mu

See also: μ, Μ, and Appendix:Variations of "mu"

Languages (44)

English

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Abau • Albanian • Anguthimri • Asturian • Czech • Dutch • Estonian • Extremaduran • French • Hanga Hundi • Hausa • Ikobi-Mena • Indonesian • Italian • Japanese • Jingpho • Jurchen • Kapampangan • Kituba • Kom (Cameroon) • Malay • Mandarin • Mizo • Northern Sami • Old Irish • Polish • Portuguese • Romanian • Scottish Gaelic • Serbo-Croatian • Slovak • Spanish • Sumerian • Swedish • Tày • Tooro • Turkish • Tzotzil • Vietnamese • Volapük • West Makian • Yoruba • Zou

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Page categories

English

Ancient Greek alphabet

← lambda		→ nu
Μ μ Ancient Greek: μῦ
Wikipedia article on mu

Etymology 1

From Ancient Greek μῦ (mû), derived from Phoenician 𐤌𐤌 (mm /⁠mem⁠/, “water”). Doublet of mem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mjuː/, /muː/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uː
• Homophones: mew (first pronunciation only), moo (second pronunciation only)

Noun

mu (countable and uncountable, plural mus)

1. The 12th letter of the Modern Greek alphabet.

Derived terms

• mu-meson, muon
• mu-metal

Translations

Greek letter

• Arabic: مُو m (mū)
• Asturian: mi (ast)
• Catalan: mi (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 繆 / 缪 (zh) (miào), 姆 (zh) (mǔ), 米歐 / 米欧 (zh) (mǐ'ōu)

• Czech: mí (cs)
• Danish: my (da)
• Dutch: mu (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: muo (eo)
• Faroese: my (fo) n, mu n
• Finnish: myy (fi)
• French: mu (fr) m
• German: My (de) n
• Greek: μι (el) n (mi)

  Ancient Greek: μῦ n (mû)

• Hungarian: mű (hu)
• Japanese: ミュー (ja) (myū), ミ (ja) (mi)
• Korean: 뮤 (ko) (myu)
• Malay: mu (ms)
• Persian: مو (fa) (mu)
• Polish: mi (pl) n, my (pl) n
• Portuguese: mi (pt) m
• Russian: мю (ru) n (mju), ми (ru) n (mi) (modern Greek only)
• Swedish: my (sv)
• Tagalog: mu
• Thai: มิว (miu)

an instance of that letter

• Finnish: myy (fi)
• Polish: mi (pl) n, my (pl) n

See also

• (Greek-script letter names) alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta, theta, iota, kappa, lambda, mu, nu, xi, omicron, pi, rho, sigma, tau, upsilon, phi, chi, psi, omega

Etymology 2

From Japanese 無 (mu, “nothing, neither yes nor no”).

Pronunciation

(Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this pronunciation?)

• enPR: m(y)o͞o
• (UK) IPA^(key): /muː/
  • Homophone: moo
• (US) IPA^(key): /mjuː/, /muː/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

  • Homophones: (first pronunciation) mew, (second pronunciation) moo

Interjection

mu

1. (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^[2], Basic Books, →ISBN, →OCLC:

     [p. 233]
     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.
     [p. 312]
     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

mu (uncountable)

1. (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

Used to answer a question that if answered with "yes" or "no" would imply something false.

Synonyms

• (nothingness): See also Thesaurus:inexistence

See also

• (non-affirmative, non-negative answer): n/a

Etymology 3

From Mandarin 畝／亩 (mǔ).

Pronunciation

• enPR: mo͞o

Noun

mu (plural mu)

1. A unit of surface area, currently equivalent to two-thirtieths of a hectare.
   • [1959 September, Tung Ta-lin [董大林], “The Inevitability of Quick Transition from Lower to Higher Stage of Agricultural Co-operation”, in Agricultural Co-operation in China [中国农业合作化的道路] (China Knowledge Series)‎^[3], 2nd edition, Peking: Foreign Languages Press, →OCLC, page 72:

     The Lucky Star Co-operative in Chuwo County on the plains of southern Shansi had, before the anti-Japanese war, 26 wells, 4 water-wheels and 166.1 mou of irrigated fields, 4.82 per cent of its total arable land.]

