ni

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ni"

Languages (92)

English

---

Abinomn • Achang • Afar • Ainu • Albanian • Anguthimri • Ao • Aromanian • Asturian • Atong (India) • Bambara • Basque • Biloxi • Breton • Catalan • Cornish • Czech • Danish • Drung • Dumbea • Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl • Esperanto • French • Gothic • Hanunoo • Hausa • Hungarian • Idi • Ido • Indonesian • Ingrian • Interlingua • Italian • Japanese • Kamano • Kansa • Kapampangan • Kedah Malay • Klao • Laboya • Latin • Ligurian • Livonian • Lolopo • Luxembourgish • Malay • Mandarin • Marshallese • Middle English • Middle Irish • Mizo • Mohegan-Pequot • Mokilese • Navajo • Naxi • Ningil • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Nutabe • Old Czech • Old High German • Old Irish • Omaha-Ponca • Phalura • Polish • Portuguese • Proto-Norse • Rawang • Romanian • Samoan • Serbo-Croatian • Sicilian • Slovene • Spanish • Swahili • Swedish • Tagalog • Tarifit • Tokelauan • Unami • Ura (Vanuatu) • Uzbek • Veps • Vietnamese • Welsh • West Makian • Wutunhua • Yil • Yoruba • Zou • Zulu

---

Page categories

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

Noun

ni

1. (grammar) Initialism of noun inanimate.

See also

• na
• nad
• nid

Anagrams

• -in, -in', IN, i'n, in, in-

Abinomn

Pronoun

ni

1. you (singular)

Achang

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *nəj(ʔ).

Pronunciation

• (Myanmar) /ni˧/
• (Longchuan) [ne³¹]
• (Xiandao) [nɛ³¹]

Adjective

ni

1. near, close

   ni los

   come near

Further reading

• Inglis, Douglas; Sampu, Nasaw; Jaseng, Wilai; Jana, Thocha (2005), A preliminary Ngochang–Kachin–English Lexicon‎^[2], Payap University, page 93

Afar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈni/ [ˈnɪ]
• Hyphenation: ni

Determiner

ní

1. our
   • Saytun Qhuraan kee kay maqnah tarjamaty Qafar afal tani [The clear Qur'an and its explanation translated into the Afar language]‎^[3], Suurat Al-Faatica, verse 5:

     Diggah nanu Ni Rabbow koo inkittosnaah Qibaada dibuk koo caglisna, nanu ni-caagiidah inkih cato koo esserra.

     Our God, with strength we make you whole, only you we give [our] adoration, we as one ask you for help with our afairs.

See also

Afar possessive determiners

		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
				m	f
personal	singular	yi	ku	kay	tet
	plural	ni	sin	ken
reflexive	singular	inní	isí
	plural	ninní	isinní, sinní

References

• E. M. Parker; R. J. Hayward (1985), “ni”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN
• Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015), L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)‎^[4], Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)

Ainu

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nʲi/

Noun

ni (Kana spelling ニ)

1. tree
2. wood

Synonyms

• cikuni

Albanian

Alternative forms

• tani
• nani
• nime

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *nū, from Proto-Indo-European *nū (“now”). Cognate to Sanskrit नू (nū, “now”). Often occurs in coordination with other particles, compare tani, nani, nime.

Adverb

ni

1. now

   Synonyms: tash, tani, hë, nani, nime

Related terms

• nu

Anguthimri

Noun

ni

1. (Mpakwithi) place
2. (Mpakwithi) camp

References

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

Ao

Pronoun

ni

1. (Chungli, Mongsen) I, me (first person pronoun)

Further reading

• Clark, Mary M. (1893), Ao Naga grammar with illustrative phrases and vocabulary, Molung: Assam Secretariat Printing Office, page 10
• A. R. Coupe (2007), A grammar of Mongsen Ao, Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 89

Aromanian

Alternative forms

• nã

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin nīs, from Latin nos. Compare Romanian ne (older form nă).

Pronoun

ni (unstressed accusative and reflexive form of noi)

1. (direct object, first-person plural) us

Related terms

• noi (stressed accusative)

Pronoun

ni (unstressed dative and reflexive form of noi)

1. (indirect object, first-person plural) (to) us

Related terms

• nau (stressed dative)

See also

• vi

Asturian

Noun

ni f (uncountable)

1. nu (name for the letter of the Greek alphabet: Ν and ν)

Atong (India)

Etymology

From Proto-Bodo-Garo *nɯi⁴ (“two”), from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *kV-ni-s (“two”). Cognate with S'gaw Karen ခံ (khee), Tibetan གཉིས (gnyis), Sikkimese ཉི (nyi), Nuosu ꑍ (nyip), Burmese နှစ် (hnac).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni/

Numeral

ni (Bengali script নি)

1. two

Synonyms

• rongni
• tu
• do

References

• van Breugel, Seino. 2015. Atong-English dictionary, second edition. Available online: https://www.academia.edu/487044/Atong_English_Dictionary.

Bambara

Etymology 1

Noun

ni

1. soul, life, spirit

Etymology 2

Conjunction

ni

1. if

   Ni taara sugu la, i bɛ ne ba ye.

   If you go to the market, you will see my mother

2. when

References

• Richard Nci Diarra, Lexique bambara-français-anglais, December 13, 2010

Basque

Etymology

From Proto-Basque *ni.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni/ [ni]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i
• Hyphenation: ni

Pronoun

ni (emphatic forms neu, nihaur, nerau)

1. First-person singular personal pronoun; I
   • c. 1808, Juan Bautista Aguirre, Eracusaldiac [Lessons]‎^[5], Tolosa, published 1850, page 473:

     […] Jauna: ez naiz ni beñere izan zu neure viotzean artzeco diña […]

     [ […] Jauna, ez naiz ni beñere izan zu nere biotzean artzeko diña […] ]

     […] Lord, not even once have I been worth of belonging to your heart […]

   • 1989, Gorka Aulestia, Basque-English Dictionary, Douglas: William A, page 53:

     Ni errege izan nintzen.

     I was king.

   • 2013, Patricio Urquizu Sarasua, Gramática de la lengua vasca, Universidad Nacional de Educación de Distancia, page 154:

     Ni etorri naiz.

     I have come.

