n U+006E, n LATIN SMALL LETTER N ← m [U+006D] Basic Latin o → [U+006F]

n (upper case N)

2. The fourteenth letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.
3. in Romanization:
   1. of the Hebrew נ \ ן (“nun”, “nūn”) in the Common Israeli, Hebrew Academy (1953 and 2006), and ISO 259 transliteration schemes
   2. of the Hebrew נּ (“nun”, “nūn ḥāzāq”) in the Common Israeli transliteration scheme

• (Romanization of נּ, “nun”, “nūn ḥāzāq”): nn (in the Hebrew Academy (1953 and 2006) and ISO 259 transliteration schemes)

• Ŋ (eng)
• Ν (nu)
• Н (en)

• n on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• Pronunciation of IPA [nːɑː, ɑnnɑː] with the sound [n]:

  (file)

n

2. (IPA) voiced alveolar nasal.

   (superscript ⟨ⁿ⟩) nasal release (of any articulation), prenasalization, [n]-coloring or a weak, fleeting or epenthetic [n] – see also ⁿ.

4. (statistics) Sample size.
6. (physics) neutron.

   Coordinate terms: p, e

8. (mathematics) An arbitrary natural number.

• Letter styles
• 
  Uppercase and lowercase versions of N, in normal and italic type
• 
  Uppercase and lowercase N in Fraktur

• (Latin script):  Aa  Bb  Cc  Dd  Ee  Ff  Gg  Hh  Ii  Jj  Kk  Ll  Mm  Nn  Oo  Pp  Qq  Rr  Sſs  Tt  Uu  Vv  Ww  Xx  Yy  Zz
• (Variations of letter N):  Ńń  Ǹǹ  Ňň  Ññ  Ṅṅ  Ņņ  Ṇṇ  Ṋṋ  Ṉṉ  N̈n̈  Ɲɲ  Ƞƞ  ᵰ  ᶇ  ɳ  ȵ  ɴ  Ｎｎ  Ŋŋ  NJNjnj  NJNjnj
• Preceded by apostrophe: 'n
• Hiragana: ん
• な (na), に (ni), ぬ (nu), ね (ne), の (no)

Other representations of N:

NATO phonetic: November Morse code: –· Braille: ⠝ ASL Manual: N

Signal flag:

Semaphore:

• Alveolar nasal on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /ɛn/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -ɛn
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /n/

n (lower case, upper case N, plural ns or n's)

1. The fourteenth letter of the English alphabet, called en and written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) letter; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

n (lower case, upper case N, plural ns or n's)

1. The fourteenth numeral symbol of the English alphabet, called en and written in the Latin script.

Abbreviations.

n

1. Abbreviation of north.

   Alternative forms: n., N

2. (grammar) Abbreviation of noun.

   Alternative form: n.

3. (organic chemistry) normal
4. Neutral
5. No

n

1. (grammar) Abbreviation of neuter (gender).

   Alternative form: n.

n

1. Contraction of and, chiefly used in set phrases.

   Alternative form: 'n'

   rock n roll

n

1. alternative form of ãn

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): [n]
• (letter name) IPA^(key): [neː], [nɯː]

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The twentieth letter of the Azerbaijani alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) hərf; A a, B b, C c, Ç ç, D d, E e, Ə ə, F f, G g, Ğ ğ, H h, X x, I ı, İ i, J j, K k, Q q, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ö ö, P p, R r, S s, Ş ş, T t, U u, Ü ü, V v, Y y, Z z

Abbreviation.

• IPA^(key): [nɯː]

n

1. abbreviation of iyun (“June”)

Used to prevent the mishearing of iyun (“June”) as iyul (“July”); see also l.

n

1. I

• IPA^(key): /ene/, [e̞.ne̞]

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fourteenth letter of the Basque alphabet, called ene and written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) A a, B b, C c (Ç ç), D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ñ ñ, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u (Ü ü), V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈe.nə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈe.ne], [ˈen]

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fourteenth letter of the Catalan alphabet, called ena, ene or en and written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) lletres; A a (À à), B b, C c (Ç ç), D d, E e (É é, È è), F f, G g, H h, I i (Í í, Ï ï), J j, K k, L l (L·L l·l), M m, N n, O o (Ó ó, Ò ò), P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u (Ú ú, Ü ü), V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

• IPA^(key): /n/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. A letter of the Central Mazahua alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ⱥ ⱥ, A̱ a̱, B b, C c, Cꞌ cꞌ, Cj cj, Cu cu, Cꞌu cꞌu, Cju cju, Ch ch, Chꞌ chꞌ, Chj chj, D d, Dy dy, E e, Ɇ ɇ, E̱ e̱, G g, Gu gu, Hu hu, ꞌHu ꞌhu, I i, I̱ i̱, J j, Jꞌ jꞌ, Jm jm, Jn jn, Jñ jñ, Ju ju, Jy jy, L l, M m, Mꞌ mꞌ, N n, Nꞌ nꞌ, Ñ ñ, Ñꞌ ñꞌ, O o, Ø ø, O̱ o̱, P p, Pj pj, R r, S s, T t, Tꞌ tꞌ, Tj tj, Ts ts, Tsꞌ tsꞌ, Tsj tsj, U u, Ꞹ ꞹ, U̱ u̱, X x, Z z, Zh zh, ꞌ

n

1. alternative spelling of N

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The twenty-first letter of the Czech alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) písmeno; A a, Á á, B b, C c, Č č, D d, Ď ď, E e, É é, Ě ě, F f, G g, H h, Ch ch, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ň ň, O o, Ó ó, P p, Q q, R r, Ř ř, S s, Š š, T t, Ť ť, U u, Ú ú, Ů ů, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Ý ý, Z z, Ž ž

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛn
• (letter name): IPA^(key): /ɛn/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fourteenth letter of the Dutch alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• Previous letter: m
• Next letter: o

• 'n

Cognate with Central Atlas Tamazight ⵏ (n, “of”) and Proto-Semitic *lV-, whence Hebrew לְ־ (lə-, “to, for, of”) and Arabic لِـ (li-, “to, for, belonging to”).^[1]

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /ɛn/
  • Conventional anglicization: en

1. to, for (dative)
2. in the direction of, towards
3. (of time) for, until
4. because of
5. used idiomatically with certain verbs

Before a noun it can be written thus:

This should not be confused with the negative particle, which is written identically.

