nyonya

See also: Nyonya

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay nyonya, possibly from Portuguese dona (“lady”) via Javanese thus doublet of nona and nonya. See also Hokkien 娘仔 (niô͘-á). Semantic loan from Javanese nyonyah.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɲoɲa/

Noun

nyonya

1. madam
2. wife

   Synonym: istri

Derived terms

• nyonya besar
• nyonya rumah

See also

• nona

Further reading

• “nyonya” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Malay

Alternative forms

• nyonyah
• nonya

Etymology

Perhaps from Portuguese dona (“lady”) via Javanese thus doublet of nona and nonya. See also Hokkien 娘娘 (niû-niû) or 娘仔 (niô͘-á). Compare Macanese nhonha, Spanish doña (“lady”).

Pronunciation

• (Johor-Selangor) IPA^(key): /ɲoɲə/
• (Riau-Lingga) IPA^(key): /ɲoɲa/
• Rhymes: -oɲə, -ɲə, -ə
• Rhymes: -a

Noun

nyonya (Jawi spelling ڽوڽا, plural nyonya-nyonya, informal 1st possessive nyonyaku, 2nd possessive nyonyamu, 3rd possessive nyonyanya)

1. A Nyonya; a female Peranakan.
2. (Java) A married Chinese or European lady of some position; madam
3. (Malaya) A married colonial Straits-born Chinese or Eurasian or Portuguese lady (as opposed to immigrant Chinese or European women)

Descendants

• → English: Nyonya
• Indonesian: nyonya
• →? Macanese: nhonha
• → Hokkien: 娘惹 (nō͘-niâ)

See also

• baba
• nona

References

• Wilkinson, Richard James (1901) “ڽوڽه nyonyah”, in A Malay-English dictionary, Hong Kong: Kelly & Walsh limited, page 700
• Wilkinson, Richard James (1932) “nyonya”, in A Malay-English dictionary (romanised), volume II, Mytilene, Greece: Salavopoulos & Kinderlis, page 182
• Dalgado, Sebastião Rodolfo (1936) Xavier, Anthony, transl., Portuguese Vocables in Asiatic Languages‎^[1], Baroda: Oriental Institute, pages 136-8

Further reading

• “nyonya” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Swahili

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Verb

-nyonya (infinitive kunyonya)

1. to suck (to work the lips and tongue on)
2. to breastfeed
3. to exploit someone

Conjugation

Conjugation of -nyonya
Positive present -nanyonya Subjunctive -nyonye Negative -nyonyi Imperative singular nyonya
Infinitives
Positive kunyonya Negative kutonyonya
Imperatives
Singular nyonya Plural nyonyeni
Tensed forms
Habitual hunyonya Positive past positive subject concord + -linyonya Negative past negative subject concord + -kunyonya
Positive present (positive subject concord + -nanyonya) Singular Plural 1st person ninanyonya/nanyonya tunanyonya 2nd person unanyonya mnanyonya 3rd person m-wa(I/II) ananyonya wananyonya other classes positive subject concord + -nanyonya
Negative present (negative subject concord + -nyonyi) Singular Plural 1st person sinyonyi hatunyonyi 2nd person hunyonyi hamnyonyi 3rd person m-wa(I/II) hanyonyi hawanyonyi other classes negative subject concord + -nyonyi
Positive future positive subject concord + -tanyonya Negative future negative subject concord + -tanyonya
Positive subjunctive (positive subject concord + -nyonye) Singular Plural 1st person ninyonye tunyonye 2nd person unyonye mnyonye 3rd person m-wa(I/II) anyonye wanyonye other classes positive subject concord + -nyonye
Negative subjunctive positive subject concord + -sinyonye Positive present conditional positive subject concord + -ngenyonya Negative present conditional positive subject concord + -singenyonya Positive past conditional positive subject concord + -ngalinyonya Negative past conditional positive subject concord + -singalinyonya
Gnomic (positive subject concord + -anyonya) Singular Plural 1st person nanyonya twanyonya 2nd person wanyonya mwanyonya 3rd person m-wa(I/II) anyonya wanyonya m-mi(III/IV) wanyonya yanyonya ji-ma(V/VI) lanyonya yanyonya ki-vi(VII/VIII) chanyonya vyanyonya n(IX/X) yanyonya zanyonya u(XI) wanyonya see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) kwanyonya pa(XVI) panyonya mu(XVIII) mwanyonya
Perfect positive subject concord + -menyonya "Already" positive subject concord + -meshanyonya "Not yet" negative subject concord + -janyonya "If/When" positive subject concord + -kinyonya "If not" positive subject concord + -siponyonya Consecutive kanyonya / positive subject concord + -kanyonya Consecutive subjunctive positive subject concord + -kanyonye
Object concord (indicative positive) Singular Plural 1st person -ninyonya -tunyonya 2nd person -kunyonya -wanyonya/-kunyonyeni/-wanyonyeni 3rd person m-wa(I/II) -mnyonya -wanyonya m-mi(III/IV) -unyonya -inyonya ji-ma(V/VI) -linyonya -yanyonya ki-vi(VII/VIII) -kinyonya -vinyonya n(IX/X) -inyonya -zinyonya u(XI) -unyonya see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -kunyonya pa(XVI) -panyonya mu(XVIII) -munyonya Reflexive -jinyonya
Relative forms General positive (positive subject concord + (object concord) + -nyonya- + relative marker) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -nyonyaye -nyonyao m-mi(III/IV) -nyonyao -nyonyayo ji-ma(V/VI) -nyonyalo -nyonyayo ki-vi(VII/VIII) -nyonyacho -nyonyavyo n(IX/X) -nyonyayo -nyonyazo u(XI) -nyonyao see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -nyonyako pa(XVI) -nyonyapo mu(XVIII) -nyonyamo Other forms (subject concord + tense marker + relative marker + (object concord) + -nyonya) Singular Plural m-wa(I/II) -yenyonya -onyonya m-mi(III/IV) -onyonya -yonyonya ji-ma(V/VI) -lonyonya -yonyonya ki-vi(VII/VIII) -chonyonya -vyonyonya n(IX/X) -yonyonya -zonyonya u(XI) -onyonya see n(X) or ma(VI) class ku(XV/XVII) -konyonya pa(XVI) -ponyonya mu(XVIII) -monyonya
Some forms not commonly seen in modern Standard Swahili are absent from the table. See Appendix:Swahili verbs for more information.

Derived terms

• Verbal derivations:
  • Applicative: -nyonyea
  • Causative: -nyonyesha
  • Passive: -nyonywa
  • Reciprocal: -nyonyana
  • Stative: -nyonyeka

• Nominal derivations:
  • nyonyo (“breast”)
  • unyonyaji (“exploitation”)