นี่ / นั่น / โน่น

Pointing with นี่, นั่น, And โน่น

Level 1

นี่: this
นั่น: that
โน่น: that over there
The examples point to an item, a house, or a location. These forms do not measure a fixed physical distance.

How It Works

1. Identify the Referent
นี่คืออะไร asks what this is, using คือ in the complete question. นั่นของใคร asks whose that is. โน่นคือบ้านของฉัน identifies the house being pointed out over there. These examples do not require the object to be within arm’s reach or beside a particular participant.

2. Keep the Spellings Distinct
Compare the linked นี้ / นั้น / โน้น examples. In the specific pair โน่น / โน้น, โน่น has a falling tone and โน้น has a high tone: low-class น with a long live syllable and mai ek versus mai tho. This is a spelling-specific contrast, not a rule that changing any Thai tone turns every pronoun into an adjective. These two spellings have different tones.

3. Requested Sentence Forms
The first exercise requests คนนี้สวย with นี้. The second requests นี่คือบ้านใหญ่, “This is a big house,” rather than a different sentence about this house. Their alternatives do not reproduce those requested forms; this does not make every noun followed by นี่ ungrammatical or require a separate classifier in every Thai noun expression.

4. Location and Time
มานี่ means come here in the displayed directive. Interpret its location use within the complete construction rather than imposing a ban on every other location context. The linked วันนี้ entry teaches its own time expressions. วันโน้น is attested for a day in the past; recognize that possibility without a universal rule limiting distant demonstratives to broad eras or declaring every time reference identical.

5. Further Pointing Constructions
Compare นั่นสิ and นั่นแหละ in their full conversational examples. The linked นั้น form can occur in expressions such as เรื่องนั้น, that matter. These references can involve a topic already mentioned as well as pointing at a physical object; the full context determines the referent.

6. Ask About a Location
The linked ที่ไหน asks where in its complete examples. Distinguish that question from identifying an item or pointing to a place. This entry does not prescribe frequency, an exact distance, an unrecorded pronunciation of conversational variants, or how speakers must spell every text message.

Examples (5)

  1. นี่คืออะไร

    What is this?

    Word by Word: this / is / what

    นี่ introduces the referent being identified in this question, and คือ connects it to อะไร, what. The question does not specify an exact distance.

  2. นั่นของใคร

    Whose is that?

    Word by Word: that / belonging to / whom

    นั่น identifies the referent, and ของ links it to ใคร in the ownership question. The sentence does not establish that the item must be next to the listener.

  3. โน่นคือบ้านของฉัน

    That over there is my house.

    Word by Word: that over there / is / house / belonging to / me

    โน่น points out the house over there, and the rest identifies it as the speaker’s house. Its precise distance is supplied by the pointing context.

  4. เอานี่ไหม

    Do you want this?

    Word by Word: take / this / [question particle]

    Here, นี่ (nîi) is the object of the verb เอา (ao). The sentence ends with the ไหม question particle.

  5. มานี่

    Come here.

    Word by Word: come / here

    In this complete directive, นี่ identifies the location to come to. It is translated here rather than an isolated object this.

Common Mistakes

  • Not using นี้ in the requested คนนี้สวย sentence.

    คนนี่สวย
    คนนี้สวย

    The task requests คนนี้สวย with the linked นี้ spelling. คนนี่สวย does not reproduce that form. This comparison does not declare every construction with a noun followed by นี่ ungrammatical, and it does not require inserting another classifier into the requested คนนี้ expression.

  • Not reproducing the requested identification sentence.

    บ้านนี่ใหญ่
    นี่คือบ้านใหญ่

    The task requests นี่คือบ้านใหญ่, “This is a big house.” บ้านนี่ใหญ่ can instead concern the size of this house and does not reproduce the requested identification sentence. This is a meaning-and-construction task, not a universal prohibition on noun followed by นี่.

How It Connects

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นี่ / นั่น / โน่นLevel 1Pointing with นี่, นั่น, And โน่น

Learn This First

To become confident with these demonstrative pronouns, you first need to understand the spatial relationship concepts (near, far, very far) found in their adjective counterparts. You also need to understand basic Thai sentence structure to place these pronouns correctly as subjects or objects, and be able to distinguish them from adjectives via their tone marks.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

นี่