English
Etymology 1 FromAncient Greek νῦ ( nû ) , name for the letter of the Greek alphabetΝ ( N ) andν ( n ) .
Pronunciation
Noun nu (countable anduncountable plural nus
The letter of the Greek alphabetΝ ( N ) andν ( n ) . A measure ofconstringence in lenses or prisms.
Derived terms
Translations name for the letter of the Greek alphabet: Ν and ν
See also ( Greek-script letter names ) alpha beta gamma delta epsilon zeta eta theta iota kappa lambda mu nu xi omicron pi rho sigma tau upsilon phi chi psi omega
Etymology 2 Borrowed fromYiddish נו ( nu ) .Doublet ofnow
Pronunciation
Interjection nu
( Jewish ) An exclamation of surprise, emphasis, doubt, etc. ( Jewish ) Well? (Used as a question to demand an answer from someone reluctant to answer. )
Translations exclamation of surprise, emphasis, doubt etc.
Etymology 3 Phonetic respelling ofnew
Adjective nu (comparative morenu ,superlative mostnu )
( slang spelling) new
Derived terms
See also etymologically unrelated terms containing the word "nu"
Anagrams
Ainu
Etymology (Thisetymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at theEtymology scriptorium .)
Pronunciation
Verb nu (Kana spelling ヌ
( transitive ) hear ( transitive ) sense (a smell)( possibly obsolete, transitive , +otta ) ask ,enquire
Derived terms
Verb nu
todrink
References Ross, M. & Næss, Å. (2007 ), “An Oceanic origin for Äiwoo, the language of the Reef Islands?”, inOceanic Linguistics , volume46 , number 2 Äiwoo " in Greenhill, S.J.,Blust, R. , &Gray, R.D. (2008).The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics .Evolutionary Bioinformatics
Etymology FromProto-Oceanic *niuʀ Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *niuʀ
Noun nu
coconut
Albanian
Etymology FromProto-Albanian *nu Proto-Indo-European *nu ( “ now ” ) . Related toni Ancient Greek νῦν ( nûn ) ,Old High German nu ( “ now ” ) .[ 1]
Adverb nu
when
Related terms
References
Alemannic German
Pronunciation
Etymology 1 FromMiddle High German nūn Middle High German niuwan niuwar Old High German niwāri German nur
Alternative forms
Adverb nu
only
Etymology 2 FromMiddle High German nu Old High German nu German nun
Alternative forms
Adverb nu
now Synonym: jetz
Etymology 3 Historical or dialectal variants.
Adverb nu
alternative form ofno
Ama
Pronunciation
Noun nu
house
Alternative forms forms used in “pet talk”, when talking to a specific animal[1]
Noun nu
tumour abscess
References 2010 , Isaac Costa de Souza,A Phonological Description of “Pet Talk” in Arara (MA), SIL Brazil, page 42.
Aromanian
Etymology FromLatin nōn Romanian nu
Adverb nu
no not
Interjection nu
no
Antonyms
Au
Noun nu
tree
References Scorza, David.Au language word, phrase, clause. Ms. 82pp. (1976)
Blagar
Pronunciation
Numeral nu
one
References W. A. L. Stokhof,Preliminary notes on the Alor and Pantar languages (East Indonesia) (1975) Internet Archive , The Rosetta Project,Blagar Swadesh List
Catalan
Etymology Inherited fromLatin nūdus Proto-Indo-European *nogʷós
Pronunciation
Adjective nu (feminine nua masculine plural nus feminine plural nues
nude ,naked ( of things, such as trees, mountains, houses, etc. ) barren ,bare
Derived terms
Czech
Pronunciation
Interjection nu
( dated ) prompting Nu pojď! ―Come on! ( dated ) Synonyms: tak no nó ( dated ) consolation ( esp. to a child)
Further reading
Dalmatian
Etymology 1 FromLatin novem
Numeral nu
nine
Etymology 2 FromLatin nōs
Pronoun nu
( second-person plural pronoun ) we
Related terms
See also
Danish
Etymology FromOld Norse nú ( “ now ” ) , fromProto-Germanic *nu ( “ now ” ) , fromProto-Indo-European *nu ( “ now ” ) . Cognate withEnglish now
Pronunciation
Noun nu n singular definite nuet not used in plural form )
now (present time),present (current time)moment instant
Adverb nu
now
Synonyms
Conjunction nu
now
Dutch
Pronunciation
Etymology 1 FromMiddle Dutch nu Old Dutch nū Proto-Germanic *nu
Adverb nu
now , at the present momentKom jenu of morgen? Will you be comingnow or tomorrow? now, this time( indicating a certain amount of impatience ) Wat is er nu weer dan? What is itnow ?
