mu
English[edit]
← lambda |
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→ nu |
Wikipedia article on mu |
Etymology 1[edit]
From Ancient Greek μῦ (mû), derived from Phoenician 𐤌𐤌 (mm /mem/, “water”). Doublet of mem.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
mu (countable and uncountable, plural mus)
- The 12th letter of the Modern Greek alphabet.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
|
Etymology 2[edit]
From Japanese 無 (mu, “nothing, neither yes nor no”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Interjection[edit]
mu
- (Zen Buddhism) Neither yes nor no.
- 1974, Robert M[aynard] Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, New York, N.Y.: William Morrow & Company, →ISBN:
- Mu means "no thing." Like "Quality" it points outside the process of dualistic discrimination. Mu simply says, "No class; not one, not zero, not yes, not no." […] It's a great mistake, a kind of dishonesty, to sweep nature's mu answers under the carpet.
- 1979, Douglas Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid:
- Achilles: Oh, but MU is Jōshū’s answer. By saying MU, Jōshū let the other monk know that only by not asking such questions can one know the answer to them.
Tortoise: Jōshū “unasked” the question. […]
Achilles: […] And the answer of “MU” here rejects the premises of the question, which are that one or the other must be chosen.
- 1996, Dan Simmons, “Looking for Kelly Dahl”, in The Year's Best Science Fiction, page 424:
- "Mu," said Kelly Dahl.
On one level mu means only yes, but on a deeper level of Zen it was often used by the master when the acolyte asked a stupid, unanswerable or wrongheaded question such as "Does a dog have the Buddha-nature?" The Master would answer only, "Mu," meaning—I say "yes" but mean "no," but the actual answer is: Unask the question.
- 2002, Norman Waddell; Masao Abe, The Heart of Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō, page 72:
- The Fifth Patriarch's utterance You say mu [Buddha-nature] because Buddha-nature is emptiness articulates clearly and distinctly the truth that emptiness is not "no". In uttering Buddha-nature-emptiness one does not say "half a pound." One does not say "eight ounces." One says "mu."
- 2010, Joan Price, Sacred Scriptures of the World Religions, page 70:
- A monk once asked Master Joshu, 'Has a dog the Buddha Nature or not?' Joshu said, 'Mu!'
Noun[edit]
mu (uncountable)
- (Zen Buddhism) Nothingness; nonexistence; the illusory nature of reality.
- 2012, Omori, Introduction To Zen Training, →ISBN, page 115:
- That being the case, we should naturally choose to contemplate mu from morning to night, forgetting everything.
- 2012, Dr Robert Wilkinson, Nishida and Western Philosophy, →ISBN:
- Consequently, though mu is mindlike, the likeness to individual consciousness cannot be pushed very far.
- 2013, Sean Murphy & Natalie Goldberg, One Bird, One Stone: 108 Contemporary Zen Stories, →ISBN, page xvii:
- The monk posed to Chaoi-chou a question: Does a dog have a buddha nature or not?" Chao-chou, without a moment's hesitation, answered, “Mu." (Translated as "No.")
- 2013, Maura O'Halloran, Pure Heart, Enlightened Mind, →ISBN:
- If mu is mind, consciousness, it is nothing.
Usage notes[edit]
Used to answer a question that if answered with "yes" or "no" would imply something false.
Synonyms[edit]
- (nothingness): See also Thesaurus:inexistence
See also[edit]
- ( non-affirmative, non-negative answer): n/a
Etymology 3[edit]
Noun[edit]
mu (plural mu)
- A unit of surface area, currently equivalent two-thirds of a decare (about 666 meters squared).
- 2004, Ho, Peter, “The Wasteland Auction Policy in Northwest China: Solving Environmental Degradation and Rural Poverty?”, in Rural Development in Transitional China: The New Agriculture[1], →ISBN, →ISSN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 125[2]:
- Pengyang county was administered by Guyuan before 1988. In contrast to Guyuan, Pengyang is relatively wealthy. Farmers earn a considerable income through tobacco cultivation, which can yield an annual gross income of Rmb 1,500-2,000 per mu. In 1996, the cultivated area of tobacco in Pengyang was 11,000 mu.⁷
- 2007, Chang Liu, Peasants and Revolution in Rural China: Rural Political Change in the North China Plain and the Yangzi Delta, 1850-1949, page 87:
- Of 114 village farming families, only ten had more than 30 mu of land and only five had more than 60 mu.