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /ɛn/
  • Conventional anglicization: en

1. abbreviation of nj (“of, belonging to (genitival adjective)”)

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /ɛn/
  • Conventional anglicization: en

 pl

 1. enclitic (‘dependent’) pronoun

1. we, us (see usage notes)

This form of pronoun is an enclitic that must directly follow the word it modifies. Its meaning depends on its context:

• When it follows a verb, it indicates the object of the verb.
• In the second and third person when it follows an adjective, it forms the subject of an adjectival sentence.
• When it follows a relative adjective, such as ntj, ntt, or jsṯ, it indicates the subject of the relative clause (usually only in the first person singular and third person common).
• When it follows an imperative, it indicates the subject or the object of the verb.
• When it follows a particle like m.k, it indicates the subject of the clause.
• When attached to a preposition, it indicates the object of the preposition.

• James P[eter] Allen (2010), Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 43, 51, 86–87, 90–91, 117–118, 127.
• Faulkner, Raymond Oliver (1962), A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN, page 124
• Junge, Friedrich (2005), Late Egyptian Grammar: An Introduction, second English edition, Oxford: Griffith Institute, page 77

(phoneme)

• IPA^(key): /n/

(letter)

• IPA^(key): /ˈno/

• Audio:

  (file)

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The eighteenth letter of the Esperanto alphabet, called no and written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) litero; A a, B b, C c, Ĉ ĉ, D d, E e, F f, G g, Ĝ ĝ, H h, Ĥ ĥ, I i, J j, Ĵ ĵ, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, R r, S s, Ŝ ŝ, T t, U u, Ŭ ŭ, V v, Z z

• “n”, in Plena Ilustrita Vortaro de Esperanto [Complete Illustrated Dictionary of Esperanto], 2020, →ISBN

• IPA^(key): /ˈenː/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fourteenth letter of the Estonian alphabet, called enn and written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) täht; A a, B b (C c), D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p (Q q), R r, S s, Š š, Z z, Ž ž, T t, U u, V v (W w), Õ õ, Ä ä, Ö ö, Ü ü (X x, Y y)

• IPA^(key): /n/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The sixteenth letter of the Faroese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) bókstavur; A a, Á á, B b, D d, Рð, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ó ó, P p, R r, S s, T t, U u, Ú ú, V v, Y y, Ý ý, Æ æ, Ø ø

The Finnish orthography using the Latin script was based on those of Swedish, German, and Latin, and was first used in the mid-16th century. No earlier script is known. See the Wikipedia article on Finnish for more information, and n for information on the development of the glyph itself.

• (sound): IPA^(key): /n/
  • (before a velar consonant) IPA^(key): [ŋ]

• IPA^(key): /ˈæn/, [ˈæn] (letter name)
• IPA^(key): /ˈen/, [ˈe̞n] (letter name, dated)

• Audio: än, nänni, nuppu, än:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æn

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fourteenth letter of the Finnish alphabet, called än or en and written in the Latin script.

n

1. abbreviation of naiset (“ladies”), used to mark toilets and similar installations to be for women only

   Synonyms: naiset, (rare) rouvat

   Antonyms: m, miehet, (rare) herrat

• (Latin-script letters) kirjain; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s (Š š), T t, U u, V v (W w), X x, Y y, Z z (Ž ž), Å å, Ä ä, Ö ö

• (letter name) IPA^(key): /ɛn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

  (file)

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fourteenth letter of the French alphabet, written in the Latin script.
   • 1837, Louis Viardot, L’Ingénieux Hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche‎^{fr.Wikisource}, translation of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Chapter I:

     Avec ces propos et d’autres semblables, le pauvre gentilhomme perdait le jugement. Il passait les nuits et se donnait la torture pour les comprendre, pour les approfondir, pour leur tirer le sens des entrailles, ce qu’Aristote lui-même n’aurait pu faire, s’il fût ressuscité tout exprès pour cela.

     With these passages and other similar ones, the poor gentleman lost his judgement. He spent his nights and tortured himself to understand them, to consider them more deeply, to take from them their deepest meaning, which Aristotle himself would not have been able to do, had he been resurrected for that very purpose.

• IPA^(key): /n/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. A letter of the Fula alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• Common to all varieties of Fula (Fulfulde / Pulaar / Pular).

• (Latin-script letters) karfeeje; ', A a, B b, Mb mb, Ɓ ɓ, C c, D d, Nd nd, Ɗ ɗ, E e, F f, G g, Ng ng, Ɠ ɠ, H h, I i, J j, Nj nj, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ŋ ŋ, Ñ ñ, Ɲ ɲ, O o, P p, R r, S s, T t, U u, W w, Y y, Ƴ ƴ

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

n

1. nonstandard form of 'n
   • 1984, Wolfdietrich Schnurre, Ein Unglücksfall: Roman, page 172:

     „Hat uns vorhin so n Mensch von der Dingsbums gebracht.“ „Von der Kultusgemeinde.“ Avrom hebt zwinkernd die Augen vom Buch; er lächelt. Muß ne anrührende Stelle gewesen sein, was er da grade liest. „Was heißt ‚so n Mensch‘.“

