Jump to content

呢

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
呢 U+5462, 呢
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5462
← 呡
[U+5461]
CJK Unified Ideographs 呣 →
[U+5463]

Translingual

[edit]
Stroke order
8 strokes

Han character

[edit]

呢 (Kangxi radical 30, 口+5, 8 strokes, Cangjie input 口尸心 (RSP), four-corner 67011, composition ⿰口尼)

References

[edit]
  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 181, character 25
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3430
  • Dae Jaweon: page 399, character 31
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 609, character 3
  • Unihan data for U+5462

Chinese

[edit]

Glyph origin

[edit]

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *nil): semantic 口 (“mouth”) + phonetic 尼 (OC *nil)

Etymology 1

[edit]
trad. 呢
simp. # 呢
alternative forms 吶/呐
膩/腻 Hokkien
逆 Hokkien

Ota (1987) suggests that the particle used in questions comes from 聻 (MC nriX) [Five Dynasties], a particle which may come from 爾 (MC nyeX, “that”), and that the particle used to indicate an action in progress comes from earlier 哩 [Yuan dynasty], which may come from 裏 (MC liX, “place”) [Tang dynasty–Five Dynasties].

Pronunciation

[edit]

Note: literary.

Definitions

[edit]

呢

  1. Sentence-final particle indicating a reciprocal question; used to apply the previously asked question to a new subject. What about ...?; And ...?
    你呢?  ―  Nǐ ne?  ―  How about you?
    噉我呢? [Cantonese]  ―  gam2 ngo5 ne1? [Jyutping]  ―  What about me?
    你覺得呢?/你觉得呢?  ―  Nǐ juéde ne?  ―  What do you think?
    你爸爸好嗎?你媽媽呢? [MSC, trad.]
    你爸爸好吗?你妈妈呢? [MSC, simp.]
    Nǐ bàba hǎo ma? Nǐ māma ne? [Pinyin]
    How is your father? And your mom?
    1. Where is ...?; Where are ...?
      我手機呢?/我手机呢?  ―  Wǒ shǒujī ne?  ―  Where is my phone?
      你人呢?  ―  Nǐ rén ne?  ―  Where are you?
  2. Sentence-final particle signalling a pause, to emphasize the preceding words.
    今天我倆值日,我這兒正掃著地,他呢,一溜煙兒跑了。 [MSC, trad.]
    今天我俩值日,我这儿正扫着地,他呢,一溜烟儿跑了。 [MSC, simp.]
    Jīntiān wǒ liǎ zhírì, wǒ zhèr zhèng sǎo zhe dì, tā ne, yīliūyānr pǎo le. [Pinyin]
    He and I were on cleaning duty today. I was sweeping the room when he got away in a flash.
  3. Sentence-final particle indicating continuation of an action or state, English present continuous. to be ...-ing
    我們上漢語課呢。 [MSC, trad.]
    我们上汉语课呢。 [MSC, simp.]
    Wǒmen shàng hànyǔ kè ne. [Pinyin]
    We are attending a Chinese lesson.
  4. Sentence-final particle used to make questions more indirect, to give the impression that the speaker is speaking to themselves.
    他去哪兒了呢?/他去哪儿了呢?  ―  Tā qù nǎr le ne?  ―  I wonder where he's going?
  5. (Shanghainese) Sentence-final particle expressing anger.
Usage notes
[edit]

When expressing an action in progress, 呢 can be used with 正在 (zhèngzài) and 著/着 (zhe) in a sentence. This is the full pattern. Each part is optional. The use of 呢 implies a contrastive mood.

我們正在上著漢語課呢。 [MSC, trad.]
我们正在上着汉语课呢。 [MSC, simp.]
Wǒmen zhèngzài shàng zhe hànyǔ kè ne. [Pinyin]
But we are (still) in Chinese class now.

Compounds

[edit]

Etymology 2

[edit]
trad. 呢
simp. # 呢
“cloth”
From French laine. In 《明史》, this word is also written as 嗹/𪡏. Cognate with Cantonese 冷 (laang5-1).