Synonyms
Descendants
Conjunction nu
now (that)Nu je het zegt, weet ik het weer.Now you're saying it, I do remember it.
Etymology 2 FromAncient Greek νῦ ( nû ) .Doublet ofnoen
Noun nu m plural nu's diminutive nuutje n
n ( letter of the Greek alphabet )
Further reading
East Central German
Etymology From Sorbian or Czech. Cf.no
Pronunciation
Adverb nu
( Upper Saxon ) yes
Elfdalian
Etymology FromOld Norse nú Proto-Germanic *nu Swedish nu
Adverb nu
now , at this time
Esperanto
Etymology Borrowed fromGerman Dutch nu Czech Polish no Swedish nå Russian Ukrainian ну ( nu ) .[ 1] [ 2]
Pronunciation IPA (key ) : /nu/ Rhymes:-u Syllabification:nu
Interjection nu
well ( filled pause , particularly at the beginning of a response to a question) Nu , li diris, ke li ne volas ĉeesti la feston.Well , he said he doesn't want to go to the party.2025 September 29, Jorge Nogueras, “La plej mallonga tago”, inuea.facila [5] the original on12 December 2025 :Nu , plej verŝajne sciencistoj ĉikanus vin, kaj klarigus al vi, ke fakte tagoj daŭras foje iomete pli, foje iomete malpli.Well , most likely scientists would argue with you frivolously, and explain to you, that days in fact last sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.
References
Further reading “nu ”, inPlena Ilustrita Vortaro de Esperanto Complete Illustrated Dictionary of Esperanto 2020 ,→ISBN “nu ”, inReta Vortaro Online Dictionary Wells, John C. (1992 ), “nu, now, well, why”, inConcise Esperanto and English Dictionary [6] →ISBN 120, 317, 413, 582 Benson, Peter J. (1995 ), “gee, well, wow”, inComprehensive English-Esperanto Dictionary [7] →ISBN 226, 579, 588 Butler, Montagu C. (1967 ), “nu”, inEsperanto-English Dictionary [8] →OL 287 Motteau, Achille (1907 ), “nu”, inEsperanto-English Dictionary [9] →OCLC 100
Ewe
Etymology Likely fromProto-Gbe *-ɖũ [ 1] Fon nu Saxwe Gbe onu Aja (West Africa) enù Ayizo nuu Gun ònù Yoruba ẹnu Igbo ọnụ Igala álu
Noun nu
mouth
References ^ Capo, Hounkpati B.C. (1991 ),A Comparative Phonology of Gbe (Publications in African Languages and Linguistics;14 ), Berlin/New York; Garome, Benin: Foris Publications & Labo Gbe (Int), page219
French
Pronunciation
Etymology 1 Inherited fromOld French nu Latin nūdus Proto-Indo-European *nogʷós
Adjective nu (feminine nue masculine plural nus feminine plural nues
( person ) : naked ,nude ( body, tree ) : bare
Derived terms
Noun nu m plural nus
( art ) nude
Descendants → Russian:ню ( nju ) → Ukrainian:ню ( nju )
Etymology 2 FromAncient Greek νῦ ( nû ) .
