哪 meaning and stroke order
How; which
How to write 哪, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 哪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- how
- which
- (emphatic sentence-final particle, used instead of 啊[a5] after a word ending in "n")
- which? (interrogative, followed by classifier or numeral-classifier)
- used in 哪吒[Ne2 zha1]
- Taiwan pr. [nuo2]
How 哪 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 那 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 哪
哪 is 那 (nà, that) with a 口 (mouth) added on the left. When you point at "that" one and open your mouth to ask about it, you get the question "which?"
哪 is mainly a question word meaning "which" and is usually followed by a measure word, as in 哪个 (nǎge) or 哪本书. Add 里 or 儿 to ask "where": 你住在哪儿？(Nǐ zhù zài nǎr?) Where do you live?
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 哪 (nǎ, which, third tone, with 口) and 那 (nà, that, fourth tone, no 口). Dropping the 口 turns your question "which one?" into the statement "that one."
Common words with 哪
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
哪 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 哪
How many strokes are in 哪?
哪 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 哪 mean?
哪 (nǎ) means how; which. A common word with it is 哪里 (nǎlǐ), meaning "where?; somewhere".
How do you pronounce 哪?
哪 is pronounced nǎ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 哪?
The radical of 哪 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 哪 under this radical.
Is 哪 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 哪 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Why do people sometimes say něi instead of nǎ?
Before a measure word or number, many speakers say něi, as in 哪个 (něige). It is a common spoken form of 哪一. Both nǎge and něige are correct.
Can 哪 be used in a sentence that is not a question?
Yes. In rhetorical questions it expresses denial, as in 我哪知道？(Wǒ nǎ zhīdào?) How would I know? It also appears in 哪怕 (nǎpà) meaning "even if," and as the particle na after words ending in n, like 天哪 (tiān na).