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này

Level ≈A1 (approx.) determineradverbparticle Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [naj˨˩]Huế [naj˦˩]Saigon [na(ː)j˨˩] browser voice
Syllables · tones
nàyfallinghuyền

Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →

này means this.

Meanings of này in English

Determiner

  1. this
    • Ông này là nha sĩ đó anh.This man is a dentist.
    • Giờ này rồi còn lông bông gì vậy?Why are you idling around at this time of the day?

Adverb

  1. here

Particle

  1. prefixes someone's name or kinship title, used to call for their attention
    • Này ai ơi!Hey whoever there!
    • Này Lan!Hey Lan!
  2. suffixes someone's name or kinship title, usually functions both as a focus marker and signaling a question ≈ nè
    • Khoa này, nghe nói em sắp chuyển nhà hả?Hey Khoa, are about to move out as I/we've heard?

Words with này

cái nàydạo nàynày nọ

Example sentences with này

  • Cái xe đạp này là của ai? Whose is this bicycle?
  • Cái túi này là của ai thế? Whose bag is this?
  • Tàu hỏa này chỉ có ba toa. This train only has three coaches.
  • Bạn tự chụp bức ảnh này à? Did you take this picture yourself?
  • Bộ phim này nói về thơ ca. This movie is about poetry.
  • Cái mũ đỏ này mấy tiền vậy? How much for this red hat?
  • Có ai ngồi ở chỗ này không? Is there somebody sitting in this seat here?
  • Xin lỗi, chỗ này tên là gì? Excuse me, what is the name of this place?

Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).

Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)

Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, này could be written as 尼, 呢. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *-niː, from Proto-Austroasiatic *niːʔ (“this”). Cognate with Khmer នេះ (nih, “this”), Pacoh nâh (“this”), Khasi kane/une (“this”) and Car Nicobarese në (“these things”). See also nay (“now”) and Central Vietnamese ni (“this”). Compare Lao ນີ້ (nī) , Thai นี้ (níi) , Thai นี่ (nîi) and Chinese 若 (OC *njaɡ, “that”), 爾 (MC nyeX, “that”).

Frequently asked questions

What does này mean in English?

này (determiner) means "this".

How do you pronounce này?

IPA: Hanoi [naj˨˩]; Saigon [na(ː)j˨˩]. Tones: này — falling tone (huyền).

Meanings, pronunciation and etymology from English Wiktionary (wiktionary.org, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed and edited; example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). IPA shown for three accents: Hanoi (Northern), Huế (Central) and Saigon (Southern). The Listen button uses your browser's Vietnamese voice, for reference only. Levels are approximate, estimated from word frequency. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.