ну

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Belarusian

Alternative forms

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *nъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *nu, from Proto-Indo-European *nu.

Pronunciation

Interjection

ну (nu)

  1. well, so (used in encouragements or discouragements, or as a filled pause)
    ну і ідзі сабе́ дале́йnu i idzi sabjé daljéjwell, move on
  2. with і (i) or ж (ž): what ...!, what a...!, that's quite a...! (expresses disbelief)
    ну і дзянёк!nu i dzjanjók!quite a day!

Particle

ну (nu)

  1. so, therefore (used in the beginning of summarising sentences)
    ну во́сь і усёnu vósʹ i usjóthat's all there is to it
  2. well?, so? (general-purpose question, an encouragement for the interlocutor to continue speaking)
  3. (colloquial) yeah, yep
    Synonyms: але́ (aljé), так (tak)

References

  • ну” in Belarusian–Russian dictionaries and Belarusian dictionaries at slounik.org
  • Martynaŭ, V. U., editor (1993), “ну”, in Этымалагічны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Etymological Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), volumes 8 (не́марач – пая́ць), Minsk: Navuka i technika, →ISBN, page 46

Russian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *nu.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key):
  • Audio:(file)

Interjection

ну (nu)

  1. well
    Ну!Nu!Well! (indicating surprise and a little disbelief)
    Ну что ж?Nu što ž?So what now?
    Ну так что́ же?Nu tak štó že?So what is it?
    Да ну́!Da !No/I don't need it/I don't want to!
    Да ну?!Da nu?!Really?!
    • 1880, Михаил Салтыков-Щедрин, “Племяннушка”, in Господа Головлёвы; English translation from I. P. Foote, transl., The Golovlevs, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986:
      — Мне немного надо! — говорил он, — курочка есть? — ну, супцу из курочки сварите! Может быть, солонинка есть — солонинки кусочек приготовьте! Жарковца какого-нибудь… вот я и сыт!
      — Mne nemnogo nado! — govoril on, — kuročka jestʹ? — nu, supcu iz kuročki svarite! Možet bytʹ, soloninka jestʹ — soloninki kusoček prigotovʹte! Žarkovca kakovo-nibudʹ… vot ja i syt!
      ‘It’s little enough I need!’ he said. ‘Is there chicken? – well, make a little chicken broth! Perhaps there’s salt beef? – then do a bit of salt beef! And a roast of some sort – for me that will suffice!’

Descendants

  • Hebrew: נוּ
  • Ingrian: nu
  • Latvian: nu
  • Lithuanian: nu
  • Yiddish: נו (nu)

Adverb

ну (nu)

  1. (colloquial) yeah, yep (impolite, sometimes implying a question - so what?)
    Ты э́то чита́л? — Ну, и?Ty éto čitál? — Nu, i?Have you read this? - Yeah, so what?

Further reading

  • Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “ну”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress

Sirenik

Noun

нӯ (transliteration needed)

  1. son

References

  • G. A. Menovschikov (1964) Язык сиреникских эскимосов [The language of Sirenik Eskimos]‎, Академия Наук СССР, page 192