न

See also: ऩ, नृ, ना, नि, नी, नू, नो, ने, नै, नः, and ন

न U+0928, न DEVANAGARI LETTER NA ← ध [U+0927] Devanagari ऩ → [U+0929]

Translingual

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /n̪a/, /nə/

Letter

न (na)

1. a letter of the Devanagari alphabet representing the sound /n/

See also

Ligatures:

• श्न (śna): श +‎ न

• Devanagari script consonants: क, ख, ग, घ, ङ, च, छ, ज, झ, ञ, ट, ठ, ड, ढ, ण, त, थ, द, ध, न, प, फ, ब, भ, म, य, र, ल, व, श, ष, स, ह, ॸ, त्र, ज्ञ, क्ष, क़, ख़, ग़, ज़, ॹ, झ़, ड़, ढ़, ष़, य़, ॺ, ऴ, ॻ, ॼ, ॾ, ॿ ^[edit]

Dhivehi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [n̪ə] (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this pronunciation?)

Letter

न • (na)

1. The third consonant in Dhivehi, written in Devanagari

Hindi

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Standard Hindi) IPA^(key): /nə/, [nɐ]

Letter

न • (na)

1. the twentieth consonant of Hindi

See also

• Devanagari script letters: अ, आ, इ, ई, उ, ऊ, ऋ, ए, ऐ, ओ, औ, अं, अः, अँ, क, ख, ग, घ, ङ, च, छ, ज, झ, ञ, ट, ठ, ड, ढ, ण, त, थ, द, ध, न, प, फ, ब, भ, म, य, र, ल, व, श, ष, स, ह, त्र, ज्ञ, क्ष, क़, ख़, ग़, ज़, झ़, ड़, ढ़, फ़ ^[edit]
• (with nuqta): ऩ (ṉ)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Sanskrit न (na).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Hindi) IPA^(key): /nə/, [nɐ], /nɑː/, [näː]

While the first pronunciation is the expected one for the particle, the second, with a long "ā", is more common.

Particle

न • (na) (Urdu spelling نہ)

1. not, do not; prohibitive particle (cf. मत (mat))

   कृपया न पीजिये! ― kŕpyā na pījiye! ― Please, do not drink [it]!

2. isn't it?

   मेरा नाम बहुत लम्बा, है न?

   merā nām bahut lambā, hai na?

   My name is very long, isn't it?

Usage notes

न (na) is used in sudden situations, and normally shows alarm. A less urgent alternative is मत (mat).

Some people distinguish न (na) and ना (nā) with न (na) being the particle of negation and ना (nā) being used to ask confirmation or agreement at the end of a sentence.

Synonyms

• मत (mat)
• नहीं (nahī̃)
• ना (nā)

Marathi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nə/

• Audio:

  (file)

Letter

न • (na)

1. The nineteenth consonant of Marathi.

Nepali

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [nʌ]
• Phonetic Devanagari: न

Letter

न • (na)

1. The twentieth consonant in Nepali.

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• na (Latin script)
• 𑀦 (Brahmi script)
• ন (Bengali script)
• න (Sinhalese script)
• န or ၼ (Burmese script)
• น or นะ (Thai script)
• ᨶ (Tai Tham script)
• ນ or ນະ (Lao script)
• ន (Khmer script)
• 𑄚 (Chakma script)

Particle

न

1. Devanagari script form of na

Adjective

न

1. Devanagari script form of na (“that”)

Declension

Declension table of "न" (masculine)

Case / Number	Singular	Plural
Accusative (second)	नं (naṃ)	ने (ne)
Dative (fourth)	नस्स (nassa)	नेसं (nesaṃ)
Genitive (sixth)	नस्स (nassa)	नेसं (nesaṃ)

Declension table of "ना" (feminine)

Case / Number	Singular
Accusative (second)	नं (naṃ)

Declension table of "न" (neuter)

Case / Number	Singular
Accusative (second)	नं (naṃ)
Dative (fourth)	नस्स (nassa)
Genitive (sixth)	नस्स (nassa)

Pronoun

न m

1. Devanagari script form of na (“him, it, that”)

Declension

Declension table of "न" (masculine)

Case / Number	Singular	Plural
Accusative (second)	नं (naṃ)	ने (ne)
Dative (fourth)	नस्स (nassa)	नेसं (nesaṃ)
Genitive (sixth)	नस्स (nassa)	नेसं (nesaṃ)

Pronoun

न n

1. Devanagari script form of na (“it, that”)

Declension

Declension table of "न" (neuter)

Case / Number	Singular
Accusative (second)	नं (naṃ)
Dative (fourth)	नस्स (nassa)
Genitive (sixth)	नस्स (nassa)

Raute

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ŋa. Cognate with Chinese 我 (wǒ).

