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妮 (nī) — girl (in colloquial or dialectal use); phonetic character used in female names

Definition

妮 (nī) is a bound character meaning 'girl' that only appears inside compounds (e.g. 妮子) or as a phonetic element in female names like 安妮. It is never used as a standalone noun.

bound form
girl (in colloquial or dialectal use)phonetic character used in female names

Examples

  • 。
    Zhè ge nī zi hěn cōng ming.
    This girl is very smart.
  • 妮。
    Tā de yīng wén míng zì shì ān nī.
    Her English name is Anni.
  • 妮。
    Xiǎo nī shì wǒ de lín jū.
    Xiao Ni is my neighbor.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
尼
尼ní妮
Same sound today

妮 pairs 女 (woman) with 尼, which gives the sound.

Appears in
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