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Kotomora

乃

from, possessive particle, whereupon, accordingly

JLPTN1StatusJinmeiyōFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes2

Readings

On'yomi

  • ナイ
  • ダイ
  • ノ
  • アイ

Kun'yomi

  • の
  • すなわ.ち
  • なんじ

Nanori

  • おさむ
  • お
  • のり

Meaning

乃 is a classical grammatical character that marks possession, origin, or a sequential link: it functions like 'from', 'of', or 'whereupon'. Its meanings are all abstract relational particles, not concrete objects or actions.

Most common words using 乃

  • 乃の

    indicates possessive

  • 乃至ないし
    N1

    from ... to; between ... and

  • 乃至はないしは

    or

  • 乃公だいこう

    I; me

  • 乃公出でずんばだいこういでずんば

    what will happen to everyone else if I am not the one who goes?

  • 乃父だいふ

    father

  • 千乃正法ちのしょうほう

    Chino Shōhō (religious group founded by Chino Yūko)

Explore all words using 乃 →

Study

Etymology

乃 is an ancient pictograph whose original concrete depiction is uncertain. It was borrowed early as a grammatical particle for possession and sequence.

Meaning mnemonic

Picture 乃 as a curved hook pulling something from one place to another, like a possessive link or a 'from' arrow. Its simple shape suggests a connecting function.

Reading mnemonic

For ナイ, imagine a knight's possessive claim: 'This sword is from the knight!' Knight -> ナイ, and the knight's curved hook (乃) marks possession.