zati

Zati is an adjective used in several languages of the Middle East and South Asia, derived from the Arabic ذاتي (dhāti), meaning “pertaining to the self” or “intrinsic.” In Urdu, Persian, Turkish and related languages that borrow from Arabic, zati is employed to describe properties that are inherent to a thing’s essence rather than arising from external circumstances.

In philosophy and theology, zati denotes intrinsic, essential attributes. The term is often contrasted with attributes that are contingent, acquired, or dependent on actions or situations. The distinction helps clarify what belongs to the core identity of a being or object versus what can change without altering its fundamental nature. In Islamic philosophical discourse, discussions of zatiyya are used to describe the essential attributes associated with the divine essence, as distinguished from other kinds of predicated or event-related attributes.

In everyday language, zati can describe personal or intrinsic aspects of a person or thing, such as qualities that are considered inherent or belonging to the subject itself. The word remains common in modern usage across languages that adopt it, appearing in literary, legal, and scholarly contexts when distinguishing intrinsic properties from merely external or acquired ones.

Overall, zati functions as a key term for expressing an intrinsic or essential relation to the self, the essence of a thing, or the core nature of a being, across both everyday and specialized discourse.