钠 meaning and stroke order
Sodium, natrium; to sharpen wood
How to write 钠, 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 钠
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- sodium (chemistry)
How 钠 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Metal.
钅 gives the meaning and 内 hints at the sound.
Radical: 钅 (gold), shared by 223 characters on this site.
How to remember 钠
The metal radical 钅 tells you this is a metal element, and 内 (nèi) gives the sound, close to nà. Picture a soft metal kept inside (内) oil so it stays away from air, which is how sodium is stored.
In modern Chinese 钠 is almost only used for the chemical element sodium, especially in compounds and on food labels. A very common word is 氯化钠 (lǜhuànà), sodium chloride, which is table salt. Example: 这种饮料含钠很高。(Zhè zhǒng yǐnliào hán nà hěn gāo.) This drink is very high in sodium.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 钠 (nà) with 纳 (nà, to accept), which has the silk radical 纟 instead of the metal radical 钅. They sound the same, so check the left side: chemistry words use 钅.
钠 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 钠
How many strokes are in 钠?
钠 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 钠 mean?
钠 (nà) means sodium, natrium; to sharpen wood.
How do you pronounce 钠?
钠 is pronounced nà, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 钠?
The radical of 钠 is 钅, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 钠 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 钠?
The traditional form of 钠 is 鈉. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 钠 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
How do you say 'salt' versus 'sodium' in Chinese?
Everyday salt is 盐 (yán), while sodium the element is 钠 (nà). Nutrition labels list sodium content as 钠, often in milligrams.
What are some common words with 钠?
Besides 氯化钠 (lǜhuànà, sodium chloride), you will see 碳酸氢钠 (tànsuān qīng nà, sodium bicarbonate, baking soda) and 低钠 (dī nà, low sodium) on food packaging.