nīnu

Akkadian

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *niḥnu (we). Cognate with Arabic نَحْنُ (naḥnu) and Biblical Hebrew אֲנַחְנוּ (ʾănáḥnu).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /ˈniː.nu/

Pronoun

nīnu (from Old Assyrian/Old Babylonian on)

1. we (first-person plural personal pronoun, nominative case)

   𒀭𒉌𒆠𒀀𒄠 𒉌𒉡 [annikīam nīnu] ― an-ni-ki-a-am ni-nu ― We are here.

   𒉌𒄿𒉡 𒇻 𒅖𒋼𒂗 [nīnu lū ištēn] ― ni-i-nu lu iš-te-en ― We are one.

Alternative forms

• nēnu, nīnu

Cuneiform spellings

Phonetic
𒉌𒄿𒉡 (ni-i-nu) 𒉌𒉡 (ni-nu) 𒉌𒉡𒌑 (ni-nu-u₂) 𒉌𒂊𒉡 (ni-e-nu)

See also

Akkadian personal pronouns¹
			Independent forms			Pronominal Suffixes
			Nominative	Oblique²	Dative	Predicative³	Possessive⁴	Accusative⁵	Dative⁵
Singular	1st		anāku	yâti	yâšim, ayyâšim	-āku	-ī, -ya	-anni, -nni, -ninni	-am, -m, -nim
	2nd	m	atta	kâta	kâšim, kâšum	-āta	-ka	-ka	-kum
		f	atti	kâti	kâšim	-āti	-ki	-ki	-kim
	3rd	m	šū	šuāti, šuātu, šâti	šuāšim, šâšim	-	-šu	-šu	-šum
		f	šī	šuāti, šâti	šuāšim, šâšim	-at	-ša	-ši	-šim
Plural	1st		nīnu	niāti	niāšim	-ānu	-ni	-niāti	-niāšim
	2nd	m	attunu	kunūti	kunūšim	-ātina	-kunu	-kunūti	-kunūšim
		f	attina	kināti⁶	kināšim⁶	-ātunu	-kina	-kināti	-kināšim
	3rd	m	šunu	šunūti	šunūšim	-ā	-šunu	-šunūti	-šunūšim
		f	šina	šināti	šināšim⁶	-ū	-šina	-šināti	-šināšim
1. This table gives Old Babylonian inflection. 2. Used to express the Accusative and Genitive case.				3. Used exclusively on adjectives to form the predicative construction. 4. Used on nouns and prepositions.			5. Used on verbs. Always follows the Ventive. 6. Still unattested form.

References

• “nīnu”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[1], Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956–2011