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1999, Regula Schmidlin, Wie Deutschschweizer Kinder schreiben und erzählen lernen:

     […] also die Geschichte hab ich genannt (äh) die Froschsuche weil da war so n Junge und mit em Hund und die haben dauernd ihren Frosch immer angeguckt im Wasser und dann einmal in der Nacht is er weggehüpft […]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2012, Gustav Falke, Die Kinder Aus Ohlsens Gang, page 92:

     »Wenn ick de jungen Lüd nich harr und de Kinner – so n Mann, Herr Lehrer, so n Mann! aber ick hev en nu. He schall mi mol Muck seggn. Rut smiet ick em.« »Das lassen Sie nur lieber nach, Frau Krahnstöver. […] «

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2014, Manuel Mayer, Schwule Akten: Fußballstar und Tennisprofi geoutet, Himmelstürmer Verlag, page 58:

     Und da Sex Sponsoren anzieht, würde so n Kerl ein so großes Medienecho hervorrufen, sodass wir noch Jahrhunderte davon hören würden ...

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Inherited from Proto-Berber *n, from Proto-Afroasiatic.

• (Iɛraben) IPA^(key): [n]

n

1. genitive preposition
   1. of, -'s (possession, association or material)
   2. from (used to indicate origin)
   3. used to indicate an amount

      juj n lefrank ― two frank

Nouns following this preposition are placed in the annexed state.

• Mourigh, Khalid (2015) A Grammar of Ghomara Berber (Thesis)‎^[1], Leiden

n

1. romanization of 𐌽

From African origin. Cognate with Kabuverdianu n.

n

1. I (first person singular)

Contraction of nou, from French nous.

• IPA^(key): /n/

n

1. contraction of nou

• Targète, Jean; Urciolo, Raphael (1993), Haitian Creole-English Dictionary‎^[2], Dunwoody Press, →ISBN, page 134

n

1. I

• Jef Verschueren, Pragmatics at Issue: Selected Papers (1991, →ISBN
• Bernard Comrie, Maria Polinsky, Causatives and Transitivity (1993, →ISBN, page 317: Haruai has a serial verb construction, in which all verbs but the last take no inflections whatsoever (the only instance in Haruai where a verb can appear inflectionless), as in (3): n dw röbö p-n-a I go water get-FUT(-1SG)-DEC

• (letter name) nū

• (letter name) IPA^(key): /ˈnuː/
• (phoneme) /n/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The tenth letter of the Hawaiian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) A a (Ā ā), E e (Ē ē), I i (Ī ī), O o (Ō ō), U u (Ū ū), H h, K k, L l, M m, N n, P p, W w, ʻ

• (phoneme): IPA^(key): [ˈn]
• (letter name): IPA^(key): [ˈɛnː]

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The twenty-second letter of the Hungarian alphabet, called enn and written in the Latin script.
2. character as a unit of measurement (one of the basic elements making up a text file or string)

   Synonyms: karakter, leütés, betűhely

• (Latin-script letters) betű; A a, Á á, B b, C c, Cs cs, D d, Dz dz, Dzs dzs, E e, É é, F f, G g, Gy gy, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, Ly ly, M m, N n, Ny ny, O o, Ó ó, Ö ö, Ő ő, P p, R r, S s, Sz sz, T t, Ty ty, U u, Ú ú, Ü ü, Ű ű, V v, Z z, Zs zs. Only in the extended alphabet: Q q W w X x Y y. Commonly used: ch. Also defined: à ë. In surnames (selection): ä aa cz ds eé eö ew oe oó th ts ÿ.

• n in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.

• (letter name) IPA^(key): /ɛnː/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The seventeenth letter of the Icelandic alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) bókstafur; A a, Á á, B b, D d, Рð, E e, É é, F f, G g, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ó ó, P p, R r, S s, T t, U u, Ú ú, V v, X x, Y y, Ý ý, Þ þ, Æ æ, Ö ö

• (context pronunciation) IPA^(key): /n/
• (letter name) IPA^(key): /ne/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fourteenth letter of the Ido alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) litero; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

• (context pronunciation) IPA^(key): /n/
• (letter name) IPA^(key): /ɛn/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fourteenth letter of the Indonesian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) huruf; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

From English n (“shortening of and”).

n

1. (text messaging, slang) abbreviation of dan

   Synonym: dn

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The twelfth letter of the Irish alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) litir; A a (Á á), B b (Bh bh, bhF bhf, bP bp), C c (Ch ch), D d (Dh dh, dT dt), E e (É é), F f (Fh fh), G g (gC gc, Gh gh), H h, I i (Í í), L l, M m (mB mb, Mh mh), N n (nD nd, nG ng), O o (Ó ó), P p (Ph ph), R r, S s (Sh sh), T t (Th th, tS ts), U u (Ú ú), V v
• (diacritics) ◌́ ◌̇
• (dotted letters used chiefly in Gaelic type) Ḃ ḃ, Ċ ċ, Ḋ ḋ, Ḟ ḟ, Ġ ġ, Ṁ ṁ, Ṗ ṗ, Ṡ ẛ ṡ, Ṫ ṫ

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The twentieth letter of the Isoko alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• E. O. Agbada et al, Vbuhrẹ Ụmụ́bọrá Isoko (Teach Yourself Isoko), first published 2008, revised edition 2017, page 8, 10
• Onyerioma Isaac Itegolor, Isoko Wha Dooo...! Book 2 (Operation Speak Your Language), Revised Standard Edition (2015), page 1
• Joe Okedi, Abidi Isoko Na Kpobi, 2020

n f or m (lower case, upper case N, invariable)

1. The twelfth letter of the Italian alphabet, called enne and written in the Latin script.

n

1. Rōmaji transcription of ん
2. Rōmaji transcription of ン

From African origin.

n

1. I (first person singular)

Inherited from Proto-Berber *n, from Proto-Afroasiatic.

