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Na Nia นะเนี่ย


katana

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Sometimes I come across NA NIA นะเนี่ย in colloquial Thai eg I seem to remember a Thai saying to someone they hadn't seen for a while

ไม่ได้คุยกันตั้งนานเนอะ...คิดถึงนะเนี่ย

Does นะเนี่ย add a meaning or nuance to the sentence?

Thanks in advance.

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from thai-language.com

เนี่ย niiaF

1. [a particle usually used in the interrogative to indicate emphasis]

example อะไรเนี่ย aL raiM niiaF "What?!?"

sample

sentences เราจะไปไหนกันเนี่ย?

raoM jaL bpaiM naiR ganM niiaF

"Where are we going?"

อยู่ไหนเนี่ย?

yuuL naiR niiaF

[often used in a phone conversation] "Where are you?"

2. [a particle placed immediately after a noun to emphasize that noun]

คุณชาติเนี่ย...เขาเป็นผู้ชายพรรค์อย่างว่า

khoonM chaatF niiaF khaoR bpenM phuuF chaaiM phanM yaangL waaF

"Mr. Chati is that kind of man (i.e. gay)."

คำว่า..ฮีโมฟิเลียเนี่ย...ภาษาไทยว่าอะไร

khamM waaF heeM mo:hM fiH liiaM niiaF phaaM saaR thaiM waaF aL raiM

"What is the word for 'hemophilia' in Thai?" — "What is the Thai translation of 'hemophilia?' — "How do I say 'hemophilia' in Thai?"

3. [a particle and interjection placed at the beginning or the end of a sentence to attract attention or to emphasize]

เนี่ย...จบโทมาก็มาเป็นลูกจ้างเขา

niiaF johpL tho:hM maaM gaawF maaM bpenM luukF jaangF khaoR

"Look, I got a Master's Degree but still have to be in other people's employ!"

I think this definition (3) is the informal way of saying นี่

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I think a simple way of putting it is that it emphasises the "now-ness/present-ness" or "here-ness" of a situation, thing, or statement--the subject matter of words and sentences that take นะเนี่ย deal with the here and now. In English we can show this by use of the present tense--simple, continuous, or perfect, like in "Where are you?", "What are you doing?", or "Where have you been?" as well by using a particular tone of voice. Of course, since Thai lacks tenses and tones of voice to show emotion and meaning (at least in the sense of which English has these things), words like นะเนี่ย have to do the job.

As noted above, it's a colloquial pronunciation of นี่, which, when used as an interjection, means something like "here", "now", "look",  "now, look here" etc.

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Bon (from learn thai bon's way) defines it as implying that something isn't as you expected. e.g. ปากหวานนะเนี่ย

thai2english defines เนี่ย as an ending particle, sometimes showing suprise or confusion

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The use of นะเนี่ย in คิดถึงนะเนี่ย and ปากหวานนะเนี่ย serves slightly different purposes. In the first it is simply adding emphasis that the speaker was คิดถึง. In this case, much like we would tag on the word "really" in colloquial English. In the latter case, it may be used to show suprise, depending on the situation, but again expresses emphasis. How much emphasis and in what way it is intended will depend on how it is spoken and the facial expression of the speaker.

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