拿 meaning in English

ná

to hold; to seize

HSK 1verb10 strokes

Meaning of 拿

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

ná

to hold
to seize
to catch
to apprehend
to take
(used in the same way as 把[ba3]: to mark the following noun as a direct object)

ná

old variant of 拿[na2]

ná

variant of 拿[na2]

How to use 拿

拿 is the everyday verb for picking up, holding, or taking something with your hand, and it often pairs with direction words like 拿来 (nálái, to bring) or 拿走 (názǒu, to take away). Example: 你拿一下这个包。(Nǐ ná yíxià zhège bāo.) Could you hold this bag for a moment?

拿 (ná) is 合 (hé, to join) sitting on top of 手 (shǒu, hand). Picture your fingers closing together around something so you can hold it.

Common mistake: Learners often write the bottom part as 扌, the side hand radical, but in 拿 the hand is the full 手 placed underneath 合. Also keep the second tone. It is ná, not nà like 那.

拿 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

这zhè些xiē东dōng西xī，我wǒ还hái要yào用yòng，请qǐng你nǐ别bié拿ná走zǒu。

I still need to use these things, so please don't take them away.

你nǐ想xiǎng拿ná什shén么me就jiù拿ná什shén么me。

You can take whatever you like.

那nà些xiē女nǚ人rén是shì加jiā拿ná大dà人rén。

Those women are Canadians.

他tā说shuō：“我wǒ是shì加jiā拿ná大dà来lái的de。”

He said, "I'm from Canada."

你nǐ不bú是shì加jiā拿ná大dà人rén，是shì吗ma？

You're not Canadian, are you?

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

拿 ná · to hold · 10 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 拿.

拿到	nádào	to get; to obtain
拿出	náchū	to take out; to put out
拿走	názǒu	to take away
拿手	náshǒu	expert in; good at
桑拿	sāngná	(loanword) sauna
拿来	nálái	to bring; to fetch
拿下	náxià	to arrest; to capture
捉拿	zhuōná	to arrest; to catch a criminal
拿主意	názhǔyi	to make a decision; to make up one's mind

Questions about 拿

What does 拿 mean?

拿 (ná) means "to hold; to seize" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 拿?

拿 is made of 1 character: 拿 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.

Is 拿 an HSK word?

Yes. 拿 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 拿 and 带?

拿 (ná) focuses on holding or taking something in your hand. 带 (dài) means to carry something along with you or bring it somewhere, for example 带伞 (dài sǎn, bring an umbrella). You can say 拿着伞 for holding an umbrella right now.

Does 拿手 mean someone's hand?

No. 拿手 (náshǒu) means good at or expert in something, as in 拿手菜 (náshǒu cài), a person's best dish. It describes a skill, not a body part.