# ní
## Bassa
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ní]

### Noun

ní
* water

### References

* Bassa-English Dictionary
* 2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.

## Cogui
### Noun

ní
* water

### References

* Grace Hensarli, The function of -ki 'switch' in Kogi

## Czech
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈɲiː]

### Pronoun

ní
* genitive/dative/locative and instrumental singular of ona

## Dakota
### Verb

ní
* live, be alive

## Irish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /n̠ʲiː/

### Etymology 1

From Old Irish ní (“something”, n of nech) conflated with a reanalysis of Old Irish aní (“that which”) as an ní (“the thing”).

#### Alternative forms

* nídh (dated)

#### Noun

ní m (genitive singular ní, nominative plural nithe or neathanna)
* thing
    Synonym: rud
* object
* which (referring back to a clause) (followed by a relative clause)
** 1939, Peig Sayers, “Inghean an Cheannaidhe”, in Marie-Louise Sjoestedt, Description d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (Bibliothèque de l'École des Hautes Études; 270) (overall work in French), Paris: Librairie Honoré Champion, page 194:Do bhíodar sé mhí gan fille, agus nuair a chonaic Máire an t-árthach ag teacht chun cuain, bhí sceitimíní ar a croidhe le lúthgháir agus le h-áthas, ní nárbh’ iongnadh.They were [away] six months without returning, and when Máire saw the vessel coming to port, her heart had raptures of gladness and joy, which was not surprising.(literally, “(…), a thing that was not surprising.”)

##### Declension

bare forms
case
singular
plural
nominative
ní
nithe
vocative
a ní
a nithe
genitive
ní
nithe
dative
ní
nithe
forms with the definite article
case
singular
plural
nominative
an ní
na nithe
genitive
an ní
na nithe
dative
leis an ní don ní
leis na nithe :
Alternative plural: neathanna

##### Derived terms

* neamhní (“nothing”)
* nithiúil

### Etymology 2

From Old Irish nige.

#### Alternative forms

* nighe (obsolete)
* níochán (Cois Fharraige)

#### Noun

ní f (genitive singular nite)
* verbal noun of nigh
* washing

#### Verb

ní
* analytic present subjunctive of nigh

### Etymology 3

From Old Irish ní.

#### Alternative forms

* cha (Ulster)
* níor (used in the past tense with regular and some irregular verbs, also the past/conditional copular form)

#### Particle

ní
* not (preverbal particle)
    Ní thuigim. ― I do not understand.
    Ní dheachaigh mé ansin. ― I did not go there.
    Ní bhfaighidh siad é. ― They will not find it.
* not (present copular form)
    Ní críonnacht creagaireacht. ― Miserliness is not thrift.
    Ní hionann iad. ― They are not the same.
    An gloine é? Ní hea. ― Is it glass? No.

##### Usage notes

The preverbal particle triggers lenition of a following consonant. It is not used in the past tense except for some irregular verbs. It takes the dependent form of irregular verbs. The copular form triggers h-prothesis of a following vowel.

##### See also

Simple copular forms :
| | | affirmative | negative | interrogative | neg. inter. |
| present/future ||||||
| main clauses | main clauses | is | ní | an | nach |
| relative clauses | direct | is | nach | – | – |
| relative clauses | indirect | ar, arb$^v$ | nach | – | – |
| other subordinate clauses | other subordinate clauses | gur, gurb$^v$ | nach | an | nach |
| past/conditional ||||||
| main clauses | main clauses | ba, b’$^v$ | níor, níorbh$^v$ | ar, arbh$^v$ | nár, nárbh$^v$ |
| relative clauses | direct | ba, ab$^v$ | nár, nárbh$^v$ | – | – |
| relative clauses | indirect | ar, arbh$^v$ | nár, nárbh$^v$ | – | – |
| other subordinate clauses | other subordinate clauses | gur, gurbh$^v$ | nár, nárbh$^v$ | ar, arbh$^v$ | nár, nárbh$^v$ |
| present subjunctive ||||||
| | | gura, gurab$^v$ | nára, nárab$^v$ | – | – |
Compound copular forms :
| base word | present/future | past/conditional |
| cá | cár, cárb$^v$ | cár, cárbh$^v$ |
| cé | cér, cérb$^v$ | cér, cérbh$^v$ |
| dá | – | dá mba, dá mb’$^v$ |
| de/do | dar, darb$^v$ | dar, darbh$^v$ |
| faoi | faoinar, faoinarb$^v$ | faoinar, faoinarbh$^v$ |
| i | inar, inarb$^v$ | inar, inarbh$^v$ |
| le | lenar, lenarb$^v$ | lenar, lenarbh$^v$ |
| má | más | má ba, má b’$^v$ |
| mura | mura, murab$^v$ | murar, murarbh$^v$ |
| ó (prep.) | ónar, ónarb$^v$ | ónar, ónarbh$^v$ |
| ó (conj.) | ós | ó ba, ó b’$^v$ |
| trí | trínar, trínarb$^v$ | trínar, trínarbh$^v$ |
$^v$ Used before vowel sounds :

