بلی

See also: بلى, تلي, and بلي

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from Persian (bali).

Interjection

بلی • (beli)

yes

Descendants

Turkish: beli

Pahari-Potwari

Etymology

Inherited from Sanskrit विडाली (viḍālī).

Noun

بِلّی (billī)

cat

Persian

Alternative forms

بله (bale) (modern Iranian form)

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic بَلَى (balā). For the vowel change in Classical Persian compare (lēkin), from Arabic لَٰكِن (lākin).

Pronunciation

(Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /ˈba.leː/

(Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [bǽ.leː]
- (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [bǽ.leː]
- (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [bǽ.leː]

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [bǽ.liː]

(Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [bǽ.le]

Readings
Classical reading^?	bálē
Dari reading^?	balē
Iranian reading^?	bali
Tajik reading^?	bale

Adverb


Dari	بلی
Iranian Persian	بله
Tajik	бале

بلی • (balē / bali) (Tajik spelling бале) (Dari and Classical Persian spelling, dated or literary in Iran)

yes

Synonyms

آری (ārē / âri, “yes”) (Dari and classical)
آرِه (âre, “yes”) (Iranian)

Descendants

Iranian Persian: بَلِه (bale)
→ Azerbaijani: bəli
→ Ottoman Turkish: بلی (bali)
- Turkish: beli
→ Urdu: بلے (balē)

Urdu

Pronunciation

(Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /bɪl.liː/
Rhymes: -iː

Etymology 1

Inherited from Sanskrit विडाली (viḍālī).

Noun

بِلّی • (billī) f (masculine بِلَّا (billā), Hindi spelling बिल्ली)

cat

Usage notes

Although this word is feminine and used for female cats, it is also used to mean domestic cat in general. The masculine form, or the word for tomcat, is بِلَّا (billā).

Declension

Declension of **بلی**
	singular	plural
direct	بلی (billī)	بلِیاں (billiyā̃)
oblique	بلی (billī)	بلِیوں (billiyō̃)
vocative	بلی (billī)	بلِیو (billiyō)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Arabic بَلَى (balā).

Adverb

بلیٰ • (balā) (Hindi spelling बला)

yes, why not

References

“بَلیٰ”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.