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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

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Chinese

呢

/nə/
Sentence-final particle indicating a reciprocal question; used to apply the previously asked question to a new subject. What about ...?; And ...?
  • Phono-semantic compound 形聲
  • HSK 1
  • TOCFL 1
  • radical 口
  • 8 strokes
  • 吶
  • 膩
  • 呐
  • 腻
  • le

Etymology graph

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  • borrowed
  • derived
  • parts
  • meaning component
  • sound component
  • related
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Origin

呢 is a phono-semantic compound consisting of the semantic component 口 (mouth) and the phonetic component 尼. As a particle, it can indicate a reciprocal question, signal a pause for emphasis, or indicate the continuation of an action or state. It is also defined as a type of woolen fabric.

Ota (1987) suggests that the question particle may originate from 聻, which possibly comes from 爾. The particle used to indicate an action in progress may come from the earlier 哩, which may come from 裏.

It is possibly a substrate word and a cognate of several terms meaning "this," such as Proto-Tai *najꟲ, Zhuang neix, Thai นี้, Lao ນີ້, Proto-Mon-Khmer *niʔ ~ nih, and Khmer នេះ. It also relates to Proto-Mon-Khmer *naaj (Khmer នាយ), Vietnamese này, nay, and nấy, Proto-Hmong-Mien *ʔneinˣ (White Hmong no), Proto-Austronesian *nay, *qani, and *-ni (Malay ini).

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

「呢」是一個形聲字，由「口」（意指嘴巴，特別是嘴唇與口腔內部）作為意義組成部分，並以「尼」作為音符。關於其詞源，Ota (1987) 提出，用於疑問句的助詞可能源自五代時期的「聻」，而「聻」可能來自「爾」；至於表示動作進行的助詞，則可能源自元代的「哩」，而「哩」可能來自唐代至五代時期的「裏」。此外，「呢」也可能是從英文 level 一詞截取而來。

在底層語言的關聯上，「呢」被認為與多種語言中的指示詞有關。它與原始太語 *najꟲ（意為「這個」）同源，包含壯語 neix、泰語 นี้ 以及寮語 ນີ້。它也與原始莫索語 *niʔ ~ nih（意為「這個」）同源，包含高棉語 នេះ；並與原始莫索語 *naaj 同源，包含高棉語 នាយ（意為「那邊」）、越南語 này（這個）、nay（現在）與 nấy（那個）。此外，它與原始苗瑤語 *ʔneinˣ（意為「這裡、這個」）同源，包含白苗語 no；也與原始南島語 *nay、*qani 以及 *-ni（意為「這個、這裡、現在」）同源，包含馬來語 ini。

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

Lineage

  • meaningChinese口 “mouth, especially the lips and internal mouth cavity (Classifier: 把 c)”
  • soundChinese尼 “Used in transcription.”

Related: Proto-Tai *najꟲ, Zhuang neix, Thai นี้, Lao ນີ້, Proto-Mon-Khmer *niʔ ~ nih, Khmer នេះ, Proto-Mon-Khmer *naaj, Khmer នាយ, Vietnamese này, Vietnamese nay, Vietnamese nấy, Proto-Hmong-Mien *ʔneinˣ, White Hmong no, Proto-Austronesian *nay, Malay ini

Wiktionary etymology text
Etymology 1

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 /形声, OC *nil): semantic 口 (“mouth”) + phonetic 尼 (OC *nil)

Ota (1987) suggests that the particle used in questions comes from 聻 (MC nriX) [Five Dynasties], a particle which may come from 爾 (MC nyeX, “that”), and that the particle used to indicate an action in progress comes from earlier 哩 [Yuan dynasty], which may come from 裏 (MC liX, “place”) [Tang dynasty–Five Dynasties].

Etymology 2

; “cloth”

Etymology 3

Substrate word. Compare:

* Proto-Tai *najꟲ (“this”): Zhuang neix (“this”), Thai นี้ (níi, “this”), Lao ນີ້ (nī, “this”)

* Proto-Mon-Khmer *niʔ ~ nih (“this”): Khmer នេះ (nih, “this”)

* Proto-Mon-Khmer *naaj (deictic particle): Khmer នាយ (niəy, “over there”), Vietnamese này, nầy (“this”), Vietnamese nay (“now”), Vietnamese nấy (“that”)

* Proto-Hmong-Mien *ʔneinˣ (“this”): White Hmong no (“here, this”)

* Proto-Austronesian *nay (“this”, deictic particle), *qani (“this”, proximal deictic particle), *-ni (“this, here; now”, proximal spatio-temporal deictic suffix): Malay ini (“this”).

Etymology 5

From clipping of English level.

From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Meanings

character
  1. Sentence-final particle indicating a reciprocal question; used to apply the previously asked question to a new subject. What about ...?; And ...?
  2. Where is ...?; Where are ...?
  3. Sentence-final particle signalling a pause, to emphasize the preceding words.
  4. Sentence-final particle indicating continuation of an action or state, English present continuous. to be ...-ing
  5. Sentence-final particle used to make questions more indirect, to give the impression that the speaker is speaking to themselves.
  6. Sentence-final particle expressing anger.

國語辭典 definitions

  1. 一種毛織物。 例：呢絨、呢料　△呢子
  2. →呢喃

© Ministry of Education, Taiwan — CC BY-ND 3.0 TW, shown unaltered.

Sources

  • etymagent (local gemma4:26b) — Generated
  • HSK / TOCFL word lists — Facts (levels)
  • 教育部《國語辭典簡編本》 (Taiwan MOE) — CC BY-ND 3.0 TW
  • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Wiktionary: 呢