Pronoun

न (na)

1. I

Further reading

• Encounter with the Raute: The Last Hunting Nomads of Nepal (1976)
• ASJP

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ন (Assamese script)
• ᬦ (Balinese script)
• ন (Bengali script)
• 𑰡 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀦 (Brahmi script)
• န (Burmese script)
• ન (Gujarati script)
• ਨ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌨 (Grantha script)
• ꦤ (Javanese script)
• 𑂢 (Kaithi script)
• ನ (Kannada script)
• ន (Khmer script)
• ນ (Lao script)
• ന (Malayalam script)
• ᠨᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘡 (Modi script)
• ᠨᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧁 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐣 (Newa script)
• ନ (Odia script)
• ꢥ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆤 (Sharada script)
• 𑖡 (Siddham script)
• න (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩯 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚝 (Takri script)
• ந (Tamil script)
• న (Telugu script)
• น (Thai script)
• ན (Tibetan script)
• 𑒢 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨝 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *ná, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *ná (“not”), from Proto-Indo-European *né (“not”). Cognate with Latin ne, English no.

The "like, as" sense is likely equivalent to the "no" sense; compare Lithuanian ne for similar usage.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /nɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /n̪ɐ/

Prefix

न • (na)

1. no; not

Particle

न • (ná)

1. (when used with an interrogative) no, not, none, no one, nothing, never, etc.

   सा वस्वी॑ न अ॑स्ति॥

   sā́ vásvī ná asti.

   She is not good.

2. (with optative) lest, that not
3. (with repetition) absolutely, very much, unequivocally
4. (chiefly Vedic) like, as, just as, as it were, as if

   Synonyms: इव (iva), यथा (yathā)

Derived terms

• नकिम् (nakim)
• नकि॑स् (nákis)
• न॒त॒माम् (natamā́m)
• न॒त॒राम् (natarā́m)

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Gawar-Bati: [script needed] (na)
  • Indus Kohistani: [script needed] (na)
  • Kalami: [script needed] (na)
  • Khowar: [script needed] (na), [script needed] (no)
  • Kashmiri:

    Arabic script: نَہ (na), نا (nā), نہٕ (nụ)

    Devanagari script: न (na), ना (nā), नॖ (nụ)

  • Kohistani Shina: [script needed] (na)
  • Northeast Pashayi: [script needed] (na)
  • Northwest Pashayi: [script needed] (na)
  • Palula: [script needed] (na)
  • Shina: [script needed] (na)
  • Southeast Pashayi: [script needed] (na)
  • Southwest Pashayi: [script needed] (na)
  • Tirahi: [script needed] (nā)
  • Torwali: [script needed] (na)
  • Wotapuri-Katarqalai: [script needed] (na)
• Helu Prakrit:
  • Dhivehi: ނަ (na)
  • Sinhalese: න (na)
• Magadhi Prakrit: 𑀡 (ṇa), 𑀡𑀸 (ṇā)
  • Assamese: না (na)
  • Bengali: না (na)
  • Bihari: ना (nā)
    • Bhojpuri: ना (nā)
    • Maithili: ना (nā)
  • Odia: ନା (nā)
• Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀡 (ṇa), 𑀡𑀸 (ṇā)
  • Konkani: ना (nā)
  • Marathi: ना (nā)
• Pali: na
• Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀡 (ṇa), 𑀡𑀸 (ṇā)
  • Garhwali: ना (nā)
  • Gujarati: ના (nā)
  • Hindustani:

    Hindi: न (na, “don't”), ना (nā, “don't”)

    Urdu: نہ (na, “don't”), نا (nā, “no”)

  • Kumaoni: न (na)
  • Marwari: ना (nā)
  • Nepali: न (na)
  • Punjabi: ਨਾ (nā)
  • Romani: na
  • Sindhi: न (na)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899), “न”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 523, column 1.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “ná”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 397