Anagrams[edit]
Anguthimri[edit]
Noun[edit]
mu
- (Mpakwithi) buttocks
References[edit]
- Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 187
Asturian[edit]
Interjection[edit]
mu
- moo (sound made by a cow or bull)
Czech[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Pronoun[edit]
mu
Synonyms[edit]
Estonian[edit]
Pronoun[edit]
mu
Usage notes[edit]
Extremaduran[edit]
Adverb[edit]
mu
See also[edit]
French[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
mu m (plural mu)
- mu (Greek letter)
Further reading[edit]
- “mu”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Hanga Hundi[edit]
Noun[edit]
mu
- (a) crocodile
Further reading[edit]
Hausa[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Cognates include Mangas mun, Polci mii, Miship mun.
Pronunciation[edit]
Pronoun[edit]
mū
- we (1st person plural pronoun)
Ikobi-Mena[edit]
Noun[edit]
mu (Mena), mụ (Ikobi)
References[edit]
- Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 67
Indonesian[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Pronoun[edit]
mu
- (text messaging, informal) Alternative spelling of -mu.
Italian[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
mu m or f (invariable)
- the name of the letter M
Japanese[edit]
Romanization[edit]
mu
Jingpho[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Borrowed from Burmese မူး (mu:).
Noun[edit]
mu
- two anna bit
References[edit]
- Kurabe, Keita (2016-12-31), “Phonology of Burmese loanwords in Jinghpaw”, in Kyoto University Linguistic Research[3], volume 35, , →ISSN, pages 91–128
Jurchen[edit]
Noun[edit]
mu
References[edit]
- Gisaburō Norikura Kiyose, A Study of the Jurchen Language and Script: Reconstruction and Decipherment (1977)
Kituba[edit]
Pronoun[edit]
mu
Kom (Cameroon)[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
Noun[edit]
mu
Etymology 2[edit]
Adjective[edit]
mu
References[edit]
- Randy Jones, Provisional Kom - English lexicon (2001, Yaoundé, Cameroon)
Lashi[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
mu
- to happen
References[edit]
- Hkaw Luk (2017) A grammatical sketch of Lacid[4], Chiang Mai: Payap University (master thesis)
Malay[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Shortened form of kamu, from Proto-Malayic *kamu(ʔ), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)kamu, *kamiu, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)kamu, *kamiu.
Pronunciation[edit]
Pronoun[edit]
mu
See also[edit]
singular | plural | ||
---|---|---|---|
1st person | standard | saya / ساي aku/ku- / اکو / كو- (informal/towards God) -ku / -كو (informal possessive) hamba / همبا (dated) |
kami / کامي (exclusive) kita orang / كيت اورڠ (informal exclusive) kita / کيت (inclusive) |
royal | beta / بيتا | ||
2nd person | standard | kamu / کامو anda / اندا (formal) | |
engkau/kau- / اڠکاو/ كاو- (informal/towards God) awak / اوق (friendly/older towards younger) -mu / -مو (possessive) |
kalian / کاليان kamu semua / كامو سموا kau orang / كاو اورڠ (informal) | ||
royal | tuanku / توانكو | ||
3rd person | standard | dia / دي ia / اي beliau / بلياو (honorific) -nya / -ڽ (possessive) |
mereka / مريک dia orang / دي اورڠ (informal) |
royal | baginda / بݢيندا |
Mandarin[edit]
Romanization[edit]
mu
- Nonstandard spelling of mū.
- Nonstandard spelling of mú.
- Nonstandard spelling of mǔ.
- Nonstandard spelling of mù.
Usage notes[edit]
- Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.
Northern Sami[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Pronoun[edit]
mū
Old Irish[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Determiner[edit]
mu (triggers lenition)
- Alternative form of mo (“my”)
Polish[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Pronoun[edit]
mu m
Pronoun[edit]
mu n
See also[edit]
Etymology 2[edit]
Onomatopoeic.
Interjection[edit]
mu
- moo (sound made by cows and bulls)
Derived terms[edit]
Further reading[edit]
- mu in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- mu in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Portuguese[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
- Rhymes: -u
- Hyphenation: mu
Etymology 1[edit]
Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese muu, from Latin mūlum (“mule”). Doublet of mulo.
Noun[edit]
mu m (plural mus)
Related terms[edit]
Etymology 2[edit]
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek μῦ (mû).
