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نون

Root entry · 4 derived lemmas

The root 'nun' primarily refers to a large fish, specifically a whale. It is also used metaphorically for the blade of a sword and as a proper name for a specific sword. Additionally, 'nun' functions as a grammatical particle, specifically the emphatic 'nun' (نون التأكيد) used with future tense verbs, commands, prohibitions, questions, and conditional clauses.

Derived headwords

النُّونnoun
  1. 1.
    the fishboth

    the fish

  2. 2.
    a letter of the alphabet, and it is one of the letters of augmentationboth

    a letter of the alphabet, and it is one of the letters of augmentation

  3. 3.
    it can be for emphasis, both geminated and ungeminatedboth

    it can be for emphasis, both geminated and ungeminated

ذو النُّونname
  1. 1.
    Jonahclassical

    A title given to the prophet Jonah, son of Matta.

نَوَّنَverb
  1. 1.
    to add the emphatic nunclassical

    To add the emphatic 'nun' (نون التأكيد) to a noun, a process called 'tanwin'.

نَوَّنْتُ الاسمَ تَنْوِيناً — I added tanwin to the noun.
تَنْوِينnoun
  1. 1.
    it only occurs in nounsboth

    it only occurs in nouns

التَّنْوِينُ لا يَكُونُ إلا في الأسماءِ — Nunation only occurs in nouns.

