Save Gender Feminine Usage Japanese Scripts ちがや(Japanese Hiragana) 茅, 千萱, 千賀耶, etc.(Japanese Kanji) Pronounced Pron. CHEE-GAH-YAH [key] Meaning & History From Japanese 茅, 萱 (chigaya,gaya) meaning "miscanthus reed" or from 千 (chi) meaning "thousand", 賀 (ga) meaning "congratulations, joy" combined with 耶 (ya), an interjection, as well as other kanji or kanji combinations.