This is the 748th most frequent Latvian word.
šai
The Latvian word "šai" means "to this" or "for this" (dative form of "šī" - "this" in feminine).
In this sentence, 'šai' is a demonstrative adjective in the dative case modifying the noun 'lietai' ('to this item').
Šai lietai ir īpaša nozīme.
This item has a special significance.
Here, 'šai' is a demonstrative adjective in the dative case modifying the noun 'problēmai' ('to this problem').
Es pievērsu uzmanību šai problēmai.
I paid attention to this problem.
In this example, 'šai' is used as a demonstrative adjective in the dative case to specify 'situācijai' ('to this situation').