   • [1965 July 9 [1965 June 7], “Chienchiang County Reports Increase in Crops”, in Daily Report: Foreign Radio Broadcasts‎^[4], number 131, Foreign Broadcast Information Service, sourced from Wuhan Domestic Service, →OCLC, page DDD 2‎^[5]:

     Good news on the summer harvest prevailed in the countryside of Chienchiang County, Hupeh. The county reported remarkable increased in its 600,000 mou of summer food crops this year, surpassing the yield in 1962 which was considered as the best year.]

   • 2004, Peter Ho, “The Wasteland Auction Policy in Northwest China: Solving Environmental Degradation and Rural Poverty?”, in Rural Development in Transitional China: The New Agriculture‎^[6], →ISBN, →ISSN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 125‎^[7]:

     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

• 'um, -um, UM, um, um-

Abau

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mu/

Noun

mu class I gender m

1. crocodile

References

• Lock, Arnold Hugo. 2011. Abau Grammar. Data Papers on Papua New Guinea Languages 57. Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea: SIL-PNG Academic Publications. Available online.
  • p.63 (masculine gender noted)
  • p.67, Table 21 (listed under Class 1, Masculine).

Albanian

Pronoun

mu

1. dialectal form of mua

Anguthimri

Noun

mu

1. (Mpakwithi) buttocks

References

• Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 187

Asturian

Interjection

mu

1. moo (sound made by a cow or bull)

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmu]

• Audio:

  (file)

Pronoun

mu

1. singular dative of on

   Řekni mu, že jím. ― Tell him, I am eating.

2. singular dative of ono

Synonyms

• jemu

Dutch

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μῦ (mû). Doublet of mem and majem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /my/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

mu m (plural mu's, diminutive muutje n)

1. mu (letter of the Greek alphabet)

Further reading

• mu on the Dutch Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^nl

Estonian

Pronoun

mu

1. genitive singular of ma

Usage notes

• Used unstressed in a sentence. When the pronoun is stressed, minu (genitive of mina) is used.

Extremaduran

Adverb

mu

1. very

See also

• muchu

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /my/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Noun

mu m (invariable)

1. mu (Greek letter)

Participle

mu (feminine mue, masculine plural mus, feminine plural mues)

1. post-1990 spelling of mû

Further reading

• “mu”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Hanga Hundi

Noun

mu

1. (a) crocodile

Further reading

• Hanga Hundi Organised Phonology Data (2011)

Hausa

Etymology

From Proto-Chadic *ʔan-muni, from Proto-Afroasiatic *muni (“we”). Compare Somali innaga. Cognate with Gwandara amu, Mangas mun, Polci mii, Miship mun.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /múː/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key): [múː]

Pronoun

mū

1. we (1st person plural pronoun)

See also

Hausa personal pronouns

independent pronouns
		singular	plural
1st person		nī	mū
2nd person	m	kai	kū
	f	kē
3rd person	m	shī	sū
	f	ita
direct object pronouns*
		singular	plural
1st person		ni	mu
2nd person	m	ka	ku
	f	ki
3rd person	m	shi	su
	f	ta
indirect object pronouns
		singular	plural
1st person		minì	manà
2nd person	m	makà	mukù
	f	mikì
3rd person	m	masà	musù
	f	matà

* The default tone of the direct object pronouns is high, but it usually changes to low immediately after a high tone, unless that high tone is part of a verb with a high-low-high pattern.

---

See also the Hausa possessive pronouns.

