呢

emphatic final, interrogative

Strokes8

Readings

On'yomi

Kun'yomi

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Meaning

呢 centers on marking a sentence as emphatic or turning it into a question, functioning as a final particle that adds force or inquiry.

Study

Etymology

呢 combines 口 (mouth) with 尼, which likely contributes the sound. The mouth radical fits its use as a sentence-final particle expressing emphasis or interrogation.

Meaning mnemonic

The mouth 口 beside 尼 suggests a spoken particle that adds emphasis or turns a statement into a question, like a vocal tag at the end of a sentence.

Reading mnemonic

For ジ, imagine a speaker adding an emphatic 'Gee!' at the end of a sentence: Gee -> ジ, and the mouth 口 emphasizes the point.