View source for 너

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==Korean==

===Etymology 1===
From {{inh|ko|okm|너|tr=nè|t=you}}. Presumably existed in Old Korean, but cannot be ascertained because Old Korean pronouns were written with Chinese logograms that obscure the pronunciation.

It has been suggested since the 1950s that the basic Korean pronouns {{m|ko|나|t=I; me}}, {{m-self|ko|너|t=you}}, and {{m|ko|누|t=who}} (> modern {{m|ko|누구}}) were all formed from the same etymon via [[ablaut]], which appears to have once been an extremely productive process in Korean, at some very ancient stage.<ref>{{cite-journal|year=1971|journal=Gugeo gungmunhak|volume=54|pages=93—132|title={{lang|ko|{{ruby|[母](모)[音](음)의 [意](의)[味](미)[交](교)[替](체)의 [範](범)[疇](주)-[中](중)[期](기)[國](국)[語](어)를 [中](중)[心](심)으로}}}}|trans-title=Categories of semantic vowel alternation: Focusing on Middle Korean|author=ko:이근수}}</ref><ref>{{cite-journal|year=1975|journal=Eomunnonjip|volume=10|pages=85—100|title={{lang|ko|Ablaut {{ruby|[硏](연)[究](구)}}}}|trans-title=A study of ablaut|author=ko:이근수}}</ref> Given the very limited data on prehistoric Korean, this hypothesis cannot be proven for sure either way.

Possibly cognate with {{cog|ojp|汝|tr=na|t=you|pos=second-person singular informal pronoun}}; if so, generally assumed to be a Koreanic loan into Japanese, given the paucity of Ryukyuan cognates ({{ko-ref|Vovin 2010}}).

====Pronunciation====
{{ko-IPA|a=y}}

====Pronoun====
{{ko-pos|pronoun}}

# {{lb|ko|informal}} second-person singular informal pronoun; [[you]]
#: {{ux|ko|'''너'''[[-를]] [[사랑하다|사랑해]].|I love '''you'''.}}
#: {{ux|ko|'''너''' [[언제]][[-부터]] [[담배]] [[피우다|피우기]] [[시작하다|시작-하였니]]?|When did '''you''' start smoking?}}
#: {{ux|ko|'''너'''[[-는]] [[왜]] [[말하다|말하지]] [[않다|않니]]?|Why aren't '''you''' saying anything?}}
#: {{ux|ko|'''너'''[[-는]] [[아까]] [[빨래]] [[널다|너는]] [[사람]] [[보다|봤어]]?|Did '''you''' see someone spreading out the laundry earlier?}}

=====Usage notes=====
A characteristic of colloquial Korean is that the use of personal pronouns such as {{m|ko|너}} or {{m|ko|걔|t=he; she}} implies that the person being referred to by the pronoun is of equal or lower social rank compared to the speaker. When speaking to a social superior, speakers use either a title or a word referring to the relationship between the speaker and the addressee. Thus the pronoun {{m|ko|너}} is permissible for one's younger brother, but one's older brother is referred to as {{m|ko|형(兄)}} or {{m|ko|오빠}}, both meaning "older brother". Similarly, a freshman addresses a senior as {{m|ko|선배(先輩)|t=upperclassman; elder student}} but the senior may freely address the freshman as {{m|ko|너}}.

Furthermore, even when speaking to an equal or inferior, {{m|ko|너}} is impermissible in polite or formal speech levels. In such contexts, use {{m|ko|자네}}, a title, or a personal name. {{m|ko|자기(自己)}} or {{m|ko|당신(當身)}} is common in romantic contexts.

The use of {{m|ko|너}} in socially impermissible contexts, such as when addressing a superior, should be understood as the speaker showing contempt for the addressee.

=====Alternative forms=====
* {{alt|ko|[[네#Pronoun|네]]||allomorph before {{m|ko|-가|pos=nominative case marker}}}}

=====Related terms=====
* {{l|ko|네#Pronoun|네|t=your}}
* {{l|ko|너희}}, {{l|ko|너희들}} — second-person plural informal pronoun

===Etymology 2===
{{number box|ko|4}}
{{ko-etym-native|ss|너〯|ně}} Compare {{m|ko|넷|t=four}}.

====Pronunciation====
{{ko-IPA|a=y|l=y}}

====Numeral====
{{ko-pos|numeral}}

# {{lb|ko|dated|_|or fossilized}} [[four]] {{q|before certain classifiers}}
#: {{syn|ko|네#four|alt=네|pos=more productive equivalent}}

=====Usage notes=====
This form is found primarily with certain traditional Korean units which are not now widely used.

===References===
<references/>

{{C|ko|Four}}

==Middle Korean==

===Pronunciation===
* {{IPA|okm|/nə̀/}}

===Pronoun===
{{head|okm|pronoun|tr=nè}}

# [[you]]

====Descendants====
* {{desc|jje|느}}
* {{desc|ko|너}}