Noun[edit]
mu m (plural mus)
- mu (Greek letter)
- Synonym of muão, múon (“muon”)
Etymology 3[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Interjection[edit]
mu
- moo (the call of a cow)
Romanian[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Interjection[edit]
mu
- moo (sound made by cows)
Scottish Gaelic[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old Irish imb. Cognates include Irish um and Manx mysh.
Pronunciation[edit]
Preposition[edit]
mu (+ dative, triggers lenition)
- about, around
- Bha craobhan mu ghàrradh an taighe. ― There were trees around the house's yard.
- about, concerning
- Bha sinn a' bruidhinn mu làithean san sgoil againn. ― We were talking about our days at school.
- about, approximately
- Bidh a' chuairt a' toirt mu thrì uairean. ― The trip will take about three hours.
Inflection[edit]
Personal inflection of mu | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number | Person | Simple | Emphatic | ||||||
Singular | 1st | umam | umamsa | ||||||
2nd | umad | umadsa | |||||||
3rd m | uime | uimesan | |||||||
3rd f | uimpe | uimpese | |||||||
Plural | 1st | umainn | umainne | ||||||
2nd | umaibh | umaibhse | |||||||
3rd | umpa | umpasan |
Derived terms[edit]
- mu chuairt air (“about”)
- mu chuairt (“around”)
- mu dheidhinn (“concerning”)
- mu dheireadh (“last (adjective); at last”)
- mun cuairt (“around”)
Serbo-Croatian[edit]
Pronoun[edit]
mu (Cyrillic spelling му)
- to him (clitic dative singular of ȏn (“he”))
- to it (clitic dative singular of òno (“it”))
- (emphatic, possessive, dative) his, of his (clitic dative singular of ȏn (“he”))
- Gdje mu je auto?
- Where is his car?
- (emphatic, possessive, dative) its, of its (clitic dative singular of òno (“it”))
Declension[edit]
Singular | Plural | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | |
nominative | ȏn | òna | òno | òni | òne | òna |
genitive | njȅga, ga | njȇ, je | njȅga, ga | njȋh, ih | njȋh, ih | njȋh, ih |
dative | njȅmu, mu | njȏj, joj | njȅmu, mu | njȉma, im | njȉma, im | njȉma, im |
accusative | njȅga, ga, nj | njȗ, ju, je | njȅga, ga, nj | njȋh, ih | njȋh, ih | njȋh, ih |
vocative | — | — | — | — | — | — |
locative | njȅm, njȅmu | njȏj | njȅm, njȅmu | njȉma | njȉma | njȉma |
instrumental | njȋm, njíme | njȏm, njóme | njȋm, njíme | njȉma | njȉma | njȉma |
Spanish[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
Interjection[edit]
mu
- moo (sound of a cow)
Derived terms[edit]
Etymology 2[edit]
Noun[edit]
mu f (plural múes)
Etymology 3[edit]
Adverb[edit]
mu
Further reading[edit]
- “mu”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
Sumerian[edit]
Romanization[edit]
mu
- Romanization of 𒈬 (mu)
Swedish[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
- Rhymes: -ʉː
Interjection[edit]
mu
Noun[edit]
mu n
See also[edit]
Anagrams[edit]
Tày[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Proto-Tai *ʰmuːᴬ (“pig”). Cognate with Thai หมู (mǔu), Northern Thai ᩉ᩠ᨾᩪ, Lao ໝູ (mū), Lü ᦖᦴ (ṁuu), Tai Dam ꪢꪴ, Shan မူ (mǔu), Ahom 𑜉𑜥 (mū), Zhuang mou, Bouyei mul.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Thạch An – Tràng Định) IPA(key): [mu˧˧]
- (Trùng Khánh) IPA(key): [mu˦˥]
Noun[edit]
References[edit]
- Hoàng Văn Ma; Lục Văn Pảo; Hoàng Chí (2006) Từ điển Tày-Nùng-Việt [Tay-Nung-Vietnamese dictionary] (in Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Từ điển Bách khoa Hà Nội
Turkish[edit]
Particle[edit]
mu
- Used to form interrogatives.
- Ona bu soruyu sordun mu?
- Did you ask him/her this question?
- Mutlu musun?
- Are you happy?
- Pikniğe gitmiyor muyuz?
- Aren't we going for a picnic?
- Ona bu soruyu sordun mu?
Usage notes[edit]
- Personal suffixes are added to the interrogative particles, as well as the past tense suffixes.