• IPA^(key): /n/

n

1. genitive preposition
   1. of, -'s (possession or association)

      abrid n taddart ― the road of the village

      tamurt n baba ― my father's country

   2. of (material)

      lkettan n taduṭ ― wool fabric (literally, “fabric of wool”)

   3. from (used to indicate origin)
   4. son of, daughter of (indicates a relationship between child and parent)
   5. indicates an amount

Nouns following the preposition n are placed in the annexed state.

• Association Culturelle Numidya (2025), “Amawal, dictionnaire kabyle-français en ligne”, in Amawal‎^[3], retrieved 2025
• Dallet, Jean-Marie (1982), Dictionnaire kabyle-français: parler des At Mangellat, Algérie (in French), Paris, France

Borrowed from Tagalog n. Letter pronunciation is influenced by English n.

• (letter name) IPA^(key): /ʔen/ [ʔen]
  • Rhymes: -en
• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /n/ [n]

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fourteenth letter of the Kankanaey alphabet, called en and written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) letra; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ñ ñ, Ng ng, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

• Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (2016), Ortograpiya di Kankanaëy [Kankanaey Orthography]‎^[4] (in Kankanaey and Tagalog), →ISBN, pages 10-11

The Kashubian orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the Kashubian alphabet article on Wikipedia for more, and n for development of the glyph itself.

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The nineteenth letter of the Kashubian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ą ą, àã, B b, C c, D d, E e, É é, Ë ë, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, Ł ł, M m, N n, O o, Ò ò, Ó ó, Ô ô, P p, R r, S s, T t, U u, Ù ù, W w, Y y, Z z, Ż ż

n • (en)

1. alternative spelling of N (en)

n

1. a (+ masculine noun)

• na
• n'

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. A letter of the Latin alphabet, written in the Latin script, representing the sound /n/.

• (Latin-script letters) A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, V v, X x, Y y, Z z

Proposed in 1908 as part of the new Latvian spelling by the scientific commission headed by K. Mīlenbahs, which was accepted and began to be taught in schools in 1909. Prior to that, Latvian had been written in German Fraktur, and sporadically in Cyrillic.

• IPA^(key): [n]

• Audio:

  (file)

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The twenty-first letter of the Latvian alphabet, called en and written in the Latin script.

• Letters of the Latvian alphabet:

  burti: Aa, Āā, Bb, Cc, Čč, Dd, Ee, Ēē, Ff, Gg, Ģģ, Hh, Ii, Īī, Jj, Kk, Ķķ, Ll, Ļļ, Mm, Nn, Ņņ, Oo, Pp, Rr, Ss, Šš, Tt, Uu, Ūū, Vv, Zz, Žž

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /n/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The twentieth letter of the Livonian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) kēratē’ḑ; A a, Ā ā, Ä ä, Ǟ ǟ, B b, D d, Ḑ ḑ, E e, Ē ē, F f, G g, H h, I i, Ī ī, J j, K k, L l, Ļ ļ, M m, N n, Ņ ņ, O o, Ō ō, Ȯ ȯ, Ȱ ȱ, Õ õ, Ȭ ȭ, P p, R r, Ŗ ŗ, S s, Š š, T t, Ț ț, U u, Ū ū, V v, Z z, Ž ž

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fourteenth letter of the Malay alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

• IPA^(key): /n/
• IPA^(key): /m/ (by assimilation to a following labial)
• IPA^(key): /n/, [ŋ] (by assimilation to a following velar)

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The eighteenth letter of the Maltese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) ittra; A a, B b, Ċ ċ, D d, E e, F f, Ġ ġ, G g, Għ għ, H h, Ħ ħ, I i, Ie ie, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Ż ż, Z z

n

1. nonstandard spelling of ń
2. nonstandard spelling of ň
3. nonstandard spelling of ǹ

• 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.

• IPA^(key): /n/ [n]

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The tenth letter of the Māori alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ā ā, E e, Ē ē, H h, I i, Ī ī, K k, M m, N n, O o, Ō ō, P p, R r, T t, U u, Ū ū, W w, Ng ng, Wh wh

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. A letter of the Navajo alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) A a (Á á, Ą ą, Ą́ ą́), B b, Ch ch, Chʼ chʼ, D d, Dl dl, Dz dz, E e (É é, Ę ę, Ę́ ę́), G g, Gh gh, H h, Hw hw, X x, I i (Í í, Į į, Į́ į́), J j, K k, Kʼ kʼ, Kw kw, ʼ, L l, Ł ł, M m, N n (Ń ń), O o (Ó ó, Ǫ ǫ, Ǫ́ ǫ́), S s, Sh sh, T t, Tʼ tʼ, Tł tł, Tłʼ tłʼ, Ts ts, Tsʼ tsʼ, W w, Y y, Z z, Zh zh

• IPA^(key): [n], (in ng, nk) [ŋ], (syllabic) [n̩], [ŋ̍], [m̩]

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. A letter of the North Frisian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• As in German, the unstressed syllable ⟨en⟩ usually becomes syllabic [n̩], which further assimilates to preceding stop consonants as [kŋ̍], [ɡŋ̍], [pm̩], [bm̩].