Ikobi-Mena

Noun

mu (Mena), mụ (Ikobi)

1. water

References

• Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 67

Indonesian

Pronoun

mu

1. (proscribed) alternative spelling of -mu

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmu/
• Rhymes: -u
• Hyphenation: mù

Noun

mu m or f (invariable)

1. the name of the letter M

Japanese

Romanization

mu

1. The hiragana syllable む (mu) or the katakana syllable ム (mu) in Hepburn romanization.

Jingpho

Etymology

Borrowed from Burmese မူး (mu:).

Noun

mu

1. two anna bit

References

• Kurabe, Keita (31 December 2016), “Phonology of Burmese loanwords in Jinghpaw”, in Kyoto University Linguistic Research‎^[8], volume 35, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 91–128

Jurchen

Noun

mu

1. water

References

• Gisaburō Norikura Kiyose, A Study of the Jurchen Language and Script: Reconstruction and Decipherment (1977)

Kapampangan

Alternative forms

• mo
• me

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *-mu (2sg. possessor and agent of passive verb). Compare Malay -mu, Tagalog mo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmu/ [ˈmu]
• Hyphenation: mu

Adjective

mu

1. second person singular possessive adjective; your

See also

Kapampangan personal pronouns

		absolute		ergative	oblique
		disjunctive	enclitic
first person	singular	aku/i aku/yaku	ku		kanaku
	plural inclusive	ikatamu	katamu/tamu	tamu/ta	kekatamu
	plural exclusive	ikami, ike	kami/ke	mi	kekami/keke
second person	singular	ika	ka	mu	keka
	plural	ikayu/iko	kayu/ko	yu	kekayu/keko
third person	singular	iya/ya	ya	na	keya/kaya
	plural	ila	la	da/ra	karela

Adverb

mu

1. only; just; one; all

   Synonyms: man, metung, basta, kabud, tangi, dili

Derived terms

• ikamu
• kamu
• kapamu
• namu
• pamu
• pamu-pamu
• pinamu-namu
• pipamu-pamu

Kituba

Pronoun

mu

1. I

Kom (Cameroon)

Etymology 1

Noun

mu

1. water

Etymology 2

Adjective

mu

1. old

References

• Randy Jones, Provisional Kom - English lexicon (2001, Yaoundé, Cameroon)

Malay

Pronoun

mu

1. alternative spelling of -mu

Mandarin

Romanization

mu

1. nonstandard spelling of mū
2. nonstandard spelling of mú
3. nonstandard spelling of mǔ
4. nonstandard spelling of mù

Usage notes

• 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.

Mizo

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

mu (stem II mut)

1. to lie down
2. to sleep

Further reading

• Lorrain, J. Herbert (1940), “mu”, in Dictionary of the Lushai language, Calcutta: Asiatic Society

Northern Sami

Pronunciation

• (Kautokeino) IPA^(key): /ˈmuː/

Pronoun

mū

1. accusative/genitive of mun

Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mo/

Determiner

mu (triggers lenition)

1. alternative form of mo (“my”)

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmu/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -u
• Syllabification: mu

Etymology 1

Onomatopoeic.

Interjection

mu

1. moo (sound made by cows and bulls)

   robić mu ― to moo (literally, “to make a moo”)

Derived terms

nouns

• muczenie
• mućka

verbs

• muczeć impf, zamuczeć pf

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Alternative forms

• jemu, niemu

Pronoun

mu m pers

1. dative singular mute of on

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronoun

mu n

1. dative singular mute of ono

See also

• Appendix:Polish pronouns

Further reading

• mu in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861), “mu”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861, volume I, page 686
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1902), “mu”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 2, Warsaw, page 1064
• Jan Karłowicz (1903), “mu”, in Hieronim Łopaciński, Wacław Taczanowski, editors, Słownik gwar polskich [Dictionary of Polish dialects] (in Polish), volume 3: L do O, Kraków: Akademia Umiejętności, page 195
• Witold Doroszewski, editor (1958–1969), “mu!”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), Warszawa: PWN
• “mu”, in Słownik gramatyczny języka polskiego [Grammatical Dictionary of Polish], 2022

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmu/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmu/

• Rhymes: -u
• Hyphenation: mu

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese muu, from Latin mūlum (“mule”). Doublet of mulo.