Declension

Declension of ni

absolutive	ni
ergative	nik
dative	niri
genitive	nire, ene
comitative	nirekin, enekin
causative	nigatik, niregatik, enegatik
benefactive	niretzat, niretako, enetzat, enetako
instrumental	nitaz
inessive	nigan, niregan, nire baitan, nitan, enegan, ene baitan
locative	nire baitako, ene baitako
allative	niregana, nireganat, nire baitara, nire baitarat, enegana, eneganat, ene baitara, ene baitarat
terminative	nireganaino, nire baitaraino, eneganaino, ene baitaraino
directive	niganantz, nireganantz, eneganantz
destinative	niganako, nireganako, eneganako
ablative	nireganik, niregandik, nire baitatik, nire baitarik, eneganik, enegandik, ene baitatik, ene baitarik

Derived terms

• neu
• ni beldur
• niganatu (“to bring closer to me”)
• nihaur
• nik al dakit (“who knows”)
• nik dakita (“who knows”)
• nik uste (“I suppose”)
• niketz
• niretar (“my family, my associates”)
• niretu
• nirezko
• nitasun

See also

Basque personal pronouns

		singular		plural
		plain	emphatic	plain	emphatic
1st person		ni	neu, nihaur, nerau	gu	geu, guhaur, gerok
2nd person	familiar	hi	heu, hihaur, herori	zuek	zeuek, zuhauek, zerok
	neutral	zu	zeu, zuhaur, zerori
3rd person		use demonstrative and anaphoric pronouns

Further reading

• “ni”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]
• “ni”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

Biloxi

Etymology

Clipping of ani. Not attested in Ofo, which is related to this language.

Noun

ni

1. alternative form of ani (“water”)

References

• David Kaufman (2011), Tanêks–Tąyosą Kadakathi [Biloxi–English Dictionary]‎^[6], Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas, →ISBN, page 34
• James Owen Dorsey, John Reed Swanton (1912), A Dictionary of the Biloxi and Ofo Languages, Accompanied with Thirty-One Biloxi Texts and Numerous Biloxi Phrases (Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin; 47)‎^[7], Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 173

Breton

Etymology 1

From Proto-Brythonic *ni, from Proto-Celtic *snīs.

Pronoun

ni

1. we (first-person plural personal pronoun)

See also

Breton personal pronouns

		singular	plural
1st person		me	ni
2nd person		te	c’hwi
3rd person	m	eñ	int
	f	hi

Etymology 2

From Proto-Brythonic *nei, from Proto-Celtic *neɸūss, from Proto-Indo-European *népōts.

Noun

ni m (plural nied)

1. nephew

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ni]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i

Etymology 1

Conjunction

ni

1. neither, nor

Adverb

ni

1. not even, even

Etymology 2

Noun

ni f (plural nis)

1. nu; the Greek letter Ν (lowercase ν)

Cornish

Alternative forms

• (Revived Late Cornish) nei

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *snīs. Cognate with Breton ne and Welsh ni.

Pronoun

ni

1. we (1st person plural subject pronoun)

   Ni a welas.

   We saw.

2. our, us (1st person plural enclitic pronoun, used to reinforce previous pronoun)

   agan lyver ni

   our book

   Ple ethen ni?

   Where did we go?

See also

Cornish personal pronouns

number	person		independent (subject)	suffixed			infixed	possessive (dependent)
				enclitic	emphatic	reduced
singular	first		my	vy	evy	ma, a	'm	owA
	second		ty	jy, sy1	tejy	ta, a	'thM	dhaS
	third2	m	ev	ev	eev	va, a	'n	yS
		f	hi	hi	hyhi	—	's	hyA
plural	first		ni	ni	nyni		'gan, 'n	agan, 'gan
	second3		hwi	hwi	hwyhwi		'gas, 's	agas, 'gas
	third		i	i	ynsi		's	agaA, 'gaA

¹ Uncommon.
² hun and ins have been suggested as non-binary 3rd person singular pronouns, though these have not yet officially adopted.
³ Infrequently used as a formal alternative to the singular.

^S Triggers soft mutation ^A Triggers aspirate mutation ^M Triggers mixed mutation

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɲɪ]
• Hyphenation: ni

Pronoun

ni f

1. alternative form of ji (prepositional)

   Pamatujeme si na ni.

   We remember her.

Danish

Danish numbers ^(edit)

	90
←  8	9	10  →
Cardinal: ni     Ordinal: niende
Danish Wikipedia article on 9

Etymology

From Old Norse níu, from Proto-Germanic *newun, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁néwn̥ (“nine”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /niː/, [niːˀ]

Numeral

ni

1. nine

Drung

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ku-ni(k).

Noun

ni

1. day

References

• Ross Perlin (2019), A Grammar of Trung‎^[8], Santa Barbara: University of California

Dumbea

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni/

Pronoun

ni

1. they

References

• Leenhardt, M. (1946), Langues et dialectes de l'Austro-Mèlanèsie. Cited in: "ⁿDuᵐbea" in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R., & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271–283.
• Shintani, T.L.A. & Païta, Y. (1990), Dictionnaire de la langue de Païta, Nouméa: Sociéte d'etudes historiques de Nouvelle-Calédonie. Cited in: "Drubea" in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R., & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271–283.

Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl

Determiner

ni

1. this.

Pronoun

ni

1. this.

Esperanto

Etymology

From Italian noi, French nous, Spanish nos, Latin nos, plus the i of personal pronouns.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i
• Hyphenation: ni

Pronoun

ni (first-person plural, accusative nin, possessive nia)

1. we (first-person plural personal pronoun)

   Ni batis lin.

   We hit him.

2. ourselves

   Ni diris al ni.

   We said to ourselves.

See also

Esperanto personal pronouns

		singular				plural
		nominative	accusative	possessive		nominative	accusative	possessive
first person		mi	min	mia		ni	nin	nia
second person	formal	vi	vin	via		vi	vin	via
	familiar1	ci	cin	cia
third person	masculine	li	lin	lia		ili iŝi3	ilin iŝin3	ilia iŝia3
	feminine	ŝi	ŝin	ŝia
	neuter	ĝi	ĝin	ĝia
	gender-neutral2	ri ŝli	rin ŝlin	ria ŝlia
	reflexive	si	sin	sia		si	sin	sia
indefinite		oni	onin	onia		oni	onin	onia

¹ The second-person familiar pronouns are rare.

² The proposed gender-neutral third-person singular pronouns ri (rin, ria) and ŝli (ŝlin, ŝlia) are not widely used.

³ The proposed third-person feminine plural pronoun iŝi (iŝin, iŝia) is not widely used.

