The word "核电站" is formed by combining three characters: 核 (hé), meaning "nuclear"; 电 (diàn), meaning "electricity"; and 站 (zhàn), meaning "station". Here, 核 modifies 电 to create the concept of "nuclear electricity", and this compound then attaches to 站 to specify the facility type, resulting in the literal meaning "nuclear electricity station", or "nuclear power plant".