Noun nu m plural nu or nus
nu ( Greek letter )
Further reading
Anagrams
Galician
Etymology FromOld Galician-Portuguese nuu Latin nūdus Proto-Indo-European *nogʷós Portuguese nu
Adjective nu (feminine núa masculine plural nus feminine plural núas
naked ,nude bare ,barren
Related terms
Gaulish
Etymology FromProto-Celtic *nu Proto-Indo-European *nu
Pronunciation
Adverb nu
now
German
Etymology 1 FromMiddle High German nu nuo -n remained common in some dialects and was reinforced byGerman Low German nu Middle Low German nû
Pronunciation
Adverb nu
( colloquial or archaic ) alternative form ofnun
Derived terms
Interjection nu
( colloquial or archaic ) alternative form ofnun
Etymology 2 From a Slavic dialect, probablySorbian Czech ano ( “ yes ” ) ,Polish no ( “ yeah; well ” ) ,Russian ну ( nu ,“ yeah; well ” ) . In the sense of a filled pause touching on etymology 1 above.
Pronunciation
Interjection nu
( colloquial , regional , Saxony) yes ;yeah ;expresses agreement or understanding ( colloquial , regional , Saxony) well ;fills pause
Gothic
Romanization nu
romanization of𐌽𐌿
Iaai
Etymology FromProto-Oceanic *niuʀ Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *niuʀ
Pronunciation
Noun nu
coconut palm
Ingrian
Etymology Borrowed fromRussian ну ( nu ) .
Pronunciation
Interjection nu
synonym ofno ( “ well ” )
References Elena Markus (2024 ), “Syntax and functions of the Ingrian discourse particlesno andnu ”, inEesti ja soome-ugri keeleteaduse ajakiri , volume15 , number 1, pages155-186
Italian
Pronunciation
Noun nu m or f invariable
the name of the letterN
Anagrams
Japanese
Romanization nu
Thehiragana syllableぬ ( nu ) or thekatakana syllableヌ ( nu ) inHepburn romanization.
Kabuverdianu
Etymology FromPortuguese nós
Pronoun nu
we
References Gonçalves, Manuel (2015 ),Capeverdean Creole-English dictionary ,→ISBN
Kamkata-viri
Etymology 1 FromProto-Nuristani Sanskrit नव ( náva ) ), fromProto-Indo-Iranian *Hnáwa Proto-Indo-European *h₁néwn̥
Numeral nu ( Western, Northeastern, Southeastern ) [ 1]
nine
References ^ Strand, Richard F. (2016 ), “n′u”, inNûristânî Etymological Lexicon [1]
Etymology 2 FromProto-Nuristani Proto-Indo-Iranian *náHuš ( “ boat ” ) , fromProto-Indo-European *néh₂us [ 1]
Noun nu f ( Western, Southeastern ) [ 2]
woodenaqueduct mill water conduit
Alternative forms
References ^ Halfmann, Jakob (2025). The Diversification of Indo-Iranian and the Position of the Nuristani Languages. Wiesbaden: Reichert. ^ Strand, Richard F. (2016 ), “n′u”, inNûristânî Etymological Lexicon [2]
Kosraean
Etymology FromProto-Oceanic Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *ñiuʀ Pohnpeian nih Fijian niu Tongan niu Hawaiian niu
Pronunciation
Noun nu
coconut
Kusunda
Pronoun nu
you (second-person singular pronoun )
References David E. Watters (2006 ), “Notes on Kusunda Grammar: A Language Isolate of Nepal”, inHimalayan Linguistics [10] 44
Lashi
Etymology FromProto-Lolo-Burmese [Term?] , fromProto-Sino-Tibetan *ŋwə Burmese နွား ( nwa: ) .
Pronunciation ( Waingmaw ) IPA (key ) : [nu˧˧] ( Mongko ) IPA (key ) : [no˧˧] Hyphenation:nu
Noun nu (classifier du꞉
cow ,cattle 2005 Apoem ayang꞉ 21:27 [Genesis 21:27 ]”, inJhoem꞉ mougsougˮ [The Book of the Bible [11] 30 :Hau꞉ thang꞉ Abraham gi Abimeleg ri yang yoʼnu dayhamˮ byid꞉ lho꞉ nya꞉ tang꞉ gi myid veingˮ khyoo꞉ koid bye꞉. After that Abraham gave Abimeleg some sheep andcattle and then the two of them made a truce.