French

Etymology

From Middle French ny, from Old French ne, from Latin nec. Compare Italian né, Catalan and Spanish ni, Portuguese nem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (France (Paris)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Conjunction

ni

1. neither; nor
   • 1898, Revue du monde invisible, page 339:

     Notre imagination, si ardente qu'on la suppose, ne peut ni guérir instantanément une lésion organique, ni ressusciter un mort.

     Our imagination, so ardent as we suppose, can neither instantaneously heal an organic lesion, nor resuscitate the dead.

   • 1876, Bulletins et mémoires de la Société médicale des hôpitaux de Paris, Volume 12:

     […] les constitutions accidentelles ou intercurrentes ne sont ni moins importantes ni plus faciles à expliquer.

     […] accidental or intercurrent constitutions are neither less important nor easier to explain.

   • c. 1656–1662, Blaise Pascal, “Preuves par discours I – Papier original : RO 3-1 r° / v° et RO 7-1 r° / v°”, in Pensées [Thoughts]‎^[9]:

     Mais nous ne connaissons ni l’existence ni la nature de Dieu, parce qu’il n’a ni étendue, ni bornes.

     But we know neither the existence nor the nature of God, because He has neither extent nor limits.

Usage notes

• Used with the negative particle ne.
• Chiefly used at least twice in the same sentence the same way neither and nor would be used in an English sentence, such as ni riche, ni pauvre (“neither rich nor poor”).

Derived terms

• ni chair ni poisson
• ni oui ni non
• ni plus ni moins
• ni vu ni connu

See also

• soit

Further reading

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

Gothic

Romanization

ni

1. romanization of 𐌽𐌹

Hanunoo

Etymology

From Proto-Austronesian *ni (“marker of possession”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈni/ [ˈni]
• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification: ni

Preposition

ni (Hanunoo spelling ᜨᜲ)

1. of; by

   ti luka ni Bado ― lime tube of Bado

   Kinaon ni Bado ti burot.

   The wild yam was eaten by Bado.

See also

• si

Further reading

• Conklin, Harold C. (1953), Hanunóo-English Vocabulary (University of California Publications in Linguistics), volume 9, London, England: University of California Press, →OCLC, page 198

Hausa

Alternative forms

• níi

Etymology

From Proto-Chadic *ʔanī, from earlier *ʔan-yi, from Proto-Afroasiatic *yi (“me”), not from *ʔanāku (“I”). Compare Proto-Cushitic *ʔani. Cognate with Gwandara ani.

Pronunciation

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

Pronoun

nī

1. I (1st person singular pronoun)

See also

• mínì (1st person singular indirect object enclitic pronoun)
• nì (1st person singular independent object pronoun)
• -wá (1st person singular possessive enclitic pronoun)

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.

Hungarian

Etymology

Native word of debated origin:

• Shortened from nézd (“look!”) ~ nízd (a dialectal variant).
• An onomatopoeia expressing astonishment.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈni]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ni

Interjection

ni

1. (colloquial) lo!, look!

   Itt van ni! ― Look! Here it is!

Usage notes

Most of the time it is used in its duplicated form: nini!

Further reading

• ni in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.

Idi

Noun

ni

1. water

References

• Idi Organised Phonology Data

Ido

Pronoun

ni

1. (personal) we (first-person plural personal pronoun)

Indonesian

Determiner

ni

1. (colloquial) apheretic form of ini

Ingrian

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈni/, [ˈni]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈni/, [ˈni]
• Rhymes: -i
• Hyphenation: ni

Conjunction

ni

1. alternative form of niin
   • 1937, V. A. Tetjurev, translated by N. I. Molotsova, Loonnontiito (ensimäin osa): oppikirja alkușkoulun kolmatta klaassaa vart, Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-Pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 6:

     Jot saavva tiitä mitä ono pintamaas, ni pittää tehä mokomat oopьtat.

     In order to get to know what is in the topsoil, (that's why) it's important to perform such experiments.

References

• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971), Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 340

Interlingua

Alternative forms

• nec

Etymology

From French and Spanish ni, from Latin nec (“and not”).

Adverb

ni

1. and not.

   Io non sape, ni vole saper ― I don’t know, and I don’t want to know

2. Neither, nor.

   Illo ni me place ni displace ― It neither pleases me nor displeases me

3. And, or (following a "with no" or "without").

   Nos debe resister sin aqua ni alimento ― We must resist with no water or food

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈni/
• Rhymes: -i
• Hyphenation: nì

Etymology 1

Blend of no +‎ sì.

Adverb

ni

1. (informal) neither yes nor no

Etymology 2

Noun

ni m or f (invariable)

1. nu (Greek letter)

Anagrams

• in, in-

Japanese

Romanization

ni

1. The hiragana syllable に (ni) or the katakana syllable ニ (ni) in Hepburn romanization.

Kamano

Alternative forms

• nina

Noun

ni

1. water

References

• The Papuan Languages of New Guinea (1986, →ISBN

Kansa

Etymology

From Proto-Siouan *wa-rį́• (“water”).

Noun

ni

1. water
2. any liquid
3. river

References

• Kansa dictionary
• Quapaw dictionary, in notes: "ni (ni) - water, river, liquid (Kanza)"

Kapampangan

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish ni (“not even”), from Old Spanish nin, from Latin nec, apocopated form of neque.

Conjunction

ni

1. neither; nor

   Synonyms: ke, kesyo

   Niyakupin alikuman mekapangan.

   Even I did not eat anything.

   Nimangalinguwan nitabili, aliku.

   Neither moving on nor letting go, I can't.

See also

• agyang
• ambaski
• ambus
• man
• mo

Adverb

ni

1. not even

   Synonym: agyang

   Alakung inyad ninanuman.

   I did not even ask for anything.

Kedah Malay

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni/

Pronoun

ni

1. you (singular)

Klao

Noun

ni

1. water

References

• World Lexicon of Grammaticalization (2002, →ISBN

Laboya

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [niː]

Noun

ni

1. coconut

References

• Allahverdi Verdizade (2019), “ni”, in Lamboya word list‎^[10], Leiden: LexiRumah

Latin

Etymology

From Old Latin nei, from Proto-Italic *nei, from Proto-Indo-European *néy (“not”), from *né. Cognates include Gothic 𐌽𐌴𐌹 (nei), Lithuanian nei, Old Church Slavonic ни (ni), Old Irish ní and Sanskrit न (ná). See also nē.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈniː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈniː]

Adverb

nī (not comparable)

1. not, if...not, unless- an absolutely negative particle like ne so only in combinations

Derived terms

• quid nī? (why not?)
• nīmīrum (not wonderful)
• nisi

Conjunction

nī

1. not, that not, unless; like ne in imperative and intentional clauses

   Ni quid tibi hinc in spem referas. ― Take not whatsoever hope hence.

