ନା
na
In Odia, the word for "no" is ନା (na).
The word is used as a particle to express negation or to show disagreement.
Meaning: used to show disagreement or negation (particle)
Which one should you use?
While ନା is the standard form, in casual spoken Odia, the word is often pronounced with a nasalized vowel as ନାଁ.
How do you pronounce it?
na
Did you know?
- In some regional dialects of Odisha, the word ନା is used as an emphatic filler in a sentence to add emotional weight, even when the speaker is not actually negating anything.
- In Odia, expressing disagreement is often more about tone than the word itself. A short, clipped ନା can sound unexpectedly harsh or even aggressive to a native listener.
- The word ନା is a cognate with the 'na' found in other Indo-Aryan languages like Hindi and Bengali, reflecting a shared linguistic root across eastern India.
Examples in context
- ବିନା ଅନୁମତିରେ ପ୍ରବେଶ ନିଷେଧ।No Trespassing.This example shows the use of ନା in a prohibition context.Tatoeba #8163541 by anjan, translation #73508 by xtofu80
- ନାଁ?No?This example demonstrates the colloquial form ନାଁ.Tatoeba #8159861 by anjan, translation #1158522 by Thanuir
- ନାଁ ।No.This example demonstrates the use of the word ନାଁ.Tatoeba #8159761 by anjan, translation #477061 by Ricardo14
Example conversation
Sneha and Akash are talking about eating lunch.
- ସ୍ନେହା Snehaତୁମେ ଖାଇବ?Tume khaiba?Will you eat?
- ଆକାଶ Akashନା, ମୋର ଭୋକ ନାହିଁ ।Na, mora bhoka nahi.No, I am not hungry.
- ସ୍ନେହା Snehaକଣ ତୁମେ ପାଣି ପିଇବ?Kana tume pani piiba?Will you drink water then?
- ଆକାଶ Akashନା, ଲାଗୁନି ।Na, laguni.No, I don't feel like it.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
