呢
(sentence-final particle) used in questions to link back to prior discourse or context ("what about...?", "and...?"); (sentence-final particle) indicating that a state or situation still holds; (discourse particle) used to mark a slight pause or emphasis in speech; dense wool fabric (used for coats and jackets)
Closest English meanings
particle (question)·wool·woolen
The Calligrapher — Liǔ Gōngquán 柳公权
Tang regular-script master famed for 'bones' of strength; rival to Yan Zhenqing.
Tang calligrapher (778–865), master of regular script — Tang master of bone-strength regular script, paired forever with Yan Zhenqing as 'Yan sinew, Liu bone'. Tang dynasty
Cultural Story
呢 joins 口 (mouth) with 尼 (to stop, a phonetic). As 呢喃 (murmur/twitter) it renders the soft talk of swallows and lovers in 詩經-style verse; as 呢绒 or 呢子 it names woolen cloth, a later trade good. The character thus bridges sound and fabric—the gentle murmur and the warm textile—both soft things that classical and late-imperial China valued for their quiet, comforting texture worn and heard daily.
Common words & phrases
- 呢喃 murmur · twitter · soft words
- 呢绒 wool fabric · woolen goods
- 呢子 woolen cloth
- 毛呢 wool · woolen
Read the story behind the character
Swallows 呢喃 (murmur/twitter) under the eaves each spring, and a coat of 毛呢 (wool/woolen) keeps someone warm. A shop sells 呢绒 (woolen goods) and 呢子 (woolen cloth) by the meter, while a friend ends a text with the 呢 particle to soften a question. The character warms modern life twice over—soft cloth on the shoulders and soft words in the chat, the gentle murmur of fabric and fond talk between people.
Own this character
Purchase delivers the original SVG of this glyph, brushed by Liǔ Gōngquán 柳公权, ready to place on skin, paper, or screen.