Etymology
Similar interjections can be found in other Finnic languages (compare Estonian no, noh, Ingrian no, Karelian no, Livonian no, noh, Ludian no, Votic no) and possibly also in other Uralic languages (compare Komi-Zyrian но (no), Udmurt но (no)). Compare also to those found in neighboring Indo-European languages (such as Swedish nå, Latvian nu, Russian ну (nu)), which may all trace back as far as Proto-Indo-European *nu. SSA concludes that the interjection is probably part original and part foreign.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈno/, [ˈno̞]
- Rhymes: -o
- Syllabification(key): no
- Hyphenation(key): no
Interjection.
no
- well! (to acknowledge a situation; encouragement to answer or react; expressing the overcoming of reluctance to say something; exclamation of indignance)
Alternative form: noh.
No sepä mukavaa! ― Well, that’s nice.
No kai meidän sitten pitää käydä katsomassa. ― Well I guess we have to go look then.
No, mikset mennyt juhliin? ― Well, why didn’t you go to the party?
Siellä oli, no, aika tylsää. ― It was, well, pretty boring there.
No, et sinä nyt noin voi käyttäytyä! ― Well! You can’t behave like that!
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