   Vinum aliudve quid ni laudato. ― I don't praise wine or anything else.

   Numa constituit, ut pisces, qui squamosi non essent, ni pollucerent ... ni qui ad polluctum emerent. ― [The Roman king] Numa ordained that scaleless fish be neither offered [to the gods] ... nor bought for offering.

Ligurian

Etymology

From Latin nec.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni/

Conjunction

ni

1. nor
2. neither...nor
3. either...or

Livonian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *nügüt. Cognates include Finnish nyt.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈni/, [ˈni]

Adverb

ni

1. now

References

• Tiit-Rein Viitso; Valts Ernštreits (2012–2013), “ni”, in Līvõkīel-ēstikīel-lețkīel sõnārōntõz [Livonian-Estonian-Latvian Dictionary]‎^[11] (in Estonian and Latvian), Tartu, Rīga: Tartu Ülikool, Latviešu valodas aģentūra

Lolopo

Etymology

From Proto-Loloish *(ʔ)-ne¹, from Proto-Lolo-Burmese *ʔnəj¹/³, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ku-ni(k) (“sun; day”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ni³³]

Noun

ni

1. (Yao'an) day

References

• Merrifield, Judith; Merrifield, Scott (2018), “Query for ni”, in Yao'an Loxrlavu – English Dictionary (in Chinese), SIL International

Luxembourgish

Etymology

Borrowed from German nie, from Middle High German nie, from Old High German nio. The expected Luxembourgish form would be *néi. Ni could only be explained as a generalized unstressed form, which is already implausible because this adverb is often stressed. The Rheinisches Wörterbuch (N = anno 1941) considers the word non-native throughout Central Franconian and says that nie was at that time still missing in a majority of dialects.

For Luxembourgish specifically, the Lexikon der Luxemburger Umgangssprache (1847) gives only kees. The Wörterbuch der Luxemburgischen Mundart (1906) gives kees, keemol, keemools and ni (but not yet nimools). The Luxemburger Wörterbuch (N = anno 1965) gives all forms and already labels kees dated or regional.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [niː]

Adverb

ni

1. never

   Synonyms: nimools; keemol, keemools, (dated) kees

Malay

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni/
• Rhymes: -ni, -i

Determiner

ni (Jawi spelling ني)

1. colloquial form of ini

Pronoun

ni (Jawi spelling ني)

1. colloquial form of ini

Mandarin

Romanization

ni

1. nonstandard spelling of nī
2. nonstandard spelling of ní
3. nonstandard spelling of nǐ
4. nonstandard spelling of nì

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.

Marshallese

Etymology

From Proto-Micronesian *niu, from Proto-Oceanic *niuʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *niuʀ.

Pronunciation

• (phonetics) IPA^(key): [nʲi]
• (phonemic) IPA^(key): /nʲij/
• Bender phonemes: {niy}

Noun

ni

1. coconut tree

Related terms

• iu (coconut)

References

• Marshallese–English Online Dictionary

Middle English

Adverb

ni

1. alternative form of ne

Conjunction

ni

1. alternative form of ne

Middle Irish

Particle

ni

1. alternative spelling of ní

Mizo

Etymology 1

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *nii (“sun; day”), from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ku-ni(k) (“sun; day”).

Noun

ni

1. sun
2. day
3. time

Derived terms

• Chawlhni
• Inrinni
• Nilaini
• nimin
• Ningani
• Pathianni
• Thawhlehni
• Thawhṭanni
• Zirtâwpni

Etymology 2

Noun

ni

1. aunt

Etymology 3

This copula is ultimately from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ni (copula). It has ceased to be used as a copula in all other Kuki-Chin languages except Koireng. It only survives repurposed in some other Kuki-Chin languages, for instance in Tedim and Monsang in suffixes that form the future tense.

Verb

ni (stem II nih)

1. to be

Usage notes

This is the main copular verb in Mizo, coexisting with the existential verb awm.

Derived terms

• a nih leh

References

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

Mohegan-Pequot

Pronoun

ni (first person singular)

1. singular first-person pronoun I

Mokilese

Etymology

From Proto-Micronesian *niu, from Proto-Oceanic *niuʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *niuʀ.

Noun

ni

1. coconut tree

Derived terms

• ni pwespwes
• ni rei
• ni roam
• ni soal
• ni wahssa

References

• Harrison, Sheldon P., Mokilese-English Dictionary, University of Hawaii Press 1977

Navajo

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɪ̀/

Pronoun

ni

1. second person singular pronoun you

   Shí dóó ni ayóo ałk’is niidlį́.

   You and I are really good friends.

2. second person singular possessive pronoun yours

   Díí naaltsoos éí ni.

   This book is yours.

Usage notes

The verb in Navajo incorporates information about person, and many sentences may thus not have explicit independent pronouns. For instance:

• Hooghandi naniná.
• Ni éí hooghandi naniná.

Both sentences are grammatically complete, and mean essentially the same thing: you are at home. The verb naniná is in the second-person form, so the pronoun can be safely omitted, as in the first sentence. This is similar to pronoun dropping in other languages where the verb specifies person, such as Spanish. Meanwhile, the explicit use of ni in the second sentence emphasizes that the speaker is talking about you. This can be thought of as roughly equivalent to the use of emphasis in English: while the first sentence comes across as you're at home, the second one is more like you, you're at home.

See also

Navajo personal pronouns

	singular	dual	plural
1st person	shí	nihí	danihí
2nd person	ni	nihí	danihí
3rd person	bí	bí	daabí
4th person (3a)	hó	hó	daahó

Naxi

Etymology 1

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-ŋja.

Noun

ni

1. fish

Etymology 2

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *kV-ni-s.