### Etymology 4
#### Verb

ní
* Alternative spelling of ghní

### References

* ↑ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 ní ‘anything’”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* ↑ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 ní ‘a thing’”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* ↑ Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “níḋ”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 518
* ↑ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “nige”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* ↑ Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “niġe”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 519
* ↑ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “3 ní ‘not’”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* ↑ Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “ní ‘not’”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 517

### Further reading

* Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “ní”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
* de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “ní”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
* “ní”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025

## Lakota
### Adjective

ní
* alive

## Mandarin
### Alternative forms

* ni — nonstandard

### Romanization

ní (ni$^2$, Zhuyin ㄋㄧˊ)
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 倪
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 呢
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 坭
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 埿
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 妫
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 婗
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 尼
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 屔
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 怩
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 泥
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 淣
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 狋
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 猊
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 秜
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 籾
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 臡 / 𰯋
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 蚭
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 蜺
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 觬
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 貎
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 跜
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 輗 / 𫐐
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 郳
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 鈦 / 钛
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 霓
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 鯓
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 鯢 / 鲵
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 麑
* Hanyu Pinyin reading of 齯 / 𫠜

## Middle Irish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /n͈ʲiː/

### Etymology 1

From Old Irish ní, from Proto-Celtic *nīs (compare Welsh ni), from Proto-Indo-European *ne h₁ésti (“is not”) (compare Sanskrit न (na), Latin ne, Gothic 𐌽𐌹 (ni)).

#### Particle

ní
* not
** c. 1000, anonymous author, edited by Rudolf Thurneysen, Scéla Mucca Meic Dathó, Dublin: Stationery Office, published 1935, § 1, page 2, line 15:Mani·tucad immurgu ní din chéttadall ni·bered a n-aill.If, however, he did not take anything at (literally “from”) his first thrust, he did not bring the second.

##### Descendants

* Irish: ní

#### Verb

ní
* is not, isn’t

### Etymology 2
#### Pronoun

ní
* something, anything
** c. 1000, anonymous author, edited by Rudolf Thurneysen, Scéla Mucca Meic Dathó, Dublin: Stationery Office, published 1935, § 1, page 2, line 15:Mani·tucad immurgu ní din chéttadall ni·bered a n-aill.If, however, he did not take anything at (literally “from”) his first thrust, he did not bring the second.

## Navajo
### Etymology

di- (“oral”) + ∅- (3rd person subject prefix) + -∅- (classifier) + -ní (neuter imperfective stem of root -NIID, “to say”).

### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Verb

ní
* he/she says
    Dooda, dishní! ― I say no!

#### Usage notes

This verb is frequently used for quoted speech. To introduce quoted speech, just add the prefix á- (“thus”) to any of the forms of the verb. This modifies the meaning to something like "to say as follows" or "to say thus":
    Asdzą́ą́ ání, Beeʼeldííl Dahsinilgóó deekai, ní. — That woman says, “we are going to Albuquerque,” she says.
This is a neuter verb that uses only the imperfective mode. Other modes are suppleted by the active verb niih, reproduced below for convenience.

#### Conjugation

Paradigm: Neuter imperfective (∅), with some irregularities.

#### See also

* ání
* haʼní

## Old Irish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [n͈ʲiː]

### Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *nīs (compare Welsh ni), from Proto-Indo-European *ne h₁ésti (“is not”) (compare Sanskrit न (na), Latin ne, Gothic 𐌽𐌹 (ni)).

#### Particle

ní
* not
    Synonym: nícon
For quotations using this term, see Citations:ní.

##### Usage notes

Followed by the dependent form of the verb, which (in Old Irish) is not subjected to nasalization or lenition mutation unless a direct object pronoun is implied. Compare:
* Ní ben inna firu ― He does not strike the men
* Ní creti a scél ― He does not believe the story
    Here the b of ben and the c of creti are unmutated.
* Ní mben ― He does not strike him
* Ní creti ― He does not believe him
    Here the b of ben and the c of creti are nasalized to mb and /ɡ/ respectively.
* Ní ben ― He does not strike it
* Ní chreti ― He does not believe it
    Here the b of ben and the c of creti are lenited to /β/ and ch respectively.
In Middle Irish increasingly, and in Modern Irish always, ní lenites the following verb.

##### Descendants

* Middle Irish: ní
** Irish: ní

#### Verb

ní
* is not, isn’t
For quotations using this term, see Citations:ní.

##### Conjugation

See relevant rows at Appendix:Old Irish conjugation of is.

### Etymology 2
#### Pronoun

ní
* something, anything; some, any [with di ‘of’]
* (in a negative clause) nothing
For quotations using this term, see Citations:ní.

##### Declension

| Case | Animate | Neuter |
| Nominative | nech | ní |
| Accusative | nech | ní |
| Genitive | neich | neich |
| Dative | neuch, neoch | neuch, neoch |

##### Alternative forms

* níi

##### Derived terms

* na ní

### Mutation

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

## Rawang
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ni˥/

### Numeral

ní
* two.

#### Synonyms

* shòní

## Vietnamese
### Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Probably from Cantonese?”)

### Pronunciation

* (Hà Nội) IPA: [ni˧˦]
* (Huế) IPA: [nɪj˨˩˦]
* (Saigon) IPA: [nɪj˦˥]

### Pronoun

ní
* (informal) you
    Synonyms: bạn, mày, mi