• (North Frisian letters): a, ä, å, ā, b, c, d, đ, e, ē, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, ö, p, r, s, t, u, ü, v, w (q, x, y, z)

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /enː/, /ɛnː/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /n/, (in rn) /ɳ/, (in ng and nk) /ŋ/

• Audio:

  (file)

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fourteenth letter of the Norwegian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /n/, IPA^(key): /ŋ/, IPA^(key): / ̃/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The seventeenth letter of the Nupe alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) banki; A a (Á á, À à), B b, C c, D d, Dz dz, E e (É é, È è), F f, G g, Gb gb, H h, I i (Í í, Ì ì), J j, K k, Kp kp, L l, M m (Ḿ ḿ, M̀ m̀, M̄ m̄), N n (Ń ń, Ǹ ǹ, N̄ n̄), O o (Ó ó, Ò ò), P p, R r, S s, Sh sh, T t, Ts ts, U u (Ú ú, Ù ù), V v, W w, Y y, Z z, Zh zh

The Polish orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the history of Polish orthography article on Wikipedia for more, and n for development of the glyph itself.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛn/

• Audio:

  (file)

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The eighteenth letter of the Polish alphabet, called en and written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ą ą, B b, C c, Ć ć, D d, E e, Ę ę, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, Ł ł, M m, N n, Ń ń, O o, Ó ó, P p (Q q), R r, S s, Ś ś, T t, U u (V v), W w (X x), Y y, Z z, Ź ź, Ż ż

• Audio (Brazil):

  (file)

n m (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fourteenth letter of the Portuguese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) letra; A a (Á á, À à,  â, àã), B b, C c (Ç ç), D d, E e (É é, Ê ê), F f, G g, H h, I i (Í í), J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o (Ó ó, Ô ô, Õ õ), P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u (Ú ú), V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

• nn, ñ

n

1. (Internet slang, text messaging) abbreviation of não (“not”)

   eu n sei ― I don't know.

n m (invariable)

1. (Internet slang, text messaging) abbreviation of não (“no”)

n

1. (Internet slang, text messaging) abbreviation of não (“no”)

• “n”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “n”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

• IPA^(key): /n/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. (International Standard) The eighteenth letter of the Romani alphabet, written in the Latin script.
2. (Pan-Vlax) The nineteenth letter of the Romani alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, X x, I i, J j, K k, Kh kh, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Ph ph, R r, S s, T t, Th th, U u, V v, Z z International Standard: (À à, Ä ä, Ǎ ǎ), Ć ć, Ćh ćh, (È è, Ë ë, Ě ě), (Ì ì, Ï ï, Ǐ ǐ), (Ò ò, Ö ö, Ǒ ǒ), Rr rr, Ś ś, (Ù ù, Ü ü, Ǔ ǔ), Ź ź, Ʒ ʒ, Q q, Ç ç, ϴ θ. Pan-Vlax: Č č, Čh čh, Dž dž, (Dź dź), Ř ř, Š š, (Ś ś), Ž ž, (Ź ź).

• IPA^(key): /n/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The seventeenth letter of the Romanian alphabet, called en, ne or nî and written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ă ă,  â, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, Πî, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, Ș ș, T t, Ț ț, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

• n', 'n

• IPA^(key): /ən/
• Hyphenation: n

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

n

1. unstressed form of aan, een; a, an

• When followed by an adjective and modifying a feminine noun, the form ne may be used.

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

n

1. unstressed form of dän

• Marron C. Fort (2015), Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN, page 779

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The twelfth letter of the Scottish Gaelic alphabet, written in the Latin script; preceded by m and followed by o; traditionally named nuin (“ash”).

• (Latin-script letters) litir; A a (À à), B b (Bh bh), C c (Ch ch), D d (Dh dh), E e (È è), F f (Fh fh), G g (Gh gh), H h, I i (Ì ì), L l, M m (Mh mh), N n, O o (Ò ò), P p (Ph ph), R r, S s (Sh sh), T t (Th th), U u (Ù ù)
• (diacritics) ◌̀
• (obsolete vowels) Á á É é Ó ó

Inherited from Proto-Berber *n, from Proto-Afroasiatic. Cognate with Kabyle n, Egyptian n and Proto-Semitic *lV-.

• IPA^(key): /n/

n (Tifinagh spelling ⵏ)

1. genitive preposition
   1. of, -'s (possession or association)

      D axyam n temɣart. ― That's the house of the woman.

   2. of (material)
   3. from (used to indicate origin)
   4. son of, daughter of (indicates a relationship child and parent)

      D Mimun n Ɛmar. ― That's Mimoun son of Omar.

   5. indicates an amount

      Ɣur-i rebɛa n temwatin. ― I have four cows.

Nouns following the preposition n are placed in the annexed state.

• Gutova, Evgeniya; Byler, Jonathan (2025), “Senhaja de Srair - English Dictionary”, in Webonary‎^[5], retrieved 2025
• Gutova, Evgeniya (2021) Senhaja Berber Varieties: Phonology, Morphology, and Morphosyntax (Thesis)‎^[6], Paris, France: HAL

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /n/

n (lower case, upper case N, Cyrillic equivalent н)

1. The nineteenth letter of the Serbo-Croatian alphabet (gajica), written in the Latin script; preceded by m and followed by nj.

The Silesian orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the Silesian language article on Wikipedia for more, and n for development of the glyph itself.

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The seventeenth letter of the Silesian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) A a, àã, B b, C c, Ć ć, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, Ł ł, M m, N n, Ń ń, O o, Ŏ ŏ, Ō ō, Ô ô, Õ õ, P p, R r, S s, Ś ś, T t, U u, W w, Y y, Z z, Ź ź, Ż ż

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /n/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The twenty-second letter of the Skolt Sami alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) bukva; A a,  â, B b, C c, Č č, Ʒ ʒ, Ǯ ǯ, D d, Đ đ, E e, F f, G g, Ǧ ǧ, Ǥ ǥ, H h, I i, J j, K k, Ǩ ǩ, L l, M m, N n, Ŋ ŋ, O o, Õ õ, P p, R r, S s, Š š, T t, U u, V v, Z z, Ž ž, Å å, Ä ä, ʹ

• IPA^(key): /n/, [n]

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The twenty-fourth letter of the Slovak alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) písmeno; A a, Á á, Ä ä, B b, C c, Č č, D d, Ď ď, Dz dz, Dž dž, E e, É é, F f, G g, H h, Ch ch, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, Ĺ ĺ, Ľ ľ, M m, N n, Ň ň, O o, Ó ó, Ô ô, P p, Q q, R r, Ŕ ŕ, S s, Š š, T t, Ť ť, U u, Ú ú, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Ý ý, Z z, Ž ž

• IPA^(key): (phoneme) /n/
• IPA^(key): (letter name) /ˈene/ [ˈe.ne]

  • Audio (Spain):

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -ene

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fourteenth letter of the Spanish alphabet, written in the Latin script.