Parallel reading

الحُوتُ، والجَمْعُ أنْوانٌ ونِينانٌ.
The whale, and the plural is 'anwan' and 'ninan'.
وذو النُّونِ: لَقَبُ يُونُسَ بنِ مَتَّى عليه السلام.
And Dhu al-Nun: is the title of Jonah, son of Matta, peace be upon him.
والنُّونُ: شَفْرَةُ السَّيْفِ.
And al-nun: is the blade of the sword.
بِذي نُونَيْنِ قِصَالٌ مُقَطَّ
With two sword blades, short pieces are cut.
والنُّونُ: اسمُ سَيْفٍ لِبَعْضِ العَرَبِ.
And al-nun: is the name of a sword for some Arabs.
سَأجْعَلُهُ مَكانَ النُّونِ مِنِّي
I will make it in place of al-nun for me.
وما أعْطَيْتُهُ عِرْقَ الخِلالِ
And I did not give it out of affection.
يقولُ: سَأجْعَلُ هذا السَّيْفَ الذَّى اسْتَفَدْتُهُ مَكانَ ذلِكَ السَّيْفِ الآخَرِ، وما أعْطَيْتُهُ عَنْ مَوَدَّةٍ، بَلْ أخَذْتُهُ عَنْوَةً.
He says: I will make this sword that I acquired in place of that other sword, and I did not give it out of affection, but rather I took it by force.
والنُّونُ: حَرْفٌ مِنْ حُروفِ المُعْجَمِ، وهُوَ مِنْ حُروفِ الزِّياداتِ، وقَدْ يَكُونُ للتَّأْكِيدِ يَلْحَقُ الفِعْلَ المُسْتَقْبَلَ بَعْدَ لامِ القَسَمِ، كَقَوْلِكَ: واللهِ لاضْرِبَنَّ زَيْداً.
And the nun: is a letter from the letters of the alphabet, and it is from the letters of addition. It may be for emphasis, attaching to the future verb after the lam of oath, as you say: By God, I will surely strike Zayd.
ويلْحَقُ بَعْدَ ذلِكَ الأمْرُ والنَّهْيُ، تَقُولُ: اضْرِبَنَّ زَيْداً ولا تَضْرِبَنَّ عَمْراً.
And after that, commands and prohibitions are attached, you say: Strike Zayd, and do not strike Amr.
ويلْحَقُ في الاسْتِفْهامِ، تَقُولُ هَلْ تَضْرِبَنَّ زَيْداً.
And it is attached in interrogative sentences, you say: Will you strike Zayd?
وبَعْدَ الشَّرْطِ، كَـ: إمَّا تَضْرِبَنَّ زَيْداً اضْرِبْهُ، إذا زِدْتَ على إنْ (ما) زِدْتَ على فِعْلِ الشَّرْطِ نُونَ التَّأْكِيدِ.
And after a conditional clause, like: If you strike Zayd, strike him, if you add to 'in' (ma) you add the emphatic nun to the conditional verb.
قالَ اللهُ تَعالى: (فإمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ في الحَرْبِ فَشَرِّدْ بِهِمْ مِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ)
Allah the Almighty said: (And if you gain mastery over them in war, then disperse by them those who are behind them).
وتَقُولُ في فِعْلِ الاثْنَيْنِ لَتَضْرِبانَّ زَيْداً يا رَجُلانِ، وفِي فِعْلِ الجَماعَةِ: يا رِجالُ اضْرِبَنَّ زَيْداً بِضَمِّ الباءِ، ويا امْرَأةُ اضْرِبَنَّ زَيْداً بِكَسْرِ الباءِ، ويا نِسْوَةُ اضْرِبْنَنَ زَيْداً، وأصْلُهُ اضْرِبْنَنَ بِثَلاثِ نُوناتٍ فَتُفْصَلُ بَيْنَهُنَّ بالألِفِ وتُكْسَرُ النُّونُ تَشْبِيهاً بِنُونِ التَّثْنِيَةِ.
And you say for the dual verb: 'latadhribanna Zaydan ya rajulan' (you two men will surely strike Zayd), and for the plural verb: 'ya rijalu idribanna Zaydan' (O men, strike Zayd) with a damma on the ba, and 'ya imra'atu idribanna Zaydan' (O woman, strike Zayd) with a kasra on the ba, and 'ya niswatu idribnan Zaydan' (O women, strike Zayd), and its origin is 'idribnnan' with three nuns, so an alif is inserted between them and the nun is kasred, resembling the nun of the dual.
وقَدْ تَكُونُ نُونُ التَّأْكِيدِ خَفِيفَةً كَما تَكُونُ مُشَدَّدَةً، إلا أنَّ الخَفِيفَةَ إذا اسْتَقْبَلَها ساكِنٌ سَقَطَتْ، وإذا وَقَفْتَ عَلَيْها وقَبْلَها فَتْحَةٌ أبْدَلْتَها ألِفاً، كَما قالَ الأعْشى: ولا تَعْبُدِ الشَّيْطانَ واللهَ فاعْبُدا
And the emphatic nun may be light as it is heavy, except that the light one, if a silent letter precedes it, it drops, and if you stop on it and a fatha precedes it, you change it to an alif, as Al-A'sha said: And do not worship Satan, but worship Allah.
ورُبَّما حُذِفَتْ في الوَصْلِ، كَما قالَ الشَّاعِرُ: اضْرِبْ عَنْكَ الهُمُومَ طارِقَها * ضَرْبَكَ بالسَّيْفِ قَوْنَسَ الفَرَسِ
And sometimes it is omitted in connection, as the poet said: Strike away from you its troubles that befall it * like your striking the horse's head with a sword.
والمُخَفَّفَةُ تَصْلُحُ في مَكانِ المُشَدَّدَةِ، إلا في مَوْضِعَيْنِ في فِعْلِ الاثْنَيْنِ: يا رَجُلانِ اضْرِبانِ زَيْداً، وفِي فِعْلِ الجَماعَةِ المُؤَنَّثِ: يا نِسْوَةُ اضْرِبْنَنَ زَيْداً، فإنَّهُ لا يَصْلُحُ فِيهِما إلا المُشَدَّدَةُ، لِئَلاَّ تَلْتَبِسَ بِنُونِ التَّثْنِيَةِ.
And the light one is suitable in place of the heavy one, except in two cases for the dual verb: 'ya rajulan idriban Zaydan' (O two men, strike Zayd), and for the feminine plural verb: 'ya niswatu idribnan Zaydan' (O women, strike Zayd), for in these two cases only the heavy one is suitable, so as not to be confused with the nun of the dual.
ويُونُسُ يُجِيزُ الخَفِيفَةَ ها هُنا أيْضاً، والأوَّلُ أجْوَدُ.
And Yunus permits the light one here as well, but the former is better.
وتَقُولُ: نَوَّنْتُ الاسْمَ تَنْوِيناً.
And you say: I added tanwin to the noun.
والتَّنْوِينُ لا يَكُونُ إلا في الأسْماءِ.
And tanwin only occurs in nouns.