nia

See also: NIA, nía, nĩa, niā, nią, -nia, ni'a, niá, niǎ, and nia'

Translingual

Symbol

nia

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Nias.

English

Etymology

From Hokkien 爾／尔 (niā, “only”).

Pronunciation

• (Singapore) IPA^(key): /njɑ(ː)˨/

Particle

nia

1. (Singlish) Used to downplay the intensity of something that has been overestimated. Might indicate a slight belittling tone.

   Don't so kiam siap can anot? That one only five cents nia. ― Come on, don't be so stingy. That costs only five cents.

Anagrams

• -ian, ANI, Ain, Ani, INA, Ian, Ina, ain', ani, nai

Abenaki

Etymology

Cognate to Penobscot nis (“I”).

Pronoun

nia

1. I (the singular first person pronoun)

References

• Joseph Laurent (1884) New Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues, Quebec: Leger Brousseau, page 58
• John Dyneley Prince (1902), “The Differentiation Between the Penobscot and the Canadian Abenaki Dialects”, in American Anthropologist, volume 4, page 28 of 17–32

Bavarian

Alternative forms

• nej (Northern Bavarian)

Etymology

Cognate with German nie.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) /niɐ̯/

Adverb

nia

1. never

Ese

Noun

nia

1. (anatomy) eye

Esperanto

Etymology

ni +‎ -a

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): [ˈnia]
• Rhymes: -ia
• Hyphenation: ni‧a

Determiner

nia (plural niaj, accusative singular nian, accusative plural niajn)

1. our

See also

• cia
• ĝia
• ilia
• lia
• mia
• onia
• sia
• ŝia
• via

 

French

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

nia

1. third-person singular past historic of nier

Anagrams

• n'ai

Garo

Etymology

From ni- + -a This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Verb

nia (transitive)

1. look at, watch, test, try

Ido

Pronoun

nia

1. our

Indonesian

Etymology

From Hokkien 領／领 (niá, “collar”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈnia̯]
• Hyphenation: nia

Noun

nia (first-person possessive niaku, second-person possessive niamu, third-person possessive nianya)

1. (dialect) collar.

   Synonym: kerah

Further reading

• “nia” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish nïa, from Primitive Irish ᚅᚔᚑᚈᚈᚐ (niotta, genitive), from Proto-Celtic *neɸūss (compare Welsh nai), from Proto-Indo-European *népōts. Cognates include Sanskrit नपात् (nápāt), Old Persian 𐎴𐎱𐎠 (n-p-a /napā/), Ancient Greek ἀνεψιός (anepsiós), Latin nepos, and Old English nefa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /n̠ʲiə/

Noun

nia m (genitive singular nia, nominative plural nianna)

1. nephew

Coordinate terms

• (gender): neacht
• (age): uncail
• (gender, age): aint, aintín

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “nia”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “2 nia, niae”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Ladin

Adjective

nia

1. no, not (after a negative) any

Adverb

nia

1. nothing, anything
2. at all

Machiguenga

Noun

nia

1. water
   • 1999, Bibliografía peruana, page 140:

     Ogari nia onti pairo okametiti = El agua es muy buena : libro n.o 7; machiguenga con traducción al castellano.

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

References

• Pueblos del Perú (2006)

Mandarin

Romanization

nia

1. Nonstandard spelling of niā.
2. Nonstandard spelling of niá.
3. Nonstandard spelling of niǎ.

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.

Old Irish

Alternative forms

• niae

Etymology

From Primitive Irish ᚅᚔᚑᚈᚈᚐ (niotta, genitive), from Proto-Celtic *neɸūss (compare Welsh nai), from Proto-Indo-European *népōts. Cognates include Sanskrit नपात् (nápāt), Old Persian 𐎴𐎱𐎠 (n-p-a /napā/), Ancient Greek ἀνεψιός (anepsiós), Latin nepos, and Old English nefa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈn͈ʲi.a/

Noun

nïa m (genitive nïad or nïeth, nominative plural nïaid)

1. nephew, sister’s son

Inflection

Masculine t-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	nia	nïaidL, nia	nïaid
Vocative	nia	nïaidL, nia	nïada
Accusative	nïaidN	nïaidL, nia	nïada
Genitive	nïad, nïeth	nïad, nïeth	nïadN
Dative	nïaidL	nïadaib	nïadaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Coordinate terms

• (gender): necht

Descendants

• Irish: nia
• Manx: neear

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
nïa also nnïa after a proclitic	nïa pronounced with /n(ʲ)-/	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “2 nia, niae”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Penobscot

Etymology

Cognate to Abenaki nis (“I”).

Pronoun

nia

1. I (the singular first person pronoun)

References

• J. Dyneley Prince (1902), “The Differentiation Between the Penobscot and the Canadian Abenaki Dialects”, in American Anthropologist, volume 4
• 1918, Frank G. Speck, Newell Lion, Penobscot Transformer Tales, in the International Journal of American Linguistics, volume 1, number 3 (August 1918)

Suki

Noun

nia

1. water

References

• Stephen Adolphe Wurm, Donald C. Laycock, Pacific linguistic studies in honour of Arthur Capell (1970), page 1260: The Suki word for water, nia, has certainly been borrowed from languages in the Mai Kussa-Pahoturi area (Warubi, Mikud, Agob) where it is widespread. From suki it will have found its way into Zimakani (neia).

Swahili

Etymology

From Arabic نِيَّة‎ (niyya).

