侬 (nóng) - I, me (in Wu Chinese dialects) & you (in some contexts)

侬Tone 2

nóng ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 亻

柠七

侬 · nóng

I, me (in Wu Chinese dialects);

you (in some contexts);

person, fellow (archaic).

I, me (in Wu Chinese dialects)you (in some contexts)person, fellow (archaic).

Usage highlights

Wu ChineseShanghainese personGood fellowLocal personYouI/me

Synonyms

  • 我— I, me (standard Mandarin)
  • 你— you (standard Mandarin)
  • 人— person, people

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • In Shanghainese, 侬 means 'you' (侬好 means 'hello').
  • In classical Chinese, 侬 can mean 'I' or 'me' (used by women).
  • He is a good fellow (他是个好侬).
  • The local people (本地侬).

Collocations

  • Wu Chinese(吴侬软语)
  • Shanghainese person(上海侬)
  • Good fellow(好侬)
  • Local person(本地侬)
  • You(侬)
  • I/me(侬)

Idioms

  • The soft Wu dialect(吴侬软语)
  • Wu dialect's gentle speech(吴侬细语)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Primarily used in Wu Chinese dialects (Shanghai, Suzhou, etc.) as a personal pronoun.
  • In classical Chinese, it was used as a first-person pronoun, often by women.
  • Represents the linguistic diversity of Chinese dialects beyond Mandarin.

FAQ