References Qingxia Dai; Jie Li (2007 ),勒期语研究 The study of the Leqi language →ISBN 282 Mark Wannemacher (2011 ),A phonological overview of the Lacid language [12] 34 Hkaw Luk (2017 ),A grammatical sketch of Lacid [13] 34
Latvian
Particle nu
well Nu labi!Very well! now Konu ? ―What now?
Interjection nu
well Nu , kas notika?Well, what happened?
Lower Tanana
Etymology FromProto-Athabaskan *nuˑ
Pronunciation
Noun nu
river island ,brush -covered island
References Kari, Jameset al. (2024 ), Kari, James, editor,Lower Tanana Dene Dictionary , Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center,→ISBN 336
Mandarin
Romanization nu
nonstandard spelling ofnú nonstandard spelling ofnǔ nonstandard spelling ofnù nonstandard spelling ofnǘ nonstandard spelling ofnǚ nonstandard spelling ofnǜ
Usage notes Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the criticaltonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.
Mauritian Creole
Pronoun nu
alternative spelling ofnou
See also Mauritian Creole personal pronouns singular plural 1st person mo mwa ( objective ) nou 2nd person to ( informal ) ,ou ( formal ) twa ( objective ) zot 3rd person li zot bann-la
Middle Dutch
Etymology FromOld Dutch nu Proto-Germanic *nu
Adverb nu
now ,currently today here just now
Descendants
Conjunction nu
now thatsince ,because
Descendants
Further reading
Middle English
Adverb nu
alternative form ofnou
Mizo
Etymology FromProto-Kuki-Chin *nuu
Noun nu
mother
Derived terms
Further reading
Muong
Etymology Cognate withVietnamese nâu
Pronunciation
Adjective nu
( Mường Bi ) brown
Neapolitan
Alternative forms
Etymology FromLatin ūnus
Pronunciation
Article nu m sg
a ,an
Norman
Etymology FromOld French nu Latin nūdus
Adjective nu m
( Jersey ) bare
Norn
Adverb nu
now
Northern Sami
Etymology (Thisetymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at theEtymology scriptorium .)
Pronunciation
Adverb nū
so ,thus , like thatso , to thatextent
Further reading Eino Koponen, Klaas Ruppel, Kirsti Aapala, editors (2002–2008 ),Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages [14]
Etymology 1
Noun nu m definite singular nuen indefinite plural nuer definite plural nuene
atrough
Etymology 2 FromOld Norse nú
Adverb nu
( archaic or dialectal ) now ;alternative form ofnå
Interjection nu
alternative form ofnå
Noun nu n definite singular nuet uncountable
alternative form ofnå
References “nu” inThe Bokmål Dictionary .
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology 1
Noun nu m definite singular nuen indefinite plural nuar definite plural nuane
atrough
Etymology 2 FromOld Norse nú
Adverb nu
( dialectal ) now ;alternative form ofno
Interjection nu
alternative form ofno
Noun nu n definite singular nuet uncountable
alternative form ofno
References “nu” inThe Nynorsk Dictionary .
Old Dutch
Etymology FromProto-Germanic *nu
Adverb nū
now wat unbidan wenu ? what are we waiting fornow ?
Derived terms
Descendants
Further reading “nū (I) ”, inOudnederlands Woordenboek ,2012
Old English
Alternative forms
Etymology FromProto-West Germanic *nū Proto-Germanic *nu
Pronunciation
Adverb nū
now Iċ eomnū on þǣre cyċenan. I'm in the kitchenright now . just (in the sense "recently")Iċ wæsnū on þǣre cyċenan. I wasjust in the kitchen. since late 9th century ,King Alfred's translation ofBoethius' The Consolation of Philosophy Nū ðū þæt swā openlīce onġiten hæfst, ne þearfe ic nū nauht swīþe ymbe þ swincan þæt ic þē mā be gode recce.Since thou hast so clearly understood this, I need not now greatly labour in order that I may instruct thee further concerning good;...late 9th century ,King Alfred's translation ofBoethius' The Consolation of Philosophy Þȳ iċ wundriġe hwȳ þū ne mæġe onġietan þæt þū eart nū ġīet swīðe ġesǣliġ,nū þū ġīet leofast and eart hāl. So I wonder why you can't understand that you're still very lucky,since you're still alive and healthy. late 10th century ,Ælfric ,"The Seven Sleepers" Nu ge þam mærum godum offrian nellað, ne beo ge me næfre heonon-forð swa wurðe ne swa leofe swa ge ær wæron...Since ye will not offer to the great gods, ye shall never henceforth be to me so worthy nor so dear as ye were before;...