- This form is used when the last vowel of the previous word is "o" or "u". Other forms used with different vowels are: mı?, mi? and mü?
Tzotzil[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
Adjective[edit]
mu
Etymology 2[edit]
Particle[edit]
mu
Synonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
(particles)
References[edit]
- “mu(1)”, “mu(2)” in Laughlin, Robert M. (1975) The Great Tzotzil Dictionary of San Lorenzo Zinacantán. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
- Laughlin, Robert M. [et al.] (1988) The Great Tzotzil Dictionary of Santo Domingo Zinacantán, vol. I. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Vietnamese[edit]
Etymology[edit]
It is not clear which between "pubic region" and "shell" is the more original, although the sense "back" is certainly a derivative.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
- pubes, the pubic region
- (of hands and feet) back
- mu bàn tay ― back of the hand
- the shells of some animals
- Synonym: mai
Volapük[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Borrowed from Spanish muy (“very”).
Adverb[edit]
mu
West Makian[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
mu
Conjugation[edit]
Conjugation of mu (stative verb) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | |||
inclusive | exclusive | |||
1st person | timu | mimu | amu | |
2nd person | nimu | fimu | ||
3rd person | inanimate | imu | dimu | |
animate | mamu | |||
imperative | —, mu | —, mu |
Alternative forms[edit]
References[edit]
- Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours[5], Pacific linguistics
Yoruba[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- mọ (Ọ̀wọ̀, Ìkálẹ̀)
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
mu
- to drink
- Má mu ọtí tó o bá fẹ́ wakọ̀. ― Don't drink alcohol if you want to drive.
- to suck
- Ọmọ-ọwọ́ ṣì ń mu ọmú. ― The baby is still sucking breast.
- to lick (juicy fruits such as oranges, or deserts such as ice cream)
- Ọmọdé ń mu ọsàn. ― The child is licking orange.
- to smoke
- Kò kí ń mu sìgá. ― She doesn't smoke cigarettes.
Derived terms[edit]
Etymology 2[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
mú
- to take
- to catch
- Àwọn ọlọ́pàá ti mú wa o. ― The police have caught us!
- Mo mú bọ́ọ̀lù. ― I caught the ball.
- to have an effect on (relating to temperature)
- Òtútù ń mú mi. ― I feel cold. (Cold is having an effect on me)
- (auxiliary verb) to cause something to do something else (must be used with another verb)
- Oògùn yẹn mú mi sùn. ― That drug made me sleep.
- Ó mú mi mumi. ― It made me drink water.
- to be sharp
- Ọbẹ̀ náà mú. ― That knife is sharp.
Derived terms[edit]
- mú wá (“to bring”)
- mú ẹ̀tanú kúrò (“to break down stereotypes”)
- mú dání (“to hold”)
Etymology 3[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
mù
- to be hidden
- Ó mù sábẹ́ igbó. ― It's hidden under the bush.
Etymology 4[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
mù
Derived terms[edit]
- mùwé (“to be smart”)
Zou[edit]
Verb[edit]
mu
References[edit]
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English terms derived from Phoenician
- English doublets
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/uː
- Rhymes:English/uː/1 syllable
- English terms with homophones
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms derived from Japanese
- English interjections
- en:Buddhism
- English terms with quotations
- English terms derived from Mandarin
- English indeclinable nouns
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- English two-letter words
- en:Greek letter names
- Anguthimri lemmas
- Anguthimri nouns
- Asturian lemmas
- Asturian interjections
- ast:Animal sounds
- Czech terms with IPA pronunciation
- Czech terms with audio links
- Czech non-lemma forms
- Czech pronoun forms
- Czech terms with usage examples
- Estonian non-lemma forms
- Estonian pronoun forms
- Extremaduran lemmas
- Extremaduran adverbs
- French 1-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio links
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French masculine nouns
- fr:Greek letter names
- Hanga Hundi lemmas
- Hanga Hundi nouns
- Hausa terms with IPA pronunciation
- Hausa lemmas
- Hausa pronouns
- Ikobi-Mena lemmas
- Ikobi-Mena nouns
- Indonesian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Indonesian lemmas
- Indonesian pronouns
