jiný

Jiný is a Czech adjective meaning "other" or "different." It is used to distinguish one person, thing, or situation from another that has already been mentioned or is understood from context. As a modifier, jiný agrees with the noun in gender and number: masculine singular jiný; feminine singular jiná; neuter singular jiné; masculine plural jiní; feminine and neuter plural jiné. It can also function predicatively, as in "Ten člověk je jiný" (That person is different).

In addition to attributive use, jiný is common in phrases such as "jiný než" to express comparison: "Toto je jiný než to, co jsem očekával" (This is different from what I expected). It is also used with nouns to indicate an alternative: "jiné auto" (another car), "jiná situace" (a different situation).

Etymology: jiný derives from Proto-Slavic *jinъ and is cognate with other Slavic languages, such as Russian другой (drugoy) and Polish inny, all meaning "other" or "different."

Usage notes: Jiný may function as a pronoun in some contexts, meaning "the others" or "the rest" in colloquial speech (e.g., "Jiní to vědí"—"Others know that"). However, more formal writing typically uses pronouns corresponding to the noun.