那

nā, nuó, nǎ, nà

二 + 刀 + 阝

HSK 2.0Level 1

HSK 3.0Level 1

Frequency#38

Definitions

nà (pronoun) that; those

nà (adverb) then; in that case

nèi (prounoun) that; those (colloquial pronunciation)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. ⻏ represents the meaning and 冄 represents the sound.

About

The character "那" originated as a toponym for a region or state in ancient China, and its structure combines the place-indicating radical 阝 with the component 冄. Originally serving as a proper noun for a specific location, the character's meaning gradually expanded to function as a demonstrative pronoun, acquiring its modern sense of "that" or "those" through semantic shift.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

那是我的狗。

Nà shì wǒ de gǒu.

That is my dog.

那里有很多人。

Nàlǐ yǒu hěnduō rén.

There are many people there.

那么我们现在走吧。

Nàme wǒmen xiànzài zǒu ba.

Then let's go now.

那个孩子很聪明。

Nàge háizi hěn cōngmíng.

That child is very smart.

如果你不去，那我也不去。

Rúguǒ nǐ bù qù, nà wǒ yě bù qù.

If you don't go, then I won't go either.

那本书的内容非常有趣。

Nà běn shū de nèiróng fēicháng yǒuqù.

The content of that book is very interesting.

在那种情况下，我们应该冷静。

Zài nà zhǒng qíngkuàng xià, wǒmen yīnggāi lěngjìng.

In that kind of situation, we should stay calm.

尽管那时很困难，但他从未放弃。

Jǐnguǎn nàshí hěn kùnnan, dàn tā cóngwèi fàngqì.

Even though it was very difficult at that time, he never gave up.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 二

Component: 刀

Component: 阝

那