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fourteenth letter of the Swedish alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) bokstav; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z, Å å, Ä ä, Ö ö

Borrowed from Spanish n. Each pronunciation has a different source:

• Filipino alphabet pronunciation is influenced by English n.
• Abakada alphabet pronunciation is influenced by Baybayin character ᜈ (na).
• Abecedario pronunciation is from Spanish n.

• (Standard Tagalog)
  • IPA^(key): /ˈʔen/ [ˈʔɛn̪] (letter name, Filipino alphabet)
    • Rhymes: -en
  • IPA^(key): /ˈna/ [ˈn̪a] (letter name, Abakada alphabet)
    • Rhymes: -a
  • IPA^(key): /ˈʔene/ [ˈʔɛː.n̪ɛ] (letter name, Abecedario)
    • Rhymes: -ene
  • IPA^(key): /n/ [n̪] (phoneme)

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. the fourteenth letter of the Filipino alphabet, called en and written in the Latin script
2. the eleventh letter of the Abakada alphabet, called na and written in the Latin script
3. (historical) the sixteenth letter of the Abecedario, called ene and written in the Latin script

• (Latin-script letters) titik; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ñ ñ, Ng ng, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

From the Abakada alphabet letter n being pronounced as na.

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /na/ [n̪ɐ]
• Rhymes: -a

n (Baybayin spelling ᜈ) (text messaging)

1. abbreviation of na

• “n”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018

Inherited from Proto-Berber *n, from Proto-Afroasiatic. Cognate with Kabyle n, Egyptian n and Proto-Semitic *lV-.

n (Tifinagh spelling ⵏ)

1. genitive preposition
   1. of, -'s (possession or association)

      D taddart n temɣart. ― That's the house of the woman.

      D yeǧi-s n waryaz-enni. ― She's that man's daughter.

   2. of (material)
   3. from (used to indicate origin)

      Neccin d tiḥenjirin n Arif ― We're girls of the Rif.

   4. son of, daughter of (indicates a relationship child and parent)

      Mimun n Ɛmar ― Mimoun son of Omar.

   5. indicates an amount

      Ɣar-i arbɛa n tfunasin ― I have four cows.

Nouns following the preposition n are placed in the annexed state.

• IPA^(key): /n/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. A letter of the Tlingit alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• Canada:
• (Latin-script letters) A a, Á á, À à,  â, Ch ch, Chʼ chʼ, D d, Dł dł, Dz dz, E e, É é, È è, Ê ê, G g, Gw gw, Gh gh, Ghw ghw, H h, I i, Í í, Ì ì, Πî, J j, K k, Kw kw, Kʼ kʼ, Kʼw kʼw, Kh kh, Khw khw, Khʼ khʼ, Khʼw khʼw (L l), Ł ł, Łʼ łʼ (M m), N n (O o), S s, Sʼ sʼ, Sh sh, T t, Tʼ tʼ, Tl tl, Tlʼ tlʼ, Ts ts, Tsʼ tsʼ, U u, Ú ú, Ù ù, Û û, W w, X x, Xw xw, Xʼ xʼ, Xʼw xʼw, Xh xh, Xhw xhw, Xhʼ xhʼ, Xhʼw xhʼw, Y y (Ÿ ÿ), ․
• US:
• (Latin-script letters) A a, Á á, Aa aa, Áa áa, Ch ch, Chʼ chʼ, D d, Dl dl, Dz dz, E e, É é, Ee ee, Ée ée, Ei ei, Éi éi, G g, Gw gw, G̱ g̱, G̱w g̱w, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, Kw kw, Kʼ kʼ, Kʼw kʼw, Ḵ ḵ, Ḵw ḵw, Ḵʼ ḵʼ, Ḵʼw ḵʼw, L l, Lʼ lʼ (Ḻ ḻ, M m), N n (O o), Oo oo, Óo óo, S s, Sʼ sʼ, Sh sh, T t, Tʼ tʼ, Tl tl, Tlʼ tlʼ, Ts ts, Tsʼ tsʼ, U u, Ú ú, W w, X x, Xw xw, Xʼ xʼ, Xʼw xʼw, X̱ x̱, X̱w x̱w, X̱ʼ x̱ʼ, X̱ʼw x̱ʼw, Y y (Ÿ ÿ, Y̱ y̱), ․

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The seventeenth letter of the Turkish alphabet, called ne and written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) harf; A a ( â), B b, C c, Ç ç, D d, E e, F f, G g, Ğ ğ, H h, I ı, İ i (Πî), J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ö ö, P p, R r, S s, Ş ş, T t, U u (Û û), Ü ü, V v, Y y, Z z

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /n/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The sixteenth letter of the Turkmen alphabet, called en and written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) harp; A a, B b, Ç ç, D d, E e, Ä ä, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, Ž ž, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ň ň, O o, Ö ö, P p, R r, S s, Ş ş, T t, U u, Ü ü, W w, Y y, Ý ý, Z z

• (standard) IPA^(key): /ɛn/
  • (informal) IPA^(key): /n/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The eighteenth letter of the Welsh alphabet, called èn and written in the Latin script; preceded by m and followed by o.

