Definitions

nuó (adjective) elegant; graceful
(particle) phonetic sound 'na'

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "娜" is a phonetic-semantic compound formed by the radical "女", meaning woman, and the component "那", which primarily provides phonetic guidance while occasionally lending a demonstrative nuance. This structure inherently links the character to feminine qualities, with the phonetic element aligning it to the "na" sound. Historically, the character appeared in classical literature within words such as "婀娜", describing graceful and supple movements, a meaning that has persisted as its central connotation. Over time, its usage has become more specialized, moving from general descriptive contexts to being almost exclusively found in female given names, where it conveys elegance and beauty, and it also serves in transliterating foreign names. The character's written form has not undergone significant alteration, maintaining its original composition throughout its history.

Example Sentences Hide

喜欢猫。

Ān nà xǐ huān māo.

Anna likes cats.

在唱歌。

Lì nà zài chàng gē.

Lina is singing.

今天休息。

Nà nà jīn tiān xiū xi.

Nana is resting today.

和丽是同学。

Ān nà hé Lì nà shì tóng xué.

Anna and Lina are classmates.

的柳枝在风中摇曳。

Ē nuó de liǔ zhī zài fēng zhōng yáo yè.

The graceful willow branches sway in the wind.

正在学习中文。

Nà nà zhèng zài xué xí Zhōng wén.

Nana is learning Chinese.

从北京回来了。

Ān nà cóng Běi jīng huí lái le.

Anna returned from Beijing.

的舞姿像婀的杨柳。

Lì nà de wǔ zī xiàng ē nuó de yáng liǔ.

Lina's dance posture is like graceful willow.