Modal 呢 (ne): The “Still / You Know!” Emphasis Particle
Beyond questions, 呢 (ne) lands on a STATEMENT to add mood — insistence, reassurance, a “you know!” feeling: 还早呢！(“it's still early!”), 我会做饭呢 (“I can cook, you know!”). Often with 还.
Why this trips learners up
You met 呢 (ne) as a question particle — 你呢？(“and you?”). So it's a surprise to see it on a plain statement: 还早呢！This is the modal 呢 — tacked onto a full statement, it adds a mood: insistence, reassurance, a confident “you know!”. 还早呢！isn't a question — it's “it's still early (so relax, don't go yet)!”. The 呢 doesn't change the facts; it changes the attitude.
It shows up most with 还 (“still”): 钱还够呢 (“there's still enough money!”), 他还没来呢 (“he hasn't come yet!”). It also rides the progressive — 奶奶看电视呢 (“grandma's watching TV right now!”) — the intensifier 着 — 外面冷着呢 (“it's freezing out!”) — and emphatic denials with 才 — 我才不怕呢 (“I'm so not scared!”). The thing to keep straight is the two jobs of 呢: after a full statement it's this emphatic mood (还早呢！); after a lone topic it's the “what about…?” question (你呢？). What sits in front tells you which.
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
wàimian 外面 Place hái 还 Adverb rè 热 Adjective ne 呢 Pattern
It's still hot out (you know)!
wǒ 我 Subject huì 会 Function word zuòfàn 做饭 Verb ne 呢 Pattern
I can cook, you know!
nǎinai 奶奶 Subject kàn 看 Verb diànshì 电视 Object ne 呢 Pattern
Grandma's watching TV (right now).
bié 别 Negation dānxīn 担心 Verb qián 钱 Subject hái 还 Adverb gòu 够 Adjective ne 呢 Pattern
Don't worry — there's still enough money.
wǒ 我 Subject hái 还 Adverb méi 没 Negation zhǔnbèi hǎo 准备好 Verb ne 呢 Pattern
I'm not ready yet (you know)!
wàimian 外面 Place lěng 冷 Adjective zhe 着 Function word ne 呢 Pattern duō 多 Adverb chuān 穿 Verb diǎn 点 Measure word
It's freezing out (wear more)!
wǒ 我 Subject cái 才 Adverb bù 不 Negation pà 怕 Verb ne 呢 Pattern
I'm so not scared!
wǒ 我 Subject děng 等 Verb le 了 Function word nǐ 你 Object yí gè xiǎoshí 一个小时 Time ne 呢 Pattern
I waited a whole hour for you!
Common mistakes
Why it happens: 呢 and 吗 can't both be there — a sentence is either an emphatic statement (呢) or a yes/no question (吗), never 呢吗. “It's still hot out!” is 外面还热呢 (a statement); to ask, it's 外面还热吗？.
Why it happens: “Not yet” is 还没…呢, not 还不…呢. 没 negates something that hasn't happened (“he hasn't come yet” = 他还没来呢); 还不来 would mean “still won't come” (a refusal), a different idea.
Why it happens: After a lone topic, 呢 reads as the “what about?” question — 工作呢？= “what about work?”. To emphasize the whole statement, 呢 goes at the very end: 工作还有很多呢 (“there's still loads of work!”).
Compare & contrast
| 呢 on a statement — emphasis / “you know!” | 呢 after a topic — “what about…?” (a question) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 时间还早呢。shíjiān hái zǎo ne. = It's still early! (insisting) | 你呢？nǐ ne? = And you? / What about you? | 时间还早呢 asserts with feeling — “it's still early!”. 你呢？asks — “and you? / what about you?”. A full sentence in front → emphasis; a lone topic → question. |
| 外面下雨呢。wàimian xià yǔ ne. = It's raining out (right now)! | 我的钥匙呢？wǒ de yàoshi ne? = Where are my keys? | 外面下雨呢 = “it's raining out (right now)!” (a statement). 我的钥匙呢？= “where are my keys?” (a question). Same 呢, told apart by what comes before it. |
Try it yourself
Insist “It's still hot out!” — tap the words into order.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
Modal 呢 (ne): The “Still / You Know!” Emphasis Particle grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.