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya)

  (file)

Noun

nia (n class, plural nia)

1. intention
2. purpose

Verb

-nia (infinitive kunia)

1. to decide, intend, resolve

Conjugation

Conjugation of -nia
Positive present -nania Subjunctive -nie Negative -nii Imperative singular nia
Infinitives
Positive kunia Negative kutonia
Imperatives
Singular nia Plural nieni
Tensed forms
Habitual hunia Positive past positive subject concord + -linia Negative past negative subject concord + -kunia
Positive present (positive subject concord + -nania) Singular Plural 1st person ninania/nania tunania 2nd person unania mnania 3rd person m-wa(I/II) anania wanania other classes positive subject concord + -nania
Negative present (negative subject concord + -nii) Singular Plural 1st person sinii hatunii 2nd person hunii hamnii 3rd person m-wa(I/II) hanii hawanii other classes negative subject concord + -nii
Positive future positive subject concord + -tania Negative future negative subject concord + -tania
Positive subjunctive (positive subject concord + -nie) Singular Plural 1st person ninie tunie 2nd person unie mnie 3rd person m-wa(I/II) anie wanie other classes positive subject concord + -nie
Negative subjunctive positive subject concord + -sinie Positive present conditional positive subject concord + -ngenia Negative present conditional positive subject concord + -singenia Positive past conditional positive subject concord + -ngalinia Negative past conditional positive subject concord + -singalinia
Gnomic (positive subject concord + -ania) Singular Plural 1st person nania twania 2nd person wania mwania 3rd person m-wa(I/II) ania wania m-mi(III/IV) wania yania ji-ma(V/VI) lania yania ki-vi(VII/VIII) chania vyania n(IX/X) yania zania u(XI) wania see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) kwania pa(XVI) pania mu(XVIII) mwania
Perfect positive subject concord + -menia "Already" positive subject concord + -meshania "Not yet" negative subject concord + -jania "If/When" positive subject concord + -kinia "If not" positive subject concord + -siponia Consecutive kania / positive subject concord + -kania Consecutive subjunctive positive subject concord + -kanie
Object concord (indicative positive) Singular Plural 1st person -ninia -tunia 2nd person -kunia -wania/-kunieni/-wanieni 3rd person m-wa(I/II) -mnia -wania m-mi(III/IV) -unia -inia ji-ma(V/VI) -linia -yania ki-vi(VII/VIII) -kinia -vinia n(IX/X) -inia -zinia u(XI) -unia see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -kunia pa(XVI) -pania mu(XVIII) -munia Reflexive -jinia
Relative forms General positive (positive subject concord + (object concord) + -nia- + relative marker) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -niaye -niao m-mi(III/IV) -niao -niayo ji-ma(V/VI) -nialo -niayo ki-vi(VII/VIII) -niacho -niavyo n(IX/X) -niayo -niazo u(XI) -niao see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -niako pa(XVI) -niapo mu(XVIII) -niamo Other forms (subject concord + tense marker + relative marker + (object concord) + -nia) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -yenia -onia m-mi(III/IV) -onia -yonia ji-ma(V/VI) -lonia -yonia ki-vi(VII/VIII) -chonia -vyonia n(IX/X) -yonia -zonia u(XI) -onia see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -konia pa(XVI) -ponia mu(XVIII) -monia
Some forms not commonly seen in modern Standard Swahili are absent from the table. See Appendix:Swahili verbs for more information.

Swedish

Etymology 1

From the digit nio (“nine”).

Noun

nia c

1. nine; the digit "9"
2. ninth-grader; pupil in the ninth and last year of compulsory school
3. a class of ninth-graders
4. (uncountable, mainly used in the definite) the ninth year in school

   De barnen går i nian.

   Those children are in ninth grade.

5. a person who finish a competition as number nine
6. (slang) a face

Declension

Declension of nia
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	nia	nian	nior	niorna
Genitive	nias	nians	niors	niornas

See also

• nolla, etta, tvåa, trea, fyra, femma, sexa, sjua, åtta, nia, tia, elva, tolva

Etymology 2

From ni (“you”) +‎ -a, a common way of forming verbs in Swedish. First attested in 1731.

Verb

nia (present niar, preterite niade, supine niat, imperative nia)

1. to address someone with ni (rather than du) as a sign of respect or deference

Usage notes

The term nia has varied considerably over time and location. After the 1960s and 1970s, the word du has in Sweden been used almost exclusively as second person personal pronoun, with a slight change in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when, for example, staff in restaurants and shops began to use ni towards the customers. Before the 1960s, however, there was a difference in use between Sweden and Finland: in both cases du was mainly used within family, among close friends, and when speaking to children. In Sweden, people with higher social statuses usually were addressed with surname and/or title, or if those were unknown, by reconstructing the sentence to use the passive voice or by using herr (Mr.), fru (Mrs.), or fröken (Miss), whereas people with lower statuses were addressed using ni. In Finland, the difference in status was not as commonly taken into account, and instead ni was used as the polite choice of pronoun regardless of social status.

Conjugation

Conjugation of nia (weak)

	Active		Passive
Infinitive	nia		nias
Supine	niat		niats
Imperative	nia		—
Imper. plural1	nien		—
	Present	Past	Present	Past
Indicative	niar	niade	nias	niades
Ind. plural1	nia	niade	nias	niades
Subjunctive2	nie	niade	nies	niades
	Participles
Present participle	niande
Past participle	niad
1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Antonyms

• dua

Anagrams

• Ina, ina

Tetum

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ni-a, compare Malay dia and Nias ia and Tagalog niya.

Pronoun

nia

1. he

Timucua

Etymology

Compare Tawasa néăh (“woman”).

Noun

nia

1. woman

References

• Julian Granberry, A Grammar and Dictionary of the Timucua Language (1993, →ISBN

Vietnamese

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [niə˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [niə˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [niə˧˧]

Noun

nia

1. winnowing basket

Further reading

• "nia" in Hồ Ngọc Đức, Free Vietnamese Dictionary Project (details)