Numeral

ni

1. two

References

• Naxi Dictionary by T.M. Pinson, Lijiang 2012

Ningil

Noun

ni

1. water

References

• transnewguinea.org, citing D. C. Laycock, Languages of the Lumi Subdistrict (West Sepik District), New Guinea (1968), Oceanic Linguistics, 7 (1): 36-66 : /niː/
• Margaret Manning, Naomi Saggers, A Tentative Phonemic Analysis of Ningil (SIL), in Phonologies of five Austronesian languages (Richard Loving, John M. Clifton; 1975) : /ni/

Norwegian Bokmål

Norwegian Bokmål cardinal numbers

<  8	9	10  >
Cardinal : ni     Ordinal : niende

Etymology

From Old Norse níu (whence also Danish ni, Icelandic níu, Faroese níggju and Swedish nio) from Proto-Germanic *newun, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁néwn̥. Cognate with Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌽 (niun); Old English niġon (English nine); Old Frisian nigun (West Frisian njoggen); Old High German niun (German neun).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni/

Numeral

ni

1. nine

Derived terms

• førtini
• nittini

Related terms

• niende

References

• “ni” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Norwegian Nynorsk cardinal numbers

<  8	9	10  >
Cardinal : ni     Ordinal : niande

Alternative forms

• nio, nie (dialectal)

Etymology

From Old Norse níu.

Numeral

ni

1. nine

Derived terms

• førtini
• nittini

References

• “ni” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Nutabe

Noun

ni

1. water

References

• Paul Rivet, Nouvelle contribution à l’étude de l’ethnologie précolombienne de Colombie, Journal de la Société des Américanistes volume 35, pages 25-39 (1943), page 26

Old Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (13^th CE) /ˈɲi/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ˈɲi/

Pronoun

ni

1. dual accusative of oně

Old High German

Alternative forms

• ne

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *ne.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni/

Particle

ni

1. not

Derived terms

• nein

Descendants

• Middle High German: ne
  • German: nee (dialectal)

Old Irish

Particle

ni

1. alternative spelling of ní

Omaha-Ponca

Etymology

From Proto-Siouan *wa-rį́• (“water”).

Noun

ni

1. water

References

• Alice Cunningham Fletcher, Francis La Flesche, The Omaha Tribe (1970), page 166

Phalura

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni/

Determiner

ni (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling نیۡ)

1. this (agr: prox fem / prox non-nom masc)

References

• Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “ni”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[12], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Etymology 2

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni/

Determiner

ni (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling نیۡ)

1. these (agr: prox)

References

• Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “ni”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[13], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Etymology 3

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni/

Pronoun

ni (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling نیۡ)

1. it
2. she (prox fem nom)

References

• Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “ni”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[14], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Etymology 4

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni/

Pronoun

ni (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling نیۡ)

1. they (prox nom)

References

• Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “ni”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[15], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Polish

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈɲi/

• (Lesser Poland):
  • (Przemyśl) IPA^(key): [ˈɲi]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification: ni
• Homophone: -ni

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ney

Proto-Balto-Slavic *nei

Proto-Slavic *ni

Polish ni

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *ni.

Conjunction

ni

1. (archaic) synonym of ani

Derived terms

• ni pies, ni wydra
• ni tak, ni siak
• ni to, ni sio

Etymology 2

See nie.

Particle

ni

1. (dialectal, Przemyśl) alternative form of nie

Etymology 3

See ny.

Noun

ni n (indeclinable)

1. alternative form of ny

Further reading

• ni in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• ni in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Aleksander Saloni (1899), “ni”, in “Lud wiejski w okolicy Przeworska”, in M. Arct, E. Lubowski, editors, Wisła : miesięcznik gieograficzno-etnograficzny (in Polish), volume 13, Warsaw: Artur Gruszecki, page 241

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek νῦ (nû).

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈni/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈni/

• Hyphenation: ni

Noun

ni m (plural nis)

1. nu (the thirteenth letter of the Greek alphabet)

Proto-Norse

Romanization

ni

1. romanization of ᚾᛁ

Rawang

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni˧/

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

• vni

Verb

ni

1. to pour; to water.

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

• vni

Noun

ni

1. headhair.

Etymology 3

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ku-ni(k). Cognate with Burmese နေ (ne) and နေ့ (ne.), Old Chinese 日 (*njiɡ).

Noun

ni

1. day (24 hour).

See also

• yáng (“daytime”)

Romanian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin.

Pronoun

ni

1. alternative form of ne (dative of noi): to us

Usage notes

This form is used when ne (which is dative) is combined with the following accusatives:

• îl (the accusative of el, contracted as ni-l)
• îi (the accusative of ei, contracted as ni-i)
• le (the accusative of ele)
• se (the reflexive accusative of all third-person pronouns)

See also

• li
• vi

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Hungarian ni.

Interjection

ni

1. (Transylvania) lo!, look!, behold!

   Ni la el! ― Look at him!

Samoan

Article

ni

1. some (plural indefinite article)

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *ni (“nor, not”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *nej, from Proto-Indo-European *ney. Compare ni-, ne.

Particle

ni (Cyrillic spelling ни)

1. (emphasizes negation) even, either

   ni ja to ne znam — even I don't know that; I don't know that either

   Nisam ni htio čuti njegov prijedlog.

   I didn't even want to hear his proposal.

Conjunction

ni (Cyrillic spelling ни)

1. (shortening of niti) neither, nor

   ona nije ni pametna ni(ti) marljiva — she is neither smart nor industrious

   ni traga ni glasa o .. — not a trace about ..

   ni kriv ni dužan — completely innocent (lit. neither guilty nor indebted)

Sicilian

Alternative forms

• nni

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ni]
• (unstressed) IPA^(key): [nɪ]

Pronoun

ni

1. us, accusative of nuàutri
2. us, dative of nuàutri
3. us, reflexive of nuàutri

Inflection

nominative	nuàutri
prepositional	nuàutri
accusative	ni
dative	ni
reflexive	ni
possessive	nostru

See also

• nuàutri
• vi

Slovene

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nìː/

Verb

ní

1. negative third-person singular present of bíti

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈni/ [ˈni]
• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification: ni

Etymology 1

From Old Spanish nin, from Latin nec, apocopated form of neque, from Proto-Indo-European *nekʷe (“and not, neither, nor”), from *né (“not”) + *-kʷe (“and”). Compare Asturian and Galician nin, Catalan and French ni, Portuguese nem, Italian né, Dalmatian ne. Indo-European cognates include Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌷 (nih) and Irish nach.

Conjunction

ni

1. (coordinating) neither... nor

   Antonym: o ... o

   No tengo ni dinero ni tiempo.

   I have neither money nor time.

   1. (with three or more referents) none of...

      Ni Juan, ni Pedro, ni Felipe te darán la razón.

      None of John, Peter, or Phillip will give you the reason.

2. nor, or

   No descansa de día ni de noche.

