なら

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Japanese

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Etymology 1

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Form of ならば (naraba) with its final mora deleted, treated as the conditional of (da) in traditional Japanese grammar.

Alternative forms

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Particle

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なら (nara

  1. A conditional particle appended to a noun or the plain form of a verb or adjective.
    (あつ)なら、エアコンをつけて。
    Atsui nara, eakon o tsukete.
    If it's hot, turn on the air conditioner.
    (きみ)()なら(ぼく)()こう。
    Kimi ga iku nara boku mo ikō.
    If you go, I'll go too.
    (てき)()(きん)(ちょう)ならいいが、()()(きん)(ちょう)(のう)(たい)(てき)だ。
    Tekido na kinchō nara ii ga, kado no kinchō wa nō no taiteki da.
    If it's just a moderate amount of nervousness, it can be good, but too much can be your worst enemy.
    ()(しょ)なら ○○。
    Jisho nara ○○.
    If it's a dictionary you need, choose ○○. / ○○, the only dictionary you'll ever need.
  2. A topic marker.
    (はな)なら(さくら)だ。
    Hana nara sakura da.
    As for flowers, it is the cherry blossom.
    (ふう)(けい)ならスイスに(およ)(くに)はない。
    fūkei nara Suisu ni oyobu kuni wa nai.
    As for landscape, there isn't a country comparable to Switzerland.
Usage notes
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  • For 1., なら (nara) implies that the verb before なら (nara) succeeds the verb after なら (nara) in time. This is the opposite of the conditional particle たら (tara), which implies that the first verb will precede the second verb. Contrast:
    (とも)(だち)()なら(わたし)はピザを(ちゅう)(もん)する。
    Tomodachi ga kuru nara, watashi wa piza o chūmon suru.
    If our friends come, I will order pizza [[[beforehand]]].
    (とも)(だち)()たら(わたし)はピザを(ちゅう)(もん)する。
    Tomodachi ga kitara, watashi wa piza o chūmon suru.
    If our friends come, I will order pizza [[[afterward]]].
  • Another well-known contrast between the two conditionals is the popular public service announcement:
    ()だら()るな。()なら()むな。
    Nondara noru na. Noru nara nomu na.
    If you drink, don’t [then] drive. If you [are going to] drive, don’t drink.
See also
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Etymology 2

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For pronunciation and definitions of なら – see the following entry.
奈良
[proper noun] a placename, especially:
[proper noun] Short for 奈良県 (Nara-ken): Nara (a prefecture of Japan)
[proper noun] Short for 奈良市 (Nara-shi): Nara (the capital city of Nara Prefecture)
[proper noun] a surname
Alternative spellings
寧楽, 平城
(This term, なら (nara), is the hiragana spelling of the above term.)
For a list of all kanji read as なら, see Category:Japanese kanji read as なら.)

Etymology 3

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For pronunciation and definitions of なら – see the following entry.
J
[noun] oak
Alternative spelling
ナラ
(This term, なら (nara), is the hiragana spelling of the above term.)
For a list of all kanji read as なら, see Category:Japanese kanji read as なら.)