아니

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Korean 아니〮 (aní), from Old Korean 不知 (*ANti).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [a̠ni]
• Phonetic hangul: [아니]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	ani
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	ani
McCune–Reischauer?	ani
Yale Romanization?	ani

Adverb

아니 • (ani)

1. (literary) no; not

   아니 가다 ― ani gada ― not to go

Derived terms

• 안 (an) (usual form)

Interjection

아니 • (ani)

1. (answering a question) no
2. (indicating surprise) oh; why; my

   아니, 이게 웬일이냐? ― ani, ige wenirinya? ― Oh, what happened?

Related terms

• 아니다 (anida, “to not be”)

Middle Korean

Etymology

From Old Korean 不知 (*ANti).

The Old Korean form was strictly a particle used to negate nouns. The adverbial sense was an innovation, in which 아니 displaced the older adverb 不冬 (*ANtol).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ani/

Noun

아니〮 (àní)

1. that which is not
   • 1461, 楞嚴經諺解 / 능엄경언해 (Neung'eomgyeong Eonhae) [Korean Translation of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra], page 2:61a:

     소ᇇ가락과〮소ᇇ가락아니〮와〮애〮나게〮ᄒᆞ리〮라〮

     swòn-s-kàlàk-kwá swòn-s-kàlàk àní-Gwá-áy nà-kéy hò-lí-lá

     [He] will make it sprout on the fingers, and [also] on that which is not the fingers.

Descendants

• ⇒ Korean: 아니다 (anida, “to not be”)

Adverb

아니〮 (àní)

1. not (negates the following verb)

Descendants

• Korean: 아니 (ani, “not”)
• ⇒ Korean: 안 (an, “not”)

Interjection

아니〮 (àní)

1. no (interjection of negation)

   Antonym: 에ᇰ (èyng, “yes”)

Descendants

• Korean: 아니 (ani, “no”)