ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY
那
that; then
nà
6 strokes · 阝 (city) on the right — originally a place name far away · HSK 1
What 那 is made of
刀 + 二 + 阝 = 那
阝mound / city wall
Where 那 comes from
Originally the name of a distant western town, written with the city radical 阝. A far-off place became the pointer for far-off things: 'that one over there'.
那 in Chinese culture
这 this vs 那 that — the fundamental near/far pair. Sentence-initial 那 means 'well then': 那我们走吧 'then let's go'. And 那个 nèige, stretched out, is the great Chinese filler word — the 'um' you'll hear everywhere.
Example
那个 nàge — that one
那本书是我的。
Nà běn shū shì wǒ de.
That book is mine.
How to remember it
A far-away CITY 阝 — point at it: THAT.
As a filler, 那个 shifts pronunciation to nèige — foreigners are often startled to learn it's just 'um'.
Same sound, different tones
Words unlocked by 那
那个 nàge
that one
那么 nàme
so; in that way
Related characters
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