• (Latin-script letters) llythyren; A a (Á á, À à,  â, Ä ä), B b, C c, Ch ch, D d, Dd dd, E e (É é, È è, Ê ê, Ë ë), F f, Ff ff, G g, Ng ng, H h, I i (Í í, Ì ì, Πî, Ï ï), J j, L l, Ll ll, M m, N n, O o (Ó ó, Ò ò, Ô ô, Ö ö), P p, Ph ph, R r, Rh rh, S s, T t, Th th, U u (Ú ú, Ù ù, Û û, Ü ü), W w (Ẃ ẃ, Ẁ ẁ, Ŵ ŵ, Ẅ ẅ), Y y (Ý ý, Ỳ ỳ, Ŷ ŷ, Ÿ ÿ)

• n cannot mutate in Welsh.

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “n”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fourteenth letter of the Xhosa alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• IPA^(key): /ɳ /, /ⁿ/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. A letter of the Yele alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• The digraph ⟨nd⟩ transcribes the single consonant /ⁿʈ/ [ɳɖ]
• The digraph ⟨ng⟩ transcribes /ŋ/
• The trigraph ⟨ngm⟩ transcribes the single consonant /ŋ͡m/
• The digraph ⟨nj⟩ transcribes the single consonant /ⁿt̪ʲ/ [n̪d̪͡ʑ]
• The digraph ⟨nk⟩ transcribes the single consonant /ⁿk/ [ŋɡ]
• The digraph ⟨nm⟩ transcribes the single consonant /ɳ͡m/
• The digraph ⟨nt⟩ transcribes the single consonant /ⁿt̪/ [n̪d̪]

Palatalized consonants are written ⟨ndy, nmy, ny⟩ (the last being /ɳʲ/), labialized consonants as ⟨ngw, nkw⟩.

• (Latin-script letters) A a, â, b, Ch ch, D d, e, é, ê, Gh gh, i, î, j, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ń ń, o, ó, P p, T t, U u, V v, W w, Y y, ꞉

• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /n/, IPA^(key): /ŋ/, IPA^(key): / ̃/
• (letter name): IPA^(key): /nĩ́/

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fifteenth letter of the Yoruba alphabet, called ní and written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) lẹ́tà; A a (Á á, À à, Ā ā), B b, D d, E e (É é, È è, Ē ē), Ẹ ẹ (Ẹ́ ẹ́, Ẹ̀ ẹ̀, Ẹ̄ ẹ̄), F f, G g, Gb gb, H h, I i (Í í, Ì ì, Ī ī), J j, K k, L l, M m (Ḿ ḿ, M̀ m̀, M̄ m̄), N n (Ń ń, Ǹ ǹ, N̄ n̄), O o (Ó ó, Ò ò, Ō ō), Ọ ọ (Ọ́ ọ́, Ọ̀ ọ̀, Ọ̄ ọ̄), P p, R r, S s, Ṣ ṣ, T t, U u (Ú ú, Ù ù, Ū ū), W w, Y y
• (Benin)
• (Latin-script letters) lɛ́tà; A a, B b, D d, E e, Ɛ ɛ, F f, G g, Gb gb, H h, I i, J j, K k, Kp kp, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ɔ ɔ, P p, R r, S s, Sh sh, T t, U u, W w, Y y

• ín, í (Èkìtì)
• mí (Ìjẹ̀ṣà, Ìjẹ̀bú)

• IPA^(key): /ŋ́/

ń

2. Marks the imperfective or progressive aspect, for actions that are not completed.

   Mo ń jẹun. ― I am eating; I was eating.

• máa ń (“habitual tense marker”)