   He doesn't rest during the day nor during the night.

Derived terms

• ni chicha ni limonada
• ni come, ni deja comer
• ni corto ni perezoso
• ni fu ni fa
• ni grado ni gracias
• ni idea
• ni ir ni venir
• ni lerdo ni perezoso
• ni más ni menos
• ni olvido, ni perdón
• ni pena ni gloria
• ni rey ni roque
• ni tanto ni tan calvo
• ni va ni viene
• ni visto ni oído
• sin chistar ni mistar
• sin oficio ni beneficio
• sin pena ni gloria
• sin pies ni cabeza
• sin tripas ni cuajar

Adverb

ni

1. not even

   No descansaba ni por un minuto

   I didn't rest even for a minute.

   Ni yo sé qué significa esta palabra.

   Not even I know what this word means.

Derived terms

• ni a balazos
• ni a cañón
• ni a cañonazos
• ni a dos tirones
• ni a la de tres
• ni a palos
• ni a tiros
• ni a tres tirones
• ni bien
• ni borracho
• ni buscado con un candil
• ni con mucho
• ni cosa que lo valga
• ni Cristo que lo fundó
• ni de broma
• ni de coña
• ni de guasa
• ni de lejos
• ni Dios
• ni en sueños
• ni gaitas
• ni ganas
• ni hablar
• ni hablar del peluquín
• ni harto de vino
• ni hecho a propósito
• ni idea
• ni jota
• ni madre
• ni media palabra
• ni modo
• ni mu
• ni mucho menos
• ni muerto
• ni palabra
• ni papa
• ni pensarlo
• ni pío
• ni pizca
• ni por asomo
• ni por esas
• ni por imaginación
• ni por un cristo
• ni que
• ni que decir tiene
• ni qué hostias
• ni qué leches
• ni qué niño muerto
• ni qué ocho cuartos
• ni qué pan caliente
• ni remotamente
• ni siquiera
• ni un alma
• ni un pelo
• nini
• no dejar verde ni seco
• no ni na
• ya ni la friegas

Etymology 2

Noun

ni f (plural níes)

1. nu; the Greek letter Ν, ν

   Synonym: ny

Further reading

• “ni”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024

Swahili

Other scripts
Ajami	نِـ

Etymology

The use as a focus marker is original. This then acquired a presentative meaning (“it is”), which was finally reanalyzed as a copula. Cognate with Chichewa ndi.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Particle

ni

1. focus marker
   • 2022, Muungano wa Tanganyika na Zanzibar: Chimbuko, Misingi na Maendeleo, Serikali ya Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania, →ISBN:

     Lengo la Mwalimu Nyerere kujiuzulu nafasi hiyo lilikuwa ni pamoja na kukiimarisha chama cha TANU kuweza kuyakabili vizuri majukumu ya uhuru.

     Mwalimu Nyerere's goal when he resigned from that position was nothing but to strengthen the TANU party to be able to effectively face the responsibilities of independence.

Verb

ni

1. positive degree present and gnomic (all persons, numbers, and classes) of -wa (“to be”)

Swedish

Etymology

Since 1661, through rebracketing of the 2nd plural verb suffix -(e)n and the older pronoun I ("ye"), e.g. vissten I > visste ni (“did you know”). Compare Icelandic þér and þið which developed similarly.

The Old Swedish ī, īr derives from Old Norse *īʀ (East Norse variant of ér) from Proto-Germanic *jīz, from Proto-Indo-European *yúHs. Compare Danish I.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /niː/
• Rhymes: -iː

Pronoun

ni

1. you (plural subjective case)

   Du är bara en person, men ni där borta är fyra personer

   You are just one person, but you / you guys / [except not in tone] y'all over there are four people

   Ni två är här, så jag ser er

   You [subject] two are here, so I see you [object]

2. you (second-person singular subjective formal) (capitalized Ni, rare in contemporary Swedish)
   1. (historical) A title used when addressing a person, chiefly of lower social rank, or a person of the opposite sex among young people.

      –Ni kan börja med att städa kontoret, fröken Andersson.
      –Javisst, Herr Direktör.

      –You can start with cleaning the office, Miss Andersson.
      –Certainly, Mr. Director.

   2. (perceived formal, derogatory to some) by some considered a respectful alternative to du (“you”), especially when addressing customers or the elderly

      Vill ni ha en påse med köpet?

      Would you like a bag with your purchase?

Usage notes

Both ni and er are second person plural forms, but can also be used as a formal second person singular pronoun, like German Sie and French vous. They may sometimes be capitalized as Ni and Er. The courteous ni was promoted around the year 1900 as an alternative to a complicated system of addressing people in the third person singular by their appropriate titles, which required knowledge of personal information like social status, occupation, and education, with terms like fru (“Mrs.”) or fröken (“Ms.”), greve (“count”), kamrer (“accountant”), and kandidat (“bachelor's degree holder”). However, this "ni-reform" was not well-liked, and ni mostly came to be used to address subordinates, with titles still being used to address superiors and other people "deemed worthy of a title," leading to ni acquiring a condescending tone. Interestingly enough, the older I, from which ni was originally formed, was used alongside ni all along (and is still in use in some dialects), but never acquired the condescending tone of ni. Titles and polite pronouns were gradually phased out during the 1960s and 1970s in the so-called du-reformen ("the you-reform"). In contemporary Swedish, du is used to address anyone regardless of differences in age or social status, with a few rare exceptions like royalty.

Ni is occasionally used as polite address for customers by younger speakers, but this is often considered overly formal and a bit contrived, and may also come across as condescending, especially to old speakers. Politeness in contemporary Swedish is not conveyed through polite pronouns, but through polite phrases and indirectness, for example.

Examples of the old system in vigorous use can be found in old novels and movies – for example Åsa-Nisse movies.

Declension

Swedish personal pronouns

Number	Person		nominative	oblique	possessive
					common	neuter	plural
singular	first	—	jag	mig, mej3	min	mitt	mina
	second	—	du	dig, dej3	din	ditt	dina
	third	masculine (person)	han	honom, han2, en5	hans
		feminine (person)	hon	henne, na5	hennes
		gender-neutral (person)1	hen	hen, henom7	hens
		common (noun)	den	den	dess
		neuter (noun)	det	det	dess
		indefinite	man or en4	en	ens
		reflexive	—	sig, sej3	sin	sitt	sina
plural	first	—	vi	oss	vår, våran2	vårt, vårat2	våra
	second	—	ni	er	er, eran2, ers6	ert, erat2	era
		archaic	I	eder	eder, eders6	edert	edra
	third	—	de, dom3	dem, dom3	deras
		reflexive	—	sig, sej3	sin	sitt	sina

¹Neologism. Usage has increased since 2010, though it remains limited.

