ri

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ri"

Languages (31)

Albanian • Anguthimri • Dalmatian • Danish • Esperanto • French • Galician • Guinea-Bissau Creole • Hausa • Igbo • Italian • Japanese • Javanese • Kabuverdianu • Lashi • Makasar • Mandarin • Nabi • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Old Javanese • Portuguese • Scottish Gaelic • Sumerian • Tocharian A • Tunica • Vietnamese • Welsh • Yoruba • Zazaki

Page categories

English

Etymology

From the McCune-Reischauer romanization of Korean 리 (ri), from Mandarin Chinese 里 (lǐ).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɹiː/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Rhymes: -iː

Noun

ri (plural ris or li)

(Units of measure) Synonym of li as a Korean unit of distance equivalent to about 393 m.
(music) The solfeggio syllable used to indicate the sharp of the second note of a major scale, enharmonic to me.

Anagrams

IR, Ir., ir-

Albanian

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *(h)eríja- 'of this time, from this time, presently, of now > new, recent', a derivative of Alb. herë '(one) time, hour' etc., which is an old loan-word from Latin hōra 'time, hour' etc.; the Albanian substantive is historically not compatible with a reconstruction Proto-Indo-European *h₁r̥wo-, zero-grade of *h₁orwo- (compare Old English earu (“quick”), Tocharian B ārwer (“ready”), Avestan 𐬀𐬭𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬥𐬙 (aruuant, “quick, brave”)), as has been proposed in the literature. According to R. Matasovic (A grammatical sketch of Albanian for students of Indo-European. Zadar 2018), the etymology of the adjective is controversial and has no accepted source or from substrate.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ɾi]

Adjective

i ri (feminine e re, masculine plural të rinj, feminine plural të reja)

young
një vajzë e re
a young girl
new
filma të rinj
new movies

References

Neri, Sergio, Article ri (i), re (e) in: Bardhyl Demiraj, Olav Hackstein, Sergio Neri und Ania Omari. DPEWA, Digitales Philologisch-Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altalbanischen“ (15.-18. Jh.), München 2018-2021 (https://www.dpwa.gwi.uni-muenchen.de/dictionary/?lemmaid=14385)

Anguthimri

Noun

ri

(Mpakwithi) excrement

References

Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 188

Dalmatian

Alternative forms

rau

Etymology

From Latin reus. Compare Italian rio, Romanian rău.

Adjective

ri (feminine raja)

bad

Danish

Etymology

From Middle Low German rigen (“to put in folds”), from or related to Old Saxon rekkian (“to extend”). Distantly related to Old Norse rekja (“to unfold, unwind”), hence a doublet of række (“to reach”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /riː/, [ʁiːˀ]

Verb

ri (imperative ri, present rir or rier, past riede, past participle riet)

baste, tack (to sew with wide stitches to temporarily fasten pieces of cloth)

Derived terms

rining

Esperanto

English Wikipedia has an article on:

ri (pronoun)

Wikipedia

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ri]
Audio: (file)
Hyphenation: ri

Pronoun

ri (accusative rin, possessive ria)

(gender-neutral, nonstandard) they (singular). A gender-neutral singular third-person personal pronoun.
- 1997, Liland Brajant ROS', “Pri Sennaciistaj postulatoj”, in soc.culture.esperanto‎^[1] (Usenet):
  Kial gravas, kiu ri estas?
  Why is it important, who they are?
- 2006, “Maldormemo mia”, in Eksenlime, performed by La Perdita Generacio:
  Najbaro laboranta en la sama laborejo / En la bela domo ri ne pentras plu
  A neighbor working in the same workplace / In the beautiful house they don't paint anymore
- 2014, Roland Bonkorpa, “Fiinsulo”, in Beletra Almanako, number 21, New York, N.Y.: Mondial, →ISBN, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 32:
  Ri estis la plej pacienca kaj inteligenta hundo, kiun mi iam renkontis.
  They were the most patient and intelligent dog I had ever met.

Usage notes

In 1976, the gender-neutral pronoun ri was presented for the first time alongside the pronouns li (he) and ŝi (she). Until about 2010, it remained a seldom used experimental word, but after 2010 its use has increased significantly, especially in youth circles in Western countries. Comparable to English epicene pronouns. Also read about gender reform in Esperanto. Alternatives include expanding the use of the demonstrative pronoun tiu (“that one”) or using the similarly proscribed ŝli.

