నిన్న
ninna/ninːa/
The Telugu word for yesterday is నిన్న (ninna).
నిన్న is used to refer to the day before today. It functions as both a noun to name the day and as an adverb to describe when an action took place.
Meaning: day before today (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word నిన్న can function as both a noun and an adverb in a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is ninna and the IPA is /ninːa/.
Did you know?
- Because నిన్న is derived from నిరు (niru, 'past') and నాడు (nāḍu, 'day'), the word is literally a way of saying 'the past day' in a compressed form.
- Telugu can attach suffixes directly to నిన్న to change its grammatical role, removing the need for separate prepositions like 'on' or 'since'.
- The word నిన్న is part of a broader family of Dravidian terms, sharing a deep ancestral root with the Kannada word ನಿನ್ನೆ.
Examples in context
- మేము నిన్న బాస్కెట్ బాల్ ఆడాముWe played basketball yesterday.This sentence shows how to use నిన్న to describe when a past action occurred.Tatoeba #7210876 by bharath, translation #248740 by CK
- టామ్ నిన్న ఇక్కడకు మొదటి సారి వచ్చాడు.Tom came here yesterday for the first time.This sentence demonstrates the use of నిన్న to indicate when someone arrived.Tatoeba #13350030 by rarmdhyymm, translation #11845651 by CK
- నిన్న వర్షం పడింది.ninna varṣaṃ padindi.It rained yesterday.
Example conversation
Sai and Lakshmi are talking about a movie.
- సాయి Saiనువ్వు నిన్న సినిమాకి వెళ్ళావా?nuvvu ninna cinimaki vellava?Did you go to the movie yesterday?
- లక్ష్మి Lakshmiఅవును, నేను వెళ్ళాను.avunu, nenu vellanu.Yes, I went.
- సాయి Saiసినిమా ఎలా ఉంది?cinima ela undi?How was the movie?
- లక్ష్మి Lakshmiచాలా బాగుంది సాయి!chala bagundi sai!It was very good, Sai!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yesterday” translations and entries నిన్న, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries నిన్న, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