²Informal

³Colloquial pronunciation spelling.

⁴Dialectal, also used lately as an alternative to man, to avoid association to the male gender.

⁵Informal, somewhat dialectal

⁶Formal address

⁷Discouraged by the Swedish Language Council

Synonyms

• I

See also

• du (“you (singular subjective case)”)
• duskål

References

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

Anagrams

• in

Tagalog

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ni/ [n̪ɪ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification: ni

Etymology 1

From Proto-Austronesian *ni (“marker of possession”).

Preposition

ni (plural nina, Baybayin spelling ᜈᜒ)

1. of; possessive particle, used only with personal names

   bisikleta ni Juan ― Juan's bicycle

2. objective marker for personal names, objective form of si; functional equivalent of ng

Derived terms

• ani

See also

Tagalog markers

		direct (ang)	indirect (ng)	oblique (sa)
common	singular	ang	ng	sa
	plural	ang mga	ng mga	sa mga
personal	singular	si	ni	kay
	plural / polite	sina	nina	kina

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Spanish ni (“not even”), from Old Spanish nin, from Latin nec, apocopated form of neque.

Conjunction

ni (Baybayin spelling ᜈᜒ)

1. neither; nor

   Ni ako hindi nagsisigarilyo. ― Even I don't do cigarettes.

   Ni aso ni pusa. ― Neither dog nor cat.

Related terms

• ni ultimo

See also

• kahit
• man

Adverb

ni (Baybayin spelling ᜈᜒ)

1. not even

   Synonym: ni ultimo

   Hindi ako humingi ni isang butil ng bigas. ― I didn't ask not even for a single grain of rice.

Anagrams

• -in, -in-, in-

Tarifit

Alternative forms

• ney

Etymology

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

Verb

ni (Tifinagh spelling ⵏⵉ)

1. (intransitive) to mount (on an animal)
2. (intransitive) to get into, to board, to embark (a vehicle)

Conjugation

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Derived terms

• Verbal noun: tnaya (“mounting, boarding”)
• Causative: sni (“to make board”)
  • Verbal noun: aseniy
• tnaya (“transport”)
• amnay (“rider; cavalier, knight”)

Tokelauan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ni]
• Hyphenation: ni

Etymology 1

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *ni. Cognates include Tuvaluan ni and Samoan ni.

Article

ni

1. Plural indefinite article; any

See also

Tokelauan articles

impersonal
	singular	plural
definite	te	nā
indefinite	he	ni
personal
	nominal	pronominal
simple	ia
after i/ki	a	a te
after mai	ia te

Etymology 2

Particle

ni

1. Changes a statement into a polite question; isn't it? doesn't it?

References

• R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎^[16], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 250

Unami

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ni]

Pronoun

ni

1. I

Ura (Vanuatu)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni/, [ni]

Noun

ni

1. tree

Further reading

• Terry Crowley, Ura: A Disappearing Language of Southern Vanuatu (1999)

Uzbek

Particle

Other scripts

Arabic (Yangi Imlo)
Cyrillic	ни‍
Latin	‍
Afghan Uzbek

ni

1. accusative case marker; placed after the direct object of a transitive verb

   Men O'zbek tilini o'rganyapman.

   I am studying Uzbek.

Veps

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian ни (ni).

Determiner

ni

1. not, not a, no

Inflection

Not inflected.

Conjunction

ni ... ni

1. neither ... nor

References

• Zajceva, N. G.; Mullonen, M. I. (2007), “ни”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[17], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ni˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [nɪj˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [nɪj˧˧]

Etymology 1

See này.

This is one of many cases in which monophthongs were not diphthongized in Central Vietnamese, compare mày vs. mi, chấy vs. chí, nước vs. nác.

Determiner

ni

1. (Central Vietnam) this

Adverb

ni

1. (Central Vietnam) now

See also

Vietnamese demonstratives

proximal (*-iː) distal 1 (*-iːʔ) distal 2 (*-əːʔ) distal 3/ remote (*-ɔːʔ) interrogative (rime was a rounded back vowel) place, attributive1 n- ni nì này/nầy nây ní nấy nớ nọ (nó) nào place, nominal2 đ- đây đấy (ấy) — đó đâu manner r- ri rày — rứa — ru sao3 extent 14 b- bây bấy — — bao extent 25 v- vầy vậy — — — 1 Originally can only follow a nominal (being used attributively), hence nơi này (“this place; here”), nơi nào (“where”) (no longer completely true in the modern language). 2 Can be used on its own/is itself nominal, hence đây (“here”), đâu (“where”). 3 From earlier *C-raːw (where *C is nonspecific consonant). 4 Placed before the head: bây nhiêu (“this much”), bấy nhiêu (“that much”), bao nhiêu (“how much”). 5 Placed after the head: nhanh vầy (“this fast”), nhanh vậy (“that fast/so fast”). visibility/evidentiality6 distal (ngang) remote (huyền) Northern-Southern kia (cơ) kìa (cờ) Central tê tề 6 Originally, these demonstratives might have been used to assert that something is visible and/or verifiable. They have been bleached quite thoroughly and currently are usually used like other distal demonstratives. The biggest trace of their evidentiality might be in their usage as final particles, often in reduced forms cơ/cờ: [t]ừ đấy về tới Hà Nội, còn những ba cái cầu nữa cơ mà! ("From there to Hanoi, there're still three more bridges to cross!") (Ba ngày luân lạc, 1943) and their (pretty much) obligatory use when locating an object: Không phải cái này mà là cái kia. ("Not this one, that one.")

Etymology 2

Noun

ni • (伲)

1. (obsolete in isolation) yardstick; point of reference

Derived terms

• đo ni đóng giày

Anagrams

• in

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /niː/
• Rhymes: -iː

Etymology 1

From Proto-Brythonic *ni, from Proto-Celtic *snīs.

Pronoun

ni

1. us; we

Etymology 2

From Proto-Celtic *nīs, from Proto-Indo-European *ne h₁ésti (“is not”).

Adverb

ni (triggers mixed mutation)

1. (literary) not
   • 2004, Beibl Cymraeg Newydd Diwygiedig‎^[18], Cymdeithas y Beibl, Genesis 21:26:

     Dywedodd Abimelech, “Ni wn i ddim pwy a wnaeth hyn; ni ddywedaist wrthyf, ac ni chlywais i sôn am y peth cyn heddiw.”

     Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this; you did not tell me, and I did not hear anything about it until today.”

Usage notes

• Triggers mixed mutation (i.e. aspirate of p, t, c and soft of remaining mutatable letters) of a following consonant.
• The form nid is used before a vowel. When the following consonant is g, which disappears under soft mutation, the form ni remains, thus ni + gwn becomes ni wn, not *nid wn.
• In literary registers, dim (“anything”) may be added (as ddim, with soft mutation) for emphasis, so ni chlywais i ddim may mean either “I did not hear anything” or simply “I did not hear”. In the colloquial language, ni is omitted but the mixed mutation remains, giving chlywais i ddim (“I didn't hear”).

See also

• dim (“not”) (colloquial)

West Makian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /n̪i/

Pronoun

ni (possessive prefix ni)

1. second-person singular pronoun, you

See also

West Makian personal pronouns

		independent	possessive prefix
1st person singular		de	ti
2nd person singular		ni	ni
3rd person singular		me	mVan., dVinan.
1st person plural	inclusive	ene	nV
	exclusive	imi	mi
2nd person plural		ini	fi
3rd person plural		eme	di

V indicates the expected assimilated vowel of the following noun,
following standard West Makian vowel harmony.

References

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982), The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[19], Pacific linguistics

Wutunhua

Etymology

From Mandarin 你 (nǐ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [n̪i]

Pronoun

ni

1. you (second-person subject pronoun)

See also

Wutunhua personal pronouns

	singular		paucal	collective
	subjective	objective
first person	ngu	nga	ngu-jhege	nga-mu
second person	ni	nia	ni-jhege	ni-mu
third person	gu		gu-jhege	gu-mu

Yil

Noun

ni

1. water

References

• transnewguinea.org, citing D. C. Laycock, Languages of the Lumi Subdistrict (West Sepik District), New Guinea (1968), Oceanic Linguistics, 7 (1): 36-66 : /niː/
• A Tentative Phonemic Statement in Yil in West Sepik Province, in Phonologies of five Austronesian languages (Richard Loving, John M. Clifton; 1975) : /ni/

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /nĩ́/

Noun

ní

1. The name of the Latin-script letter N/n.

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) lẹ́tà; á, bí, dí, é, ẹ́, fí, gí, gbì, hí, í, jí, kí, lí, mí, ní, ó, ọ́, pí, rí, sí, ṣí, tí, ú, wí, yí

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

• nẹ́ (Ondo, Ikalẹ)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /nĩ́/

Verb

ní

1. (transitive) to have

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /nĩ́/

Preposition

ní

1. at, in (used when no movement is implied)
2. preposition used for creating adverbials

Derived terms

• lẹ́ẹ̀kan (“once”)
• lẹ́yìn (“behind, except”)
• lọ́dọọdún (“every year”)
• lọ́jọ́ ọ̀la (“in the future”)
• lọ́la (“tomorrow”)
• lọ́sọ̀ọ̀sẹ̀ (“every week”)
• lọ́sọ̀ọ̀sán (“every afternoon”)
• lọ́sàn-án (“in the afternoon”)
• lọ́tùn-ún-la (“the day after tomorrow”)
• lábẹ́ (“under”)
• lálaalẹ́ (“every evening”)
• lálẹ́ (“in the evening”)
• lánàá (“yesterday”)
• láràárọ̀ (“every morning”)
• láyé àtijọ́ (“historically”)
• láàárọ̀ (“in the morning”)
• lóde òní (“nowadays”)
• lójoojúmọ́ (“everyday”)
• lókè (“over, above”)
• lónìí (“today”)
• lópin (“at the end”)
• lórí (“on top, on”)
• lóòótọ́ (“in truth”)
• ní báyìí (“at this time”)
• níbẹ̀ (“there”)
• níbẹ̀rẹ̀ (“at the start”)
• níbikíbi (“anywhere”)
• níbo (“where”)
• níbí (“here”)
• nígbà tí (“when”)
• nígbàkugbà (“at any time”)
• níjẹta (“two days ago”)
• nílẹ̀ (“down”)
• nílé (“at home”)
• nínú (“inside”)
• nípòkípò (“in any position”)
• nísàlẹ̀ (“below, under”)
• nítorí (“because of”)

See also

• sí

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /nĩ́/

Verb

ní

1. (intransitive) to say

See also

• sọ
• wí

Etymology 5

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /nĩ̄/

Verb

ni

1. (transitive) to be (to have a quality or identification)

Usage notes

This verb cannot be used with regular subject pronouns such as mo or ó, and emphatic subject pronouns must be used in their place. This verb is also often used in a flipped structure where the quality or identification becomes the grammatical subject of the verb while an object pronoun is used for the actual subject of the sentence.

1. Òun ni ọ̀rẹ́ mi. – He is my friend. (uses the emphatic pronoun òun instead of ó)
2. Ṣé ọmọ Yorùbá ni yín? – Are you Yoruba? (Ọmọ Yorùbá becomes the subject of ni while "you" becomes the object pronoun yín)

See also

• jẹ́
• wà

Etymology 6

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /nĩ̄/

Verb

ni

1. (intransitive) to be bloated, to be tumid

Derived terms

• níni

Zou

Etymology 1

Ni.

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *nii, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ku-ni(k). Cognates include Northern Min 日 (nì) and Burmese နေ (ne).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni˧/

Noun

ni

1. sun

Etymology 2

Zou cardinal numbers

<  1	2	3  >
Cardinal : ni

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *ni, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *kV-ni-s. Cognates include Northern Min 二 (nī) and Tibetan གཉིས (gnyis).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni˧/

Numeral

ni

1. two

References

• Lukram Himmat Singh (2013), A Descriptive Grammar of Zou, Canchipur: Manipur University, page 40

Zulu

Etymology 1

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

Adjective

-ni^?

1. what (kind of)

Inflection

Enumerative concord, tone H

	modifier
class 1	muni
class 2	bani
class 3	muni
class 4	mini
class 5	lini
class 6	mani
class 7	sini
class 8	zini
class 9	yini
class 10	zini
class 11	luni
class 14	buni
class 15	kuni
class 17	kuni

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronoun

-ni

1. Combining stem of nina.

References

• C. M. Doke; B. W. Vilakazi (1972), “-ni”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “-ni”