🌏 Region(s): Kansai
なよ : na yo | define meaning
na yo
Definition
Particle
- (After a verb in its linking i-form) Marks an imperative command (e.g. "do x"):
- もっとたべなよ【もっと食べなよ】
motto tabena yo
"Help yourself to some more (food)", "Go ahead and have some more (food)" - はようおきなよ【早う起きなよ】
hayou okina yo
"Hurry, get up!"
- もっとたべなよ【もっと食べなよ】
Etymology
Contraction of the standard auxiliary なさい nasai and the emphatic particle よ yo.
Notes
In other regions, this contraction may not be recognized and so speakers may interpret the ending as a compound of な "do not" and よ yo, when the context is not clear.
Spelling
| Orthography | Form |
|---|---|
| Kana | なよ |
| Romanization | na yo |
意味：～なさいよ
Categories:
なよ
Cite this entry: Read, Zachary. (2014, June 2). なよ : na yo | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2025, January 24, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/3224/nayo/.