Meaning of 那里
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- there; that place
- there; that place
How to use 那里
那里 is a pronoun for a place away from the speaker, and it often follows 在 (zài) or a noun. In speech the 里 is usually light, so you will hear nàli. Example: 我的书在那里。(Wǒ de shū zài nàli.) My book is over there.
那 (nà) means "that" and 里 (lǐ) means "inside", so 那里 is "inside that place", which is simply "there". Pair it in your mind with 这里 (zhèlǐ), "inside this place", meaning "here".
Common mistake: Learners mix up 那里 (nàli, fourth tone, "there") with 哪里 (nǎlǐ, third tone, "where"). The characters differ only by the 口 on the left of 哪, so check both the tone and the shape.
那里 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
那 nà · that · 6 strokes
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里 lǐ · lining · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 那里.
Questions about 那里
What does 那里 mean?
那里 (nàlǐ) means "there; that place" and is used as a pronoun.
How do you write 那里?
那里 is made of 2 characters: 那 (6 strokes), 里 (7 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 那里 an HSK word?
Yes. 那里 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 那里 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 那里 is written 那裡|那裏.
What is the difference between 那里 and 那儿