Synonyms

(neologism, non standard) ŝli

Holonyms

li (“he”)
ŝi (“she”)

Derived terms

riismo (“ri-ism”)

French

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʁi/
Audio (Paris): (file)

Participle

ri (feminine rie, masculine plural ris, feminine plural ries)

past participle of rire

Galician

Verb

ri

inflection of rir:
1. third-person singular present indicative
2. second-person singular imperative
(reintegrationist norm) inflection of rir:

Guinea-Bissau Creole

Etymology

From Portuguese rir. Cognate with Kabuverdianu ri.

Verb

ri

to laugh

Hausa

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /rìː/
- (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key): [rìː]

Ideophone

r̃ī̀

people or animals moving as a group

Igbo

Pronunciation

(inherent tone): IPA^(key): /rí/

Verb

ri

to eat, to absorb.
Ha na-eri nri.
They are eating food.
- 2019, Bịabụlụ Nsọ nʼIgbo Ndị Ugbu a, Biblica Inc., Luke 24:43:
  O we nara ya, rie n'iru ha.
  He then took it and ate it in front of them.
to acquire.

Italian

Adjective

ri m

masculine plural of rio

Anagrams

ir-

Japanese

Romanization

ri

The hiragana syllable り (ri) or the katakana syllable リ (ri) in Hepburn romanization.

Javanese

Romanization

ri

Romanization of ꦫꦶ

Kabuverdianu

Etymology

From Portuguese rir.

Verb

ri

to laugh

Lashi

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɹi/

Particle

ri

Turns the preceding word into an accusative.

References

Hkaw Luk (2017) A grammatical sketch of Lacid‎^[2], Chiang Mai: Payap University (master thesis)

Makasar

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *di, from Proto-Austronesian *di.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ri]

Preposition

ri (Lontara spelling ᨑᨗ)

general preposition (in, at, to etc.)

Mandarin

Romanization

ri

Nonstandard spelling of rī.
Nonstandard spelling of rì.

Usage notes

Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Nabi

Noun

ri

woman

References

transnewguinea.org, citing D. C. Laycock, Languages of the Lumi Subdistrict (West Sepik District), New Guinea (1968), Oceanic Linguistics, 7 (1): 36-66

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /riː/

Etymology 1

From Old Norse hríð.

Noun

ri (definite singular, indefinite plural, definite plural)

attack, sudden pain or mood
a short while

Etymology 2

From Old Norse ríða.

Alternative forms

ride

Verb

ri (imperative ri, present tense rir, simple past red or rei, past participle ridd, present participle riende)

to ride (an animal, e.g. a horse)

References

“ri” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /riː/

Etymology 1

From Old Norse hríð.

Alternative forms

rid (non-standard since 1938)

Noun

ri f (definite singular ria, indefinite plural rier, definite plural riene)

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Old Norse ríða, from Proto-Germanic *rīdaną.

Alternative forms

rida, ride

Verb

ri (present tense rir, past tense rei, past participle ridd or ridt or ride, present participle ridande, imperative ri)

to ride (an animal)

Related terms

reia, reie

References

“ri” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Anagrams

ir

Old Javanese

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ri/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *duʀi, from Proto-Austronesian *duʀi

Noun

ri

thorn
thorny plant

Alternative forms

rwi
hri, ĕri

Descendants

Javanese: ꦫꦶ (ri)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *di, from Proto-Austronesian *di. Compare Makasar ri (ᨑᨗ).

Particle

ri

prepositional particle

Alternative forms

i

Derived terms

Descendants

Javanese: ꦫꦶ (ri)

Portuguese

Pronunciation

(Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʁi/ [ˈhi]
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈʁi/ [ˈχi]

(Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈʁi/

Rhymes: -i

Verb

ri

inflection of rir:

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Middle Irish fri (“towards, against”), from Old Irish fri. Cognates include Irish fré and Manx rish.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɾʲi/
(Lewis) IPA^(key): [ði]

Preposition

ri (+ dative, no mutation, before the definite article ris)

to, against, with
ris a' ghaoith ― against the wind
up
chaidh iad ris an leathad ― they went up the hillside
as (with cho)
Tha Seòras cho righinn ri ròn. ― George is as tough as nails. (literally, “George is as tough as a seal.”)
Used with a noun or verbal noun to express up to or involved in
Bha a' chlann sin ri mì-mhodh. ― Those children were up to no good.