Aspect markers in Yoruba
Aspects in Yoruba (Ajani, 2001)
Realis			Irrealis
Unmarked (Completive)	Progressive	Relational	Anticipative	Intentional
∅	ń	ti	máa	yóò ¹
Complex aspects Backgrounder Inceptive Manifestive Relevant–inceptive Habitual Expective Antecedent completion yóò ti ¹ yóò máa ¹ ti máa ti ń máa ń yóò ti máa ¹ ti máa ń
Explanatory notes (Ajani, 2001) Unmarked (Completive) The unmarked form of a verb “indicates a completed action”, e.g. mo lọ sí ilé-ìwé (“I went to school”), though with stative verbs like mọ́ (“to know”) and wà (“to exist”), the action is expressed without particularization, e.g., as “a statement of a general character or universal truth” (Ogunbọwale, 1970), or without any notion of past tense. Take for example, oorú mú (“it is hot”) and mo ní ilé (“I have a house”). Progressive Termed the incompletive by Ajani (2001), this describes an action in progress, “either in the present or before the present”. The sentence wọ́n ń ṣiṣẹ́ could be translated as “they are busy working” or “they were busy working”. Relational This aspect “describes an event or activity that is not complete, with reference to an ongoing event”. Though it may represent an action that has already taken place, the suggestion is that the relevance or effect of said action is still ongoing. The sentence ẹ ti jẹun translates to “you have eaten” or “you ate” — Ajani (2001) notes that “although the activity of eating has taken place sometime before the moment of speech, its effect is still being felt and is still considered incomplete with reference to [an]other activity or event at the moment of utterance”. Previous studies have inaccurately characterised ti as a marker of perfective aspect. Adéwọlé (1991) demonstrates that ti, as a relational marker, can be strung together with other markers to express a sequential relationship between events. Wọ́n ò tí ì jí. They haven’t woken up. Anticipative This aspect describes an activity “that is non-existent but likely to take place”, and can be used in “predicting, planning, or speculation”. It can be translated as “will”, “might” or “have plans to”, expressing anticipation of a possible future event or action. Intentional Like the anticipative, yóò is mainly used to refer to actions in the future, though it differs from máa in that it expresses an intention to do something. It “denotes that the speaker has control over the performance of the activity in question, and has weighed all the options before making the decision”. Note that yóò cannot be used after regular pronouns, the subject must be an emphatic pronoun like èmi or òun. Ẹ̀yin yóò wá kí wa lọ́la. You intend to come and visit us tomorrow. Backgrounder Provides “a background to another action that is yet to take place. […] the backgrounder aspect operates within the main clause to provide a background to the event described in the subordinate clause that is introduced by 'kí' (before).” Àwa yóò ti lọ kí ẹ tó padà. We will have left before you return. Inceptive Describes “an activity that is yet to begin but which the speaker has decided to embark upon shortly […] There is an anticipation, informed by a decision, to embark upon the process of leaving the place of utterance”. This aspect is somewhat similar to the intentional yóò, but it suggests that the subject of the sentence has made a decision to do something in the near future. Èmi yóò máa lọ. I will be leaving any time from now. Manifestive This sequence “describes an activity that would have started prior to another one”. In the manifestive, “the activity is expected to have begun and be ongoing before the second event takes place”. There is also an intention or expectation, by the speaker, to have already started doing something “by the time the subject of the second clause arrives on the scene”. A ti máa lọ kí o tó dé. We will have left before you arrive. Relevant–inceptive This “describes an activity that has or had just started but is or was still on-going before another one”. The activity, “though begun prior to the moment of speech, still has relevance and effect at the moment of speech”. Wọ́n ti ń sùn kí a tó dé ilé. They had already gone to bed and were sleeping before we got home. In this sentence, the “act of sleeping carried on into the moment of speech” and “probably was interrupted with the arrival of the persons in the second clause”. Habitual The habitual aspect in Yoruba “describes an activity that was performed on a regular basis prior to the present or is continually performed on a regular basis. It refers to a habitual event or activity, either in a timeless frame or in a past frame”. It may be analysed as the habitual aspect in the past tense, or without any “specific time frame of reference”. Expective This “describes an activity that will have begun and still be ongoing before another one takes place”, and may be analysed as a combination of the backgrounder and anticipative aspects. While “the backgrounder deals with an event that would have begun and have been completed before another event, the expective deals with an event that would have begun and would still be ongoing before a second event takes place”. This aspect is similar to the manifestive, but there is a “sense of certainty” that the manifestive lacks. Ìwọ yóò ti máa kàwé kí a tó jí. You will have been reading before we wake up. Antecedent completion This aspect “describes an action that used to have been completed, on a regular basis, prior to another activity”, and may be seen as the addition of incompleteness (ń) to the manifestive aspect (ti máa), or relationality (ti) to the habitual aspect (máa ń). While “the manifestive describes an activity that would have started prior to another one, the antecedent completion describes an activity or event that took place regularly before another one over a period of time prior to the moment of utterance”. Wọ́n ti máa ń jẹun tán kí a tó lọ. They used to have finished eating before we left.
Tense and aspect in Yoruba (Ogunbọwale, 1970) Primary Relational Unmarked Habitual Progressive–continuous Fixed beginning Fixed end Present–past ∅ máa ń a máa ń ń ti ń ti ³ ti máa ń ⁴ a ti máa ⁴ Future yóò ¹ ó máa á — yóò máa ¹ ó máa á máa yóò ti máa ¹ ó ti máa á ti máa yóò ti ¹ ó ti á ti Negative constructions (Adebayo, 2021) Primary Relational Unmarked Habitual Fixed beginning Fixed end ² Present–past kò ² kì í ⁵ kì í máa ⁵ kò ń ² kò máa ń ² — kò ì ³ kò tí ì ³ ⁵ kò ì tí ì ³ ⁵ kò ti ń ⁴ kò ti máa ń ⁴ Future kò níí ² kì yóò ¹ kì ó kì yóò máa ¹ kì yóò tí ì máa ¹ ⁵ kò níí tí ì máa ² ⁵ kì yóò tí ì ¹ ⁵ kò ì kò ì níí kò níí tí ì ⁵ kò tí ì níí ⁵
Footnotes yóó, yíò and yíó are alternative forms of yóò. Note that if a pronoun comes before yóò, that pronoun must be emphatic. ò is an alternative form of kò, often used after personal pronouns. Treated as representations of the “perfective unmarked” aspect in Bamgboṣe (2000) and completive aspect in Ogunbọwale (1970). This aspect is termed “relational” by Adéwọlé (1991) and Ajani (2010) in their analyses. According to Ogunbọwale (1970), these are used to “describe a habitual action in the past but one which has ceased to exist”. This is analogous to the aspect of “antecedent completion” in the analysis by Ajani (2010). kì í and tí ì are sometimes written without spaces: kìí and tíì.
References Adebayo, T. A. (2021), “Yorùbá Sentential Negative Markers”, in Studies in African Linguistics, volume 50, number 1, →DOI, pages 140–166 Adéwọlé, L. O. (1991), “Aspect and Phase Systems in Yoruba”, in Calgary Working Papers in Linguistics, volume 14, pages 1–20 Ajani, Timothy Temilọla (2001), Aspect in Yoruba and Nigerian English, University of Florida dissertation Bamgboṣe, Ayọ (2000), A Grammar of Yoruba, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN Ogunbọwale, P. O. (1970), The Essentials of the Yoruba Language, London: University of London Press, →ISBN, →OCLC

Compare with Igbo m

• ng (archaic)

• IPA^(key): /ŋ̄/

n̄ or n

1. alternative form of mo (“I”) (used in negative or future sentences, or with kí)

n (lower case, upper case N)

1. The fourteenth letter of the Zulu alphabet, written in the Latin script.

• (Latin-script letters) A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z