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尼: Buddhist nun

By February 18, 2014May 18th, 2014Chinese Word, Japanese Word, Language-Learning
 

尼 ní

noun
: Buddhist nun

Kun Reading

尼 | あま ama

noun
: (Colloquialism) nun
: (Derogatory) bitch

On Reading

尼 | に ni

noun | abbreviation
: bhikkhuni (fully ordained Buddhist nun)

 Usage:

尼姑 ni2gu1: Buddhist nun
[尼僧 | にそう nisou: nun; priestess OR 尼法師 | あまほうし amahoushi: nun]
僧尼 seng1ni2: nun [そうに souni: monks and nuns]
尼龍[龙] ni2long2: nylon (loanword) [ナイロン nairon]
尼斯 ni2si1: Nice (city in France)
印尼 yi4ni2: Indonesia [インドネシア Indoneshia]
悉尼 xi1ni2: Sydney, capital of New South Wales, Australia
[シドニー shidonii]
遜[逊]尼 xun4ni2: Sunni (subdivision of Islam)



Japanese word
尼っ子 | あまっこ amakko
: (Colloquialism) native of Amagasaki
: (Archaism) (Derogatory) bitch

尼っちょ | あまっちょ amaccho
: bitch

 Etymology:


(shi1: corpse) + 匕 (bi3: ladle/spoon) = 尼 (ni2: nun).
This character was once “man” beside “man” and meant “beside, near.”
The meaning 尼 (nun) appears to have come by sound-loan.



 Examples:


尼姑不吃肉。
ni2gu1 bu4 chi1 rou4.
Nuns don’t eat meat.

Resources: Chinese Dictionary | Japanese Dictionary