니

니 • (ni)

1. A Hangul syllabic block made up of ㄴ and ㅣ.

First attested in the Hunmin jeongeum eonhae (訓民正音諺解本 / 훈민정음언해본), 1446, as Middle Korean 니 (ni).

니 • (ni)

1. (archaic, now suffixal) a tooth
2. (Pyongyang) a tooth

• 이 (i) due to 두음 법칙 (頭音法則, dueum beopchik)

• 이빨 (ippal, “tooth”) (when referring to a person's teeth in strong tones. Mainly used in animals' teeth.)

• 입 (ip, “mouth”)
• 입술 (ipsul, “lip”)
• 잇몸 (inmom, “gum”)

• tooth on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

First attested in the Yongbi eocheonga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean ᄋᆞ/으니 (^u/_oni).

—니 • (-ni)

1. because, since

   워낙 배가 고팠다 보니 무엇을 먹어도 맛있었다.

   Wonak baega gopatda boni mueoseul meogeodo masisseotda.

   Everything tasted so good owing to my great hunger.

2. and then

   바닷가에 다다르니, 마침 하늘도. 바다도, 노을에 가득, 물들던 참이었다.

   Badatga-e dadareuni, machim haneuldo. Badado, no-eure gadeuk, muldeuldeon chamieotda.

   As we arrived at the seashore, the sky and sea were aglowed with the sunet.

The suffix 니 (ni) takes the sequential form of a verb, an adjective, or 이다 (ida, “to be”), and if the stem ends in the consonant ㄹ (l), it drops out.

• 니까 (nikka)

• 아/어서 (a/eoseo, “because”)

• 더니 (deoni) (past retrospect)
• 리니 (rini) (future, obsolete)

• 을 테니 (eul teni)

First attested in the Worin seokbo (月印釋譜 / 월인석보), 1459, as Middle Korean ᄋᆞ/으니 (^u/_oni).

—니 • (-ni)

1. a plain style interrogative suffix; gives a friendlier impression than 냐 (nya) does

   너 가니?

   Neo gani?

   Do you go?

   여우야, 여우야, 뭐 하니?

   Yeouya, yeouya, mwo hani?

   Fox, fox, what are you doing?

The suffix 니 (ni) is usually directly appended to the stem of a verb, an adjective or 이다 (ida, “to be”), though it rarely takes the sequential forms of the present-tense adjectives, not including 있다 (itda, “to exist”) and 없다 (eopda, “not to exist”). In all cases, if the stem ends in the consonant ㄹ (l), it drops out.

• 냐 (nya) / 느냐 (neunya)

• Contraction of 너의 (neoui, “your”).

니 • (ni)

1. your; an abbreviated form of 너의

Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

니 (ni)

1. 泥:

   (MC reading: 泥 (MC nei, nei^H))

2. 尼:

   (MC reading: 尼 (MC ɳˠiɪ))

3. 柅:

   (MC reading: 柅 (MC ɳˠiɪ, ɳˠiɪ^X))

4. 濔:

   (MC reading: 濔 (MC miᴇ^X))

5. 膩:

   (MC reading: 膩 (MC ɳˠiɪ^H))

6. 馜:

   (MC reading: 馜)

7. 㦐:

   (MC reading: 㦐)

8. 呢:

   (MC reading: 呢 (MC ɳˠiɪ))

9. 怩:

   (MC reading: 怩 (MC ɳˠiɪ))

10. 祢:

    (MC reading: 祢)

11. 禰:

    (MC reading: 禰 (MC nei^X))

12. 你:

    (MC reading: 你)

• 이 (i) (South Korea)

In South Korea, the hanja above are read as 이 (i) when used as a single word or as the first syllable of a Sino-Korean compound. However, the reading 니 (ni) is retained when the hanja is not part of the first syllable of a Sino-Korean compound. This is known as 두음 법칙 (頭音法則, dueum beopchik).

• Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea (대한민국 대법원, Daehanmin-guk daebeobwon) (2015). Table of Hanja for Personal Names (인명용한자표, inmyeong-yonghanjapyo).