Bha i an urra ris an losgadh anns a' Chròthais beagan bhliadhnachan an dèidh cogadh Iugoslabhach. ― She was responsible for the shooting in Croatia a few years after the Yugoslav War.

Usage notes

In the Lewis dialect, ri is used instead of ag or a' before a verbal noun to form present participles:
tha mi ri seinn ― I am singing (As opposed to tha mi a' seinn, which has the same meaning.)
Followed by a prepositional pronoun takes a passive voice meaning:
Tha na h-eòin tarraingeach rin amharc. ― The birds are attractive to watch. (literally, “The birds are attractive to their watching.”)

Inflection

Personal inflection of ri
Number	Person	Simple	Emphatic
Singular	1st	rium	riumsa
	2nd	riut	riutsa
	3rd m	ris	ris-san
	3rd f	rithe	rithese
Plural	1st	rinn	rinne
	2nd	ribh	ribhse
	3rd	riutha	riuthasan

Derived terms

Sumerian

Romanization

ri

Romanization of 𒊑 (ri)

Tocharian A

Etymology

From Old Chinese 里 (*rɯʔ). Cognate with Tocharian B rīye.^[1]

Noun

ri

city

References

^
2003, Alexander Lubotsky, Sergey Starostin, “Turkic and Chinese loan words in Tocharian”, in Bauer, Brigitte L.M., Pinault, Georges-Jean, editors, Language in Time and Space: A Festschrift for Werner Winter on the Occasion of his 80th Birthday, pages 257-269:

Tunica

Noun

ri

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [zi˧˧]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [ʐɪj˧˧]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [ɹɪj˧˧]

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adjective

ri • (𱓜)

(now chiefly in compounds, of stature) small; miniature

Etymology 2

Part of the r-series of demonstratives, along with rày, rứa, ru, sao.

Adverb

ri • (夷, 𱓜)

(Central Vietnam) like this
Ao ni su ri.
This pond is so deep.

Welsh

Noun

ri

Soft mutation of rhi.

Mutation

Mutated forms of *rhi*
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
rhi	ri	unchanged	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɾí/

Noun

rí

The name of the Latin-script letter R/r.

Etymology 2

Proposed to derive from Proto-Yoruboid *lí, cognate with Igala lí

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɾí/

Verb

rí

(transitive) to see
(intransitive) to look like

Synonyms

Yoruba Varieties and Languages - rí (“to see”)
view map; edit data
Language Family	Variety Group	Variety/Language	Location	Words
Proto-Itsekiri-SEY	Southeast Yoruba	Ào	Ìdóàní	rí
		Ìdànrè	Ìdànrè	í
		Ìjẹ̀bú	Ìjẹ̀bú Òde	rí
			Ìkòròdú	rí
			Ṣágámù	rí
			Ẹ̀pẹ́	rí
		Ìkálẹ̀	Òkìtìpupa	rí
		Ìlàjẹ	Mahin	rí
		Oǹdó	Oǹdó	í
		Usẹn	Usẹn	rí
	Ìtsẹkírì		Ìwẹrẹ	rí
Proto-Yoruba	Central Yoruba	Èkìtì	Àdó Èkìtì	rí
			Àkúrẹ́	rí
			Ọ̀tùn Èkìtì	rí
		Ifẹ̀	Ilé Ifẹ̀	rí
		Ìgbómìnà	Ìlá Ọ̀ràngún	rí
			Ìfẹ́lódùn LGA	rí
			Ìrẹ́pọ̀dùn LGA	rí
			Ìsin LGA	rí
		Ìjẹ̀ṣà	Iléṣà	rí
	Northwest Yoruba	Àwórì	Èbúté Mẹ́tà	rí
		Ẹ̀gbá	Abẹ́òkúta	rí
		Èkó	Èkó	rí
		Ìbàdàn	Ìbàdàn	rí
		Ìbàràpá	Igbó Òrà	rí
		Ìbọ̀lọ́	Òṣogbo	rí
		Ìlọrin	Ìlọrin	rí
		Oǹkó	Ìtẹ̀síwájú LGA	rí
			Ìwàjówà LGA	rí
			Kájọlà LGA	rí
			Ìsẹ́yìn LGA	rí
			Ṣakí West LGA	rí
			Atisbo LGA	rí
			Ọlọ́runṣògo LGA	rí
		Ọ̀yọ́	Ọ̀yọ́	rí
		Standard Yorùbá	Nàìjíríà	rí
		Standard Yorùbá	Bɛ̀nɛ̀	rí
	Northeast Yoruba/Okun	Ìyàgbà	Yàgbà East LGA	rí
	Northeast Yoruba/Okun	Owé	Kabba	rí
	Ede Languages/Southwest Yoruba	Ana	Sokode	rí
		Ìcà	Agoua	rí
		Ìdàácà	Igbó Ìdàácà	rí
		Ọ̀họ̀rí/Ɔ̀hɔ̀rí-Ìjè	Onigbolo	rí
		Ọ̀họ̀rí/Ɔ̀hɔ̀rí-Ìjè	Yewa	rí
		Ifɛ̀	Akpáré	rí
			Atakpamé	rí
			Boko	rí
			Moretan	rí
			Tchetti	rí
		Kura	Awotébi	lí
		Kura	Partago	rí
		Northern Nago	Kambole	í
		Northern Nago	Manigri	í
Note: This amalgamation of terms comes from a number of different academic papers focused on the unique varieties and languages spoken in the Yoruboid dialectal continuum which extends from eastern Togo to southern Nigeria. The terms for spoken varieties, now deemed dialects of Yorùbá in Nigeria (i.e. Southeast Yorùbá, Northwest Yorùbá, Central Yorùbá, and Northeast Yorùbá), have converged with those of Standard Yorùbá leading to the creation of what can be labeled Common Yorùbá (Funṣọ Akere, 1977). It can be assumed that the Standard Yorùbá term can also be used in most Nigerian varieties alongside native terms, especially amongst younger speakers. This does not apply to the other Nigerian Yoruboid languages of Ìṣẹkírì and Olùkùmi, nor the Èdè Languages of Benin and Togo.