Noun

mu m (plural mus)

1. mule

   Synonym: mulo

Related terms

• mua
• mula
• mulato
• mulo

Etymology 2

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek μῦ (mû).

Noun

mu m (plural mus)

1. mu (Greek letter)
2. synonym of muão, múon (“muon”)

Etymology 3

Onomatopoeic.

Alternative forms

• muu, muuu, etc.

Interjection

mu

1. moo (the call of a cow)

Further reading

• “mu”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “mu”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Interjection

mu

1. moo (sound made by cows)

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish imb. Cognates include Irish um and Manx mysh.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma/

Preposition

mu (+ dative, triggers lenition, combined with the singular definite article mun)

1. about, around

   Bha craobhan mu ghàrradh an taighe. ― There were trees around the house's yard.

2. about, concerning

   Bha sinn a' bruidhinn mu làithean san sgoil againn. ― We were talking about our days at school.

3. about, approximately

   Bidh a' chuairt a' toirt mu thrì uairean. ― The trip will take about three hours.

4. (dated) on (of clothes)

   Dè chuireas mi umam? ― What shall I wear?

Inflection

Personal inflection of mu

	Person:		simple	emphatic
singular	first		umam	umamsa
	second		umad	umadsa
	third	m	uime	uimesan
		f	uimpe	uimpese
plural	first		umainn	umainne
	second		umaibh	umaibhse
	third		umpa	umpasan

Derived terms

• mu chuairt (“around”)
• mu chuairt air (“about”)
• mu dheidhinn (“concerning”)
• mu dheireadh (“last (adjective); at last”)
• mun cuairt (“around”)

Serbo-Croatian

Pronoun

mu ? (Cyrillic spelling му)

1. to him (clitic dative singular of ȏn (“he”))
2. to it (clitic dative singular of òno (“it”))
3. (emphatic, possessive, dative) his, of his (clitic dative singular of ȏn (“he”))

   Gdje mu je auto?

   Where is his car?

4. (emphatic, possessive, dative) its, of its (clitic dative singular of òno (“it”))

Declension

Inflection of 3rd-person pronouns

	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

Slovak

Alternative forms

• jemu, nemu (after prepositions)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mu/, [mu]
• Rhymes: -u

Pronoun

mu

1. dative of on and ono

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmu/ [ˈmu]
• Rhymes: -u
• Syllabification: mu

Etymology 1

Onomatopoeic.

Interjection

mu

1. moo (sound of a cow)

Derived terms

• ni mu
• no decir ni mu

Etymology 2

Noun

mu f (plural múes)

1. misspelling of mi (mu, the Greek letter Μ, μ)

Etymology 3

Adverb

mu

1. (slang) clipping of muy

Further reading

• “mu”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Sumerian

Romanization

mu

1. romanization of 𒈬 (mu)

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mʉː/
• Rhymes: -ʉː

Interjection

mu

1. moo (sound made by a cow)

   Kon säger mu

   The cow says moo

Noun

mu n

1. a moo

See also

• ko (“cow”)
• råma (“to moo, to low”)

References

• mu in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• mu in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• mu in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Anagrams

• -um

Tày

Etymology

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

• (Thạch An – Tràng Định) IPA^(key): [mu˧˧]
• (Trùng Khánh) IPA^(key): [mu˦˥]

Noun

mu (Nôm form 𤝕, 牳)

1. pig

References

• 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

Tooro

Tooro numbers ^(edit)

		10
		1	2  → [a], [b]	10  →
Cardinal: -mu, (in abstract counting) emu     Ordinal: -a okubanza     Adverbial: kubanza, enyalimu, omurundi gumu

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-mòì. Cognate with Kikuyu -mwe and Zulu -nye.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mu/

