呢ne

呢

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Simplified · Today

简体

Simplified Chinese

Modern simplified form (簡體). 呢 (ne) remains unchanged from its traditional counterpart — a character that began as a phonetic component 口 (mouth radical) paired with 尼, chosen purely for its sound rather than meaning. Today it serves primarily as a modal particle, adding an inquisitive or confirmatory tone to sentences, from casual conversation to literary dialogue.

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Shuowen

The character 呢 consists of the radical 口 (mouth) on the left, indicating speech, paired with 尼 on the right, which serves as the phonetic component. In early Chinese, it was used as a verb meaning “to ask” or “to inquire,” reflecting the act of questioning. The mouth radical signifies that the word pertains to verbal inquiry, while 尼 provides the pronunciation. Over time, this character evolved into a modern question particle used at the end of sentences, yet its original structure retains the idea of spoken inquiry.

Pinyin

ne· HSK 1

呢ne

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin