N

See also: Appendix:Variations of "n"

N	U+004E, N LATIN CAPITAL LETTER N

← M
[U+004D]

Basic Latin

O →
[U+004F]

Ｎ	U+FF2E, Ｎ FULLWIDTH LATIN CAPITAL LETTER N

← Ｍ
[U+FF2D]

Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms

Ｏ →
[U+FF2F]

𝕹	U+1D579, 𝕹 MATHEMATICAL BOLD FRAKTUR CAPITAL N

← 𝕸
[U+1D578]

Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols

𝕺 →
[U+1D57A]

Translingual

Etymology

From the Etruscan letter 𐌍 (n, “en”), from the Ancient Greek letter Ν (N, “ny”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤍 (n, “nun”), possibly from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓆓.

Letter

N (lower case n)

The fourteenth letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.

Symbol

N

(chemistry) Symbol for nitrogen.
(metrology) Symbol for newton, the SI unit of force.
- 2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, OCLC 1261299044, PC, scene: Outlaws: Adhi Codex entry:
  When attacking, adhi drive opponents out of secure positions to make them vulnerable to gunfire or a concerted attack by the rest of the pack. Their jaw strength has been measured in excess of 1900 N, dangerous even when wearing a hardsuit.
(biochemistry) IUPAC 1-letter abbreviation for aspargine
(physics) electron number
(music) Neapolitan chord (usually in first inversion, therefore followed by a superscript six)
(linguistics) A wildcard for a nasal consonant (nasal stop)

Gallery

Letter styles
Uppercase and lowercase versions of N, in normal and italic type
Uppercase and lowercase N in Fraktur

English

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n, plural Ns or N's)

The fourteenth letter of the English alphabet, called en and written in the Latin script.

Number

N (upper case, lower case n)

The ordinal number fourteenth, derived from this letter of the English alphabet, called en and written in the Latin script.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɛn/
Rhymes: -ɛn

Audio (US)

(file)

Audio (UK)

(file)

Noun

N

(military) navy
north (see also n)
(linguistics) noun
(chess) knight

Translations

Navy — See also translations at navy

north — See also translations at north

French: N (fr) m
German: N (de) m
Greek: Β (el) (V)
Hungarian: É (hu)
Russian: С (ru) (S)
Swedish: N (sv)

Etymology 2

Abbreviations.

N

(stenoscript) the prefix or word-initial sequence inter-, enter-, intr- or entr-.
(stenoscript) the sound sequence /(V)ntr/.
(stenoscript) Abbreviation of north.

Afar

Letter

N

The eighteenth letter in the Afar alphabet.

Afrikaans

Pronunciation

(letter name): IPA^(key): /ɛn/

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The fourteenth letter of the Afrikaans alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Noun

N (plural N'e, diminutive N'etjie)

N

Angami

Letter

N

The twenty-fifth letter of the Angami alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Azerbaijani

Letter

N upper case (lower case n)

The twentieth letter of the Azerbaijani alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Basque

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ene/, [e̞.ne̞]

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The fourteenth letter of the Basque alphabet, called ene and written in the Latin script.

Central Franconian

Etymology

/n/ is from West Germanic *n.
/ŋ/ is from West Germanic *ng; in most of Ripuarian from *n after long high vowels and from *nd.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /n/, (in ng, nk) /ŋ/

Letter

N

A letter in the German-based alphabet of Central Franconian.
A letter in the Dutch-based alphabet of Central Franconian.

Usage notes

Doubling of N

In the German-based spelling, n is doubled after short vowels except in certain function words and when the letter is followed by another consonant within the word stem.
In the Dutch-based spelling, n is doubled after short vowels if the syllable were otherwise open.

Chinese

Alternative forms

n

Etymology 1

Likely from the mathematical usage of n to denote an arbitrary number. Compare Korean N and Japanese n番煎じ.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): ēn (en¹)
(Zhuyin): ㄣ
Cantonese (Jyutping): en¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: ēn
  - Zhuyin: ㄣ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: en
  - Wade–Giles: ên¹
  - Yale: ēn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: en
  - Palladius: энь (enʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ˀən⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: en¹
  - Yale: colloquial sounds not defined
  - Cantonese Pinyin: en¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: colloquial sounds not defined
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɛːn⁵⁵/

Numeral

N

countless; several
點解我打咗N次都冇人接電話嘅？ [Cantonese, trad.]
点解我打咗N次都冇人接电话嘅？ [Cantonese, simp.]
dim² gaai² ngo⁵ daa² zo² en¹ ci³ dou¹ mou⁵ jan⁴ zip³ din⁶ waa^6-2 ge²? [Jyutping]
How come I called several times but no one picked up the phone?
追了N部美劇，英語還超爛… [MSC, trad.]
追了N部美剧，英语还超烂… [MSC, simp.]
From:
zhuīle ēn bù měijù, yīngyǔ hái chāo làn... [Pinyin]
You've binged countless American TV dramas, but your English still sucks…
- 你不用看了。我已經看過N次了。 [MSC, trad.]
  你不用看了。我已经看过N次了。 [MSC, simp.]
  From: 1996, 瓊瑤／琼瑶 and 林久愉, 一簾幽夢／一帘幽梦 (TV drama), episode 1, 30:34
  Nǐ bùyòng kàn le. Wǒ yǐjīng kàn guò ēn cì le. [Pinyin]
  You don't need to look. I've already looked multiple times.

Pronunciation 1

Mandarin
(Pinyin): ēn (en¹)
(Zhuyin): ㄣ
Cantonese (Jyutping): en¹
Min Nan (Teochew, Peng'im): êng⁵
Wu (Wiktionary): e hhngg (T2); e hhngg (T1)

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: ēn
  - Zhuyin: ㄣ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: en
  - Wade–Giles: ên¹
  - Yale: ēn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: en
  - Palladius: энь (enʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ˀən⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: en¹
  - Yale: colloquial sounds not defined
  - Cantonese Pinyin: en¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: colloquial sounds not defined
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɛːn⁵⁵/
Min Nan
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: êng⁵
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: êng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /eŋ⁵⁵/
Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: e hhngg (T2); e hhngg (T1)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /e̞³³ ɦŋ̍⁴⁴/, /e̞⁵⁵ ɦŋ̍²¹/

Note: Often realised as one syllable with a /n/ final.

Letter

N

The fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet.

Pronunciation 2

Mandarin
(Pinyin): nē, nê̄ (ne¹, nê¹)
(Zhuyin): ㄋㄜ, ㄋㄝ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, common)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: nē
  - Zhuyin: ㄋㄜ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: ne
  - Wade–Giles: nê¹
  - Yale: nē
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: nhe
  - Palladius: нэ (nɛ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /nɤ⁵⁵/
- (Standard Chinese, official)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: nê̄
  - Zhuyin: ㄋㄝ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: nê
  - Wade–Giles: neh¹
  - Yale: nē
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: nhè
  - Palladius: нэй (nɛj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /nɛ⁵⁵/

Letter

N

The fourteenth letter used in Pinyin.

Usage notes

《汉语拼音方案》 defines a standard pronunciation for each letter. However, these pronunciations are rarely used in education; another pronunciation is commonly used instead.
The pronunciation above are only used while referring to letters in Pinyin. They are not used in other context (such as English).

Dutch

Pronunciation

(letter name): IPA^(key): /ɛn/
Audio (file)

Letter

N (capital, lowercase n)

The fourteenth letter of the Dutch alphabet.

Noun

N

Abbreviation of noord; north

Esperanto

Pronunciation

(letter name): IPA^(key): /no/
(phoneme): IPA^(key): /n/
Audio (file)

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The eighteenth letter of the Esperanto alphabet, called no or en and written in the Latin script.

Noun

N

Abbreviation of nordo (“north”).

Estonian

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The fourteenth letter of the Estonian alphabet, called enn and written in the Latin script.

Finnish

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The fourteenth letter of the Finnish alphabet, called än or en and written in the Latin script.

Noun

N

Abbreviation of non sine laude approbatur.
Abbreviation of nainen. ("woman, female")

French

Pronunciation

(letter): IPA^(key): /ɛn/
Audio (Paris) (file)
Rhymes: -ɛn

Noun

N

Abbreviation of nord.

Letter

N

the fourteenth letter of the French alphabet

Galician

Noun

N

Abbreviation of norte (“north”).

Antonyms

(north): S

German

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʔɛn/
Audio (file)

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The fourteenth letter of the German alphabet.

Noun

N

Abbreviation of Nord; north

Hungarian

Pronunciation

(phoneme): IPA^(key): [ˈn]
(letter name): IPA^(key): [ˈɛnː]

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The twenty-second letter of the Hungarian alphabet, called enn and written in the Latin script.

Declension

Inflection (stem in -e-, front unrounded harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	N	N-ek
accusative	N-et	N-eket
dative	N-nek	N-eknek
instrumental	N-nel	N-ekkel
causal-final	N-ért	N-ekért
translative	N-né	N-ekké
terminative	N-ig	N-ekig
essive-formal	N-ként	N-ekként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	N-ben	N-ekben
superessive	N-en	N-eken
adessive	N-nél	N-eknél
illative	N-be	N-ekbe
sublative	N-re	N-ekre
allative	N-hez	N-ekhez
elative	N-ből	N-ekből
delative	N-ről	N-ekről
ablative	N-től	N-ektől
non-attributive possessive - singular	N-é	N-eké
non-attributive possessive - plural	N-éi	N-ekéi

Possessive forms of N
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	N-em	N-jeim
2nd person sing.	N-ed	N-jeid
3rd person sing.	N-je	N-jei
1st person plural	N-ünk	N-jeink
2nd person plural	N-etek	N-jeitek
3rd person plural	N-jük	N-jeik

Ido

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /n/

Letter

N (lower case n)

The fourteenth letter of the Ido alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Indonesian

Pronunciation

(letter name): IPA^(key): /ɛn/
(phoneme): IPA^(key): /n/

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The fourteenth letter of the Indonesian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Italian

Pronunciation

(letter name) IPA^(key): /ˈɛn.ne/
- Rhymes: -ɛnne
(phonemic realization) IPA^(key): /n/

Letter

N f or m (invariable, upper case, lower case n)

The twelfth letter of the Italian alphabet, called enne and written in the Latin script.

Noun

N m

Abbreviation of nord; north

Korean

Etymology

From the mathematical sense. Compare Chinese N.

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [e̞n]
Phonetic hangul: [엔]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization^?	en
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	en
McCune–Reischauer^?	en
Yale Romanization^?	eyn

South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: N의 / N에 / N까지

Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch and also heightens the next suffixed syllable, unless it is 에.

Numeral

N • (en)

an arbitrary or unspecified number of some size, normally greater than three
N수생
ensusaeng
someone preparing the university entrance exam for more than three years
돈은N분의 1로 내자.
don-eun enBun-ui il-lo nae-ja.
Let's split the bill.
(literally, “Let's [each] pay one out of n.”)

Latvian

Etymology

Proposed in 1908 as part of the new Latvian spelling by the scientific commission headed by K. Mīlenbahs, which was accepted and began to be taught in schools in 1909. Prior to that, Latvian had been written in German Fraktur, and sporadically in Cyrillic.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [n]

(file)

Letter

N

N (upper case, lower case n)

The twenty-first letter of the Latvian alphabet, called en and written in the Latin script.

Malay

Pronunciation

(Name of letter) IPA^(key): [ɛn]
(Phoneme) IPA^(key): [n]

Letter

N

The fourteenth letter of the Malay alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Nupe

Pronunciation

(phoneme): IPA^(key): /n/, IPA^(key): /ŋ/, IPA^(key): / ̃/

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The seventeenth letter of the Nupe alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Polish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɛn/

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The eighteenth letter of the Polish alphabet, called en and written in the Latin script.

Portuguese

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The fourteenth letter of the Portuguese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Noun

N m (uncountable)

Abbreviation of norte.

Romani

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /n/

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

(International Standard) The eighteenth letter of the Romani alphabet, written in the Latin script.
(Pan-Vlax) The nineteenth letter of the Romani alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Romanian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /n/

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The seventeenth letter of the Romanian alphabet, called en, ne, or nî and written in the Latin script.

Saanich

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /n/, /nʼ/

Letter

N

The twenty-first letter of the Saanich alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Skolt Sami

Pronunciation

(phoneme) IPA^(key): /n/

Letter

N (lower case n)

The twenty-second letter of the Skolt Sami alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Slovene

Letter

N (capital, lowercase n)

The 15th letter of the Slovene alphabet. Preceded by M and followed by O.

Somali

Pronunciation

(phoneme): IPA^(key): /n/
(letter name): IPA^(key): /nʉn/

Letter

N upper case (lower case n)

The nineteenth letter of the Somali alphabet, called nun and written in the Latin script.

Usage notes

The nineteenth letter of the Somali alphabet, which follows Arabic abjad order. It is preceded by M and followed by W.

Spanish

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

the 14th letter of the Spanish alphabet

Noun

N m

Abbreviation of norte; north

Turkish

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The seventeenth letter of the Turkish alphabet, called ne and written in the Latin script.

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɛ˧˧ nəː˨˩], [ʔɛn˧˧ nəː˨˩], [nəː˨˩ tʰəp̚˧˦], [nəː˨˩]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɛ˧˧ nəː˦˩], [ʔɛŋ˧˧ nəː˦˩], [nəː˦˩ tʰəp̚˦˧˥], [nəː˦˩]
(Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʔɛ˧˧ nəː˨˩], [ʔɛŋ˧˧ nəː˨˩], [nəː˨˩ tʰəp̚˦˥], [nəː˨˩]
Phonetic: e nờ, en nờ, nờ thấp, nờ

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The sixteenth letter of the Vietnamese alphabet, called e-nờ, en-nờ, nờ thấp, or nờ and written in the Latin script.

Welsh

Pronunciation

(standard) IPA^(key): /ɛn/
- (informal) IPA^(key): /n/

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The eighteenth letter of the Welsh alphabet, called en and written in the Latin script. It is preceded by M and followed by O.

Mutation

N cannot mutate in Welsh.

Yoruba

Pronunciation

(phoneme): IPA^(key): /n/, IPA^(key): /ŋ/, IPA^(key): / ̃/
(letter name): IPA^(key): /nĩ́/

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The fifteenth letter of the Yoruba alphabet, called ní and written in the Latin script.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ŋ̄/

Pronoun

N̄ or N

Alternative letter-case form of n (“I”)

Zulu

Letter

N (upper case, lower case n)

The fourteenth letter of the Zulu alphabet, written in the Latin script.

N

Translingual

Etymology

Letter

See also

Symbol

Gallery

See also

English

Letter

See also

Number

Pronunciation

Noun

Translations

Etymology 2

Afar

Letter

See also

Afrikaans

Pronunciation

Letter

See also

Noun

Angami

Letter

See also

Azerbaijani

Letter

See also

Basque

Pronunciation

Letter

See also

Central Franconian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Letter

Usage notes

Chinese

Alternative forms

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Numeral

Further reading

Pronunciation 1

Letter

Pronunciation 2

Letter

Usage notes

Dutch

Pronunciation

Letter

Noun

See also

Esperanto

Pronunciation

Letter

See also

Noun

Estonian

Letter

See also

Finnish

Letter

See also

Noun

French

Pronunciation

Noun

Letter

Galician

Noun

Antonyms

German

Pronunciation

Letter

Noun

Hungarian

Pronunciation