-Burman language, meaning its ancestral roots are far more distant from the neighboring Indo-Aryan languages like Nepali than one might expect.
- In Newari, using the word छितः for 'you' can be seen as an intimate act of vulnerability, as it strips away the social buffers of the language's strict honorific system.
- Many Newar speakers use the word माया (maya), borrowed from Sanskrit, to describe love. This creates a linguistic layer where the native Newari terms and borrowed terms coexist for the same emotion.
Example conversation
A couple is walking in a park.
- बिबेक Bibekपुनम, जिं छितः यः।Punam, jin chhitah yah.Punam, I love you.
- पुनम Punamजिं नं छितः यः, बिबेक।Jin nan chhitah yah, Bibek.I love you too, Bibek.
- बिबेक Bibekछं जिं यःु?Chan jin yahu?Do you love me?
- पुनम Punamअँ, जिं छितः यः।An, jin chhitah yah.Yes, I love you.