- Indonesian text messaging slang
- Indonesian informal terms
- Italian 1-syllable words
- Italian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Italian/u
- Rhymes:Italian/u/1 syllable
- Italian lemmas
- Italian nouns
- Italian indeclinable nouns
- Italian countable nouns
- Italian masculine nouns
- Italian feminine nouns
- Italian nouns with multiple genders
- Japanese non-lemma forms
- Japanese romanizations
- Jingpho terms borrowed from Burmese
- Jingpho terms derived from Burmese
- Jingpho lemmas
- Jingpho nouns
- Jurchen lemmas
- Jurchen nouns
- Kituba lemmas
- Kituba pronouns
- Kom (Cameroon) lemmas
- Kom (Cameroon) nouns
- Kom (Cameroon) adjectives
- Lashi terms with IPA pronunciation
- Lashi lemmas
- Lashi verbs
- Malay terms derived from Proto-Malayic
- Malay terms derived from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian
- Malay terms derived from Proto-Austronesian
- Malay terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Malay/mu
- Rhymes:Malay/u
- Malay lemmas
- Malay pronouns
- Hanyu Pinyin
- Mandarin non-lemma forms
- Mandarin nonstandard forms
- Northern Sami terms with IPA pronunciation
- Northern Sami 1-syllable words
- Northern Sami non-lemma forms
- Northern Sami pronoun forms
- Old Irish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Old Irish lemmas
- Old Irish determiners
- Old Irish possessive determiners
- Polish 1-syllable words
- Polish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Polish terms with audio links
- Rhymes:Polish/u
- Rhymes:Polish/u/1 syllable
- Polish non-lemma forms
- Polish pronoun forms
- Polish lemmas
- Polish interjections
- Portuguese 1-syllable words
- Portuguese terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Portuguese/u
- Rhymes:Portuguese/u/1 syllable
- Portuguese terms inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese
- Portuguese terms derived from Old Galician-Portuguese
- Portuguese terms inherited from Latin
- Portuguese terms derived from Latin
- Portuguese doublets
- Portuguese lemmas
- Portuguese nouns
- Portuguese countable nouns
- Portuguese masculine nouns
- Portuguese terms borrowed from Ancient Greek
- Portuguese learned borrowings from Ancient Greek
- Portuguese terms derived from Ancient Greek
- Portuguese onomatopoeias
- Portuguese interjections
- Romanian onomatopoeias
- Romanian lemmas
- Romanian interjections
- ro:Animal sounds
- Scottish Gaelic terms derived from Proto-Celtic
- Scottish Gaelic terms inherited from Proto-Celtic
- Scottish Gaelic terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Scottish Gaelic terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- Scottish Gaelic terms inherited from Old Irish
- Scottish Gaelic terms derived from Old Irish
- Scottish Gaelic terms with IPA pronunciation
- Scottish Gaelic lemmas
- Scottish Gaelic prepositions
- Scottish Gaelic terms with usage examples
- Serbo-Croatian lemmas
- Serbo-Croatian pronouns
- Serbo-Croatian terms with usage examples
- Spanish 1-syllable words
- Spanish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Spanish/u
- Rhymes:Spanish/u/1 syllable
- Spanish onomatopoeias
- Spanish lemmas
- Spanish interjections
- Spanish nouns
- Spanish countable nouns
- Spanish feminine nouns
- Spanish misspellings
- Spanish adverbs
- Spanish slang
- Spanish clippings
- es:Animal sounds
- Sumerian non-lemma forms
- Sumerian romanizations
- Rhymes:Swedish/ʉː
- Rhymes:Swedish/ʉː/1 syllable
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish interjections
- Swedish nouns
- Swedish neuter nouns
- sv:Animal sounds
- Tày terms inherited from Proto-Tai
- Tày terms derived from Proto-Tai
- Tày terms with IPA pronunciation
- Tày lemmas
- Tày nouns
- Turkish lemmas
- Turkish particles
- Tzotzil terms with IPA pronunciation
- Tzotzil lemmas
- Tzotzil adjectives
- Tzotzil particles
- Tzotzil terms with usage examples
- Vietnamese terms with IPA pronunciation
- Vietnamese lemmas
- Vietnamese nouns
- Vietnamese terms with usage examples
- Volapük terms borrowed from Spanish
- Volapük terms derived from Spanish
- Volapük lemmas
- Volapük adverbs
- West Makian terms with IPA pronunciation
- West Makian lemmas
- West Makian verbs
- West Makian stative verbs
- Yoruba terms with IPA pronunciation
- Yoruba lemmas
- Yoruba verbs
- Yoruba terms with usage examples
- Yoruba auxiliary verbs
- Ijẹbu Yoruba
- Zou lemmas
- Zou verbs