呢
ne
particle indicating that a previously asked question is to be applied to the preceding word ("What about ...?", "And ...?")
particle for inquiring about location ("Where is ...?"); particle signaling a pause, to emphasize the preceding words and allow the listener time to take them on board ("ok?", "are you with me?"); (at the end of a declarative sentence) particle indicating continuation of a state or action; particle indicating strong affirmation
呢 — the conversational nudge particle
呢 originally meant a kind of woolen cloth, but it was borrowed as a spoken particle because of its sound. The mouth radical (口) was added to signal its purely oral, conversational role — it lives entirely in speech, nudging questions, locations, and pauses.
Words with 呢
制服呢
zhì fú ní
(textiles) uniform coating; durable, warm fabric used for uniforms
呢呢
ní ní
garrulous
呢呢痴痴
ní ní chī chī
docile
呢喃
ní nán
(onom.) twittering of birds
呢喃细语
ní nán xì yǔ
whispering in a low voice (idiom); murmuring
呢子
ní zi
dense wool fabric (used for coats and jackets)
唵嘛呢叭咪吽
ǎn má ní bā mī hōng
om mani padme hum (Buddhist mantra)
怎么说呢
zěn me shuō ne
Why is that?; How come?
格子呢
gé zi ní
checked woolen fabric; plaid
格子花呢
gé zi huā ní
tartan; plaid
台面呢
tái miàn ní
(billiards) baize
管他呢
guǎn tā ne
don’t worry about (it, him etc)