Numeral

-mu

1. one

   omuntu omu ― one person

2. (in the plural) some

   abantu abamu ― some people

3. (in the plural) same

   abantu abamu ― the same people

Declension

Inflected forms of -mu

Noun class	indefinite		definite
	singular	plural	singular	plural
1/2	omu	bamu	omu	abamu
3/4	gumu	emu	ogumu	emu
5/6	limu	gamu	erimu	agamu
7/8	kimu	bimu	ekimu	ebimu
9/10	emu	zimu	emu	ezimu
11/10	rumu		orumu
12/14	kamu	bumu	akamu	obumu
13	—	tumu	—	otumu
14/6	bumu	gamu	obumu	agamu
15/6	kumu		okumu
16	hamu	—	ahamu	—
18	—		—

Derived terms

• obumu (“unity”)
• hamu (“together”)

References

• Kaji, Shigeki (2007), A Rutooro Vocabulary‎^[9], Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), →ISBN, page 145
• Rubongoya, L. T. (2013), Katondogorozi y'Orunyoro-Rutooro n'Orungereza [Runyoro–Rutooro-English and English-Runyoro–Rutooro dictionary]‎^[10], Kampala: Modrug Publishers, →ISBN, pages 238, 542, 571, 583

Turkish

Particle

mu

1. 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?

Usage notes

• 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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mu/

Etymology 1

Adjective

mu

1. delicious

Etymology 2

Particle

mu

1. (negation) not

   Mu jnaʼ. ― I do not know him/her/it.

Synonyms

• mukʼ

Derived terms

(particles)

• muʼyuk

References

• “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

Etymology

It is not clear which between "mons veneris" and "carapace" is the more original, although the sense "back" is certainly a derivative.

Compare Zhuang moz.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [mu˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [mʊw˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [mʊw˧˧]

Noun

mu • (模)

1. mons veneris, pubes, the pubic region
2. (of hands and feet) back

   mu bàn tay ― back of the hand

3. the carapaces (dorsal shells) of some animals (e.g. turtles and crustaceans)

   Synonym: mai

Volapük

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish muy (“very”).

Adverb

mu

1. extremely

West Makian

Etymology

Compare Ternate omu (“ripe”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mu/

Verb

mu

1. (stative) to be ripe

Conjugation

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

• mo

References

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982), The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[11], Pacific linguistics

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mũ̄/

Verb

mu

1. to drink

   Má mu ọtí tó o bá fẹ́ wakọ̀. ― Don't drink alcohol if you want to drive.

2. to suck

   Ọmọ-ọwọ́ ṣì ń mu ọmú. ― The baby is still sucking breast.

3. to lick (juicy fruits such as oranges, or deserts such as ice cream)

   Ọmọdé ń mu ọsàn. ― The child is licking orange.

4. to smoke

   Kò kí ń mu sìgá. ― She doesn't smoke cigarettes.