Derived terms
Related terms
Descendants
Conjunction nū
now that
Old French
Etymology FromLatin nūdus
Adjective nu m oblique and nominative feminine singular nue
naked
Adverb nu m feminine nue
naked
Descendants
Old Saxon
Etymology FromProto-Germanic *nu
Adverb nū
now since
References Köbler, Gerhard (2014 ),Altsächsisches Wörterbuch [15]
Pali
Alternative forms Alternative scripts
𑀦𑀼 ( Brahmi script ) नु ( Devanagari script ) নু ( Bengali script ) නු ( Sinhalese script ) နု ၼု ( Burmese script ) นุ ( Thai script ) ᨶᩩ ( Tai Tham script ) ນຸ ( Lao script ) នុ ( Khmer script ) 𑄚𑄪 ( Chakma script )
Etymology FromSanskrit नु ( nu ) , fromProto-Indo-European *nu
Particle nu
then ,now
Palula
Etymology 1 (Thisetymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at theEtymology scriptorium .)
Pronunciation
Pronoun nu (demonstrative ,Perso-Arabic spelling نوۡ
it he this one (prox masc nom)
References Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011 ), “nu”, inPalula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)[16] →ISBN
Etymology 2 (Thisetymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at theEtymology scriptorium .)
Pronunciation
Determiner nu (demonstrative ,Perso-Arabic spelling نوۡ
this (agr: prox nom masc)
References Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011 ), “nu”, inPalula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)[17] →ISBN
Plautdietsch
Adverb nu
now
Polish
Pronunciation Rhymes:-u Syllabification:nu
Interjection nu
quick !,forward !( dialectal , Far Masovian ) alternative form ofno ( “ yes ” ) Umniés pisać?Nu ale umniem. ( Far Masovian ) Can you write?Yes I can.
Further reading
Portuguese
Alternative forms
Etymology Inherited fromOld Galician-Portuguese nuu Latin nūdum Galician nu Italian nudo French nu
Pronunciation
Adjective nu (feminine nua masculine plural nus feminine plural nuas
naked ,nude
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
Prasuni
Etymology FromProto-Nuristani Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hnáwa Proto-Indo-European *h₁néwn̥
Numeral nu ( Pronz ) [ 1]
nine
References ^ Strand, Richard F. (2016 ), “nu”, inNûristânî Etymological Lexicon [3]
Romanian
Alternative forms
Etymology Inherited fromLatin nōn Aromanian nu
Pronunciation
Adverb nu
no not
Usage notes Romanian features thedouble negative .Nu
In speech—even in moderately formal contexts—nu a , most notably the past perfect auxiliaryavea
Likewise,nu prodelision before words (of any part of speech) beginning withî . Elision and prodelision are orthographically marked with a hyphen where noline break may occur.
In these cases, the syllable following then ofnu
Antonyms
Further reading
Saterland Frisian
Interjection nu
well
Serbo-Croatian
Etymology Inherited fromProto-Slavic *nǫ
Pronunciation
Conjunction nȕ (Cyrillic spelling ну̏
( Croatia ) but ,however Synonyms: ȁli no nut
Further reading “nu ”, inHrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal 2006–2026
Shuar
Determiner nu
that ,those
References Chicham: Dictionario Enciclopédico Shuar-Castellano
Sicilian
Article nu m sg
( indefinite ) a ,an
Usage notes Nu is used only before words beginning with the letter z or s and a consonant, like the Italianuno
See also
South Slavey
Pronunciation IPA (key ) : [nù(ʔ)] Hyphenation:nu
Noun nu (stem -nu- )
Ford Liard form ofndu
Inflection 1) Used when the subject is a group of human beings2) Used when the previous condition does not apply.