Pronunciation

[edit]

Note:
  • nà̤ - “whispering”;
  • nì - “cloth”.

Rime
Character 呢
Reading # 1/1
Initial (聲) 娘 (12)
Final (韻) 脂 (17)
Tone (調) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) III
Fanqie 女夷切
Baxter nrij
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/ɳˠiɪ/
Pan
Wuyun
/ɳᵚi/
Shao
Rongfen
/niɪ/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/ɳji/
Li
Rong
/nji/
Wang
Li
/ni/
Bernhard
Karlgren
/ni/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
ní
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
nei4
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 呢
Reading # 1/1
No. 9429
Phonetic
component
尼
Rime
group
脂
Rime
subdivision
1
Corresponding
MC rime
尼
Old
Chinese
/*nil/

Definitions

[edit]

呢

  1. used in 呢喃 (nínán)
  2. woollen cloth (for heavy clothing)
    呢絨/呢绒  ―  níróng  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)
Synonyms
[edit]

Compounds

[edit]

Etymology 3

[edit]
trad. 呢
simp. # 呢
alternative forms
爾/尔 rare
邇/迩 rare
伊 (ji1)
依 (ji1)
咿 (ji1)
爾/尔 rare
邇/迩 rare
伊 (ji1)
依 (ji1)
咿 (ji1)
哩 (li1)
 

Substrate word. Compare:

Alternatively, cognate with 爾/尔 (ji5) with an irregular sound change that caused the nasal consonant to remain. See also the dialectal 依 (ji1).

Pronunciation

[edit]

Definitions

[edit]

呢

  1. (Cantonese) this
Usage notes
[edit]
Synonyms
[edit]

Etymology 4

[edit]
trad. 呢
simp. # 呢

Pronunciation

[edit]

Definitions

[edit]

呢

  1. (Cantonese) hey; Used to raise attention of the listener

Etymology 5

[edit]
trad. 呢
simp. # 呢
alternative forms le

From clipping of English level.

Pronunciation

[edit]

Definitions

[edit]

呢

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, gaming) level (in a video game)
  2. (Hong Kong Cantonese, figuratively) level in a society; social class
Compounds
[edit]

Etymology 6

[edit]
trad. 呢
simp. # 呢

Pronunciation

[edit]

Definitions

[edit]

呢

  1. sound
  2. alternative form of 䛏 (ní)

Etymology 7

[edit]
trad. 呢
simp. # 呢

Pronunciation

[edit]

Definitions

[edit]

呢

  1. only used in 唵嘛呢叭咪吽 (ǎn mānī bēimēi hōng)

Etymology 8

[edit]
trad. 呢
simp. # 呢
alternative forms 年
哖

Pronunciation

[edit]

Definitions

[edit]

呢

  1. (Southern Min) Used in some question words.

Compounds

[edit]

Japanese

[edit]

Kanji

[edit]
呢

(Hyōgai kanji)

  1. emphatic final, interrogative[1]

Readings

[edit]
  • Go-on: に (ni)、ねい (nei)
  • Kan-on: じ (ji)←ぢ (di, historical)、でい (dei)

References

[edit]

Korean

[edit]

Hanja

[edit]

呢 (eum 니 (ni))

  1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Vietnamese

[edit]

Han character

[edit]

呢: Hán Việt readings: ni[1][2][3][4][5][6], nỉ[2][5]
呢: Nôm readings: nỉ[1][2][3][4][6][7][8], nì[1][2][3][4][6][7], này[1][2][3], nài[3][4], nấy[3][4], nầy[1], nơi[1], nê[4]

  1. chữ Nôm form of này (“this; here”)
  2. chữ Nôm form of nầy (“(Northern Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, somewhat dated) alternative form of này (“this”)”)
  3. chữ Nôm form of nỉ (“used in năn nỉ (“to beg”)”)
  4. chữ Nôm form of nơi (“place”)

References

[edit]