Synonyms

Yoruba varieties and languages: mu (“to drink, suck, smoke”)
view map; edit data
Language family	Variety group	Variety/language	Subdialect	Location	Words
Proto-Itsekiri-SEY	Southeast Yoruba	Ìkálẹ̀ (Ùkálẹ̀)		Òkìtìpupa	mọ
		Ọ̀wọ̀ (Ọ̀ghọ̀)		Ọ̀wọ̀ (Ọ̀ghọ̀)	mọ
	Ìtsẹkírì			Ìwẹrẹ	mọ
	Olùkùmi			Ugbódù	mọ
Proto-Yoruba	Central Yoruba	Èkìtì	Èkìtì	Àdó Èkìtì	mụ
			Àkúrẹ́	Àkúrẹ́	mụ
			Mọ̀bà	Ọ̀tùn Èkìtì	mụ
	Northwest Yoruba	Àwórì		Èbúté Mẹ́tà	mu
		Ẹ̀gbá		Abẹ́òkúta	mu
		Ẹ̀gbádò		Ìjàká	mọ
		Èkó		Èkó	mu
		Ìbàdàn		Ìbàdàn	mu
		Ìlọrin		Ìlọrin	mu
		Ọ̀yọ́		Ọ̀yọ́	mu
		Standard Yorùbá		Nàìjíríà	mu
				Bɛ̀nɛ̀	mu
	Northeast Yoruba/Okun	Ìyàgbà		Ìsánlú Ìtẹ̀dó	mu
		Owé		Kabba	mu
	Ede languages/Southwest Yoruba	Ana		Sokode	mɔ
		Cábɛ̀ɛ́		Cábɛ̀ɛ́ (Ìdàdú)	mɔ
				Tchaourou	mɔ
		Ǹcà (Ìcà, Ìncà)		Baàtɛ	mɔ
		Ìdàácà	Benin	Igbó Ìdàácà (Dasa Zunmɛ̀)	mu
		Ọ̀họ̀rí/Ɔ̀hɔ̀rí-Ìjè	Ọ̀họ̀rí/Ɔ̀hɔ̀rí/Ìjè	Ìkpòbɛ́	mɔ
				Onigbolo	mɔ
			Kétu/Ànàgó	Kétu	mu
		Ifɛ̀		Akpáré	mɔ
				Atakpamɛ	mɔ
				Boko	mɔ
				Moretan	mɔ
				Tchetti (Tsɛti, Cɛti)	mɔ
		Kura		Aledjo-Koura	mɔ
				Awotébi	mɔ
				Partago	mɔ
		Mɔ̄kɔ́lé		Kandi	mɔ
		Northern Nago		Kambole	mɔ
				Manigri	mɔ
Note: This amalgamation of terms comes from a number of different academic papers focused on the unique varieties and languages spoken in the Yoruboid dialectal continuum which extends from eastern Togo to southern Nigeria. The terms for spoken varieties, now deemed dialects of Yorùbá in Nigeria (i.e. Southeast Yorùbá, Northwest Yorùbá, Central Yorùbá, and Northeast Yorùbá), have converged with those of Standard Yorùbá leading to the creation of what can be labeled Common Yorùbá (Funṣọ Akere, 1977). It can be assumed that the Standard Yorùbá term can also be used in most Nigerian varieties alongside native terms, especially amongst younger speakers. This does not apply to the other Nigerian Yoruboid languages of Ìṣẹkírì and Olùkùmi, nor the Èdè Languages of Benin and Togo.

Derived terms

• ajẹ-òkúta-má-mu-omi
• ẹmu (“palm wine”)
• momi (“to drink water”)
• mọtí (“to drink alcohol”)
• mugbó (“to smoke weed”)
• mumi (“to drink water”)
• mutí (“to drink alcohol”)
• mímu (“drinkable, drinking”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mṹ/

Verb

mú

1. to take
2. to catch

   Àwọn ọlọ́pàá ti mú wa o. ― The police have caught us!

   Mo mú bọ́ọ̀lù. ― I caught the ball.

3. to have an effect on (relating to temperature)

   Òtútù ń mú mi. ― I feel cold. (Cold is having an effect on me)

4. (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.

5. to be sharp

   Ọbẹ̀ náà mú. ― That knife is sharp.

Derived terms

• mú wá (“to bring”)
• mú ẹ̀tanú kúrò (“to break down stereotypes”)
• mú dání (“to hold”)

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mũ̀/

Verb

mù

1. to be hidden

   Ó mù sábẹ́ igbó. ― It's hidden under the bush.

Etymology 4

Cognates with Yoruba mọ̀

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mũ̀/

Verb

mù

1. (Ijebu) to know

   Méè mù . ― I don't know .

Derived terms

• mùwé (“to be smart”)

Zou

Verb

mu

1. see

References

• Chungkham Yashawanta Singh; Lukram Himmat (2013), A Descriptive Grammar of Zou, Canchipur: Manipur University