References Keren Rice (1989 ),A Grammar of Slave , Berlin, West Germany: Mouton de Gruyter,→ISBN 11
Sumerian
Romanization nu
romanization of𒉡 ( nu )
Sundanese
Etymology Shortening ofanu
Article nu (Sundanese script ᮔᮥ
An article that denotes a noun. nu nyahothose who knowAn article that denotes ownership. Ieunu urang, lain? ―This one's mine, right?
Pronoun nu (Sundanese script ᮔᮥ
which Nu mana?Which one?
Swedish
Etymology FromOld Norse nú Proto-Germanic *nu
Pronunciation
Adverb nu notcomparable )
now (at this moment)Hör du mignu ? Can you hear menow ? (literally, “Hear you menow ? ”) Jag har inte tid justnu I don't have the time rightnow Used to emphasize a point in time close to the present;this Det är fest på fredag There is a party on Friday Det är festnu på fredag There is a partythis Friday – Är festen nästa fredag? – Nej, den ärnu på fredag. – Is the party next Friday? [Implies next week, like in English] – No, it isthis Friday. Jag var där i måndags I was there on Monday Jag var därnu i måndags I was therethis Monday
Derived terms
See also
Noun nu n
( usually in the definite ) present ,now att leva inuet to live inthe present moment (when more idiomatic in English)att vara närvarande inuet to be present inthe moment [the present]
Declension
References
Etymology FromProto-Tai *ʰnuːᴬ Thai หนู ( nǔu ) ,Northern Thai ᩉ᩠ᨶᩪ Lao ໜູ ( nū ) ,Tai Dam ꪘꪴ Lü ᦐᦴ ( ṅuu ) ,Shan ၼူ ( nǔu ) ,Zhuang nou Saek หนู่
Pronunciation
Noun nu (Nôm form 𪺹 ,𮮬
( zoology ) mouse
References Dương Nhật Thanh; Hoàng Tuấn Nam (2003 ), Hoàng Triều Ân, editor,Từ điển chữ Nôm Tày [A Dictionary of (chữ) Nôm Tày [18] Social Sciences Publishing House ] Lương Bèn (2011 ),Từ điển Tày-Việt [Tay-Vietnamese dictionary [19] [20]
Tetum
Etymology Inherited fromProto-Malayo-Polynesian *niuʀ
Noun nu
coconut
Further reading Fransiskus Monteiro (1985 ),Kamus Tetun-Indonesia [Tetum-Indonesian Dictionary
Tok Pisin
Etymology FromEnglish new
Adjective nu
new fresh
Tooro
Pronunciation
Determiner -nu
this ,these ( proximal demonstrative determiner )
Declension
Derived terms
See also -li ( “ that (distal demonstrative determiner) ” )
References Kaji, Shigeki (2007 ),A Rutooro Vocabulary [21] →ISBN 405
Adverb nu
now
Derived terms
Waigali
Etymology FromProto-Nuristani *nuwa Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hnáwa Proto-Indo-European *h₁néwn̥
Pronunciation
Numeral nu ( Nisheigram ) [ 1]
nine
References ^ Strand, Richard F. (2016 ), “nu”, inNûristânî Etymological Lexicon [4]
Wauja
Pronunciation
Pronoun nu
me ( first-person singular indirect object pronoun ) Pinyankanu ! Katsa umawiu? Nama! Tell me! What did [he] say? Come on! Puputatainnu kuapi. Give me a little [bit of] cotton thread.
Related terms
References E. Ireland field notes. Needs to be checked by a native speaker.
Wolof
Pronoun nu
we ( first-person plural object pronoun )
See also
Zia
Pronoun nu
he she
Zou
Pronunciation
Noun nu
mother
References Chungkham Yashawanta Singh; Lukram Himmat (2013 ),A Descriptive Grammar of Zou , Canchipur: Manipur University, page45 