Derived terms

ríran

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

(low-tone): IPA^(key): /ɾì/
(mid-tone): IPA^(key): /ɾī/

Verb

rì

(intransitive) to sink, to drown
(transitive) to sink

Verb

ri

Alternative form of rì (“to sink”) used before object nouns

Zazaki

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈɾi]
Hyphenation: ri

Noun

ri

face

[1] 
2003, Alexander Lubotsky, Sergey Starostin, “Turkic and Chinese loan words in Tocharian”, in Bauer, Brigitte L.M., Pinault, Georges-Jean, editors, Language in Time and Space: A Festschrift for Werner Winter on the Occasion of his 80th Birthday, pages 257-269:

[1]

Visibility/evidentiality⁶
	Proximal (*-iː)	Distal 1 (*-iːʔ)	Distal 2 (*-əːʔ)	Distal 3/ Remote (*-ɔːʔ)	Interrogative (rime was a rounded back vowel)
Place, attributive¹ n-	ni nì này/nầy nây	nấy	nớ	nọ (nó)	nào
Place, nominal² đ-	đây	đấy (ấy)	—	đó	đâu
Manner r-	ri rày	—	rứa	—	ru sao³
Extent 1⁴ b-	bây	bấy	—	—	bao
Extent 2⁵ v-	vầy	vậy	—	—	—
¹ Originally can only follow a nominal (being used attributively), hence nơi này (“this place; here”), nơi nào (“where”) (no longer completely true in the modern language). ² Can be used on its own/is itself nominal, hence đây (“here”), đâu (“where”). ³ From earlier C-raːw (where C is nonspecific consonant). ⁴ Placed before the head: bây nhiêu (“this much”), bấy nhiêu (“that much”), bao nhiêu (“how much”). ⁵ Placed after the head: nhanh vầy (“this fast”), nhanh vậy (“that fast/so fast”).
	Distal (ngang)			Remote (huyền)
Northern-Southern	kia (cơ)			kìa (cờ)
Central	tê			tề
⁶ Originally, these demonstratives might have been used to assert that something is visible and/or verifiable. They have been bleached quite thoroughly and currently are usually used like other distal demonstratives. The biggest trace of their evidentiality might be in their usage as final particles, often in reduced forms cơ/cờ: [t]ừ đấy về tới Hà Nội, còn những ba cái cầu nữa cơ mà! ("From there to Hanoi, there're still three more bridges to cross!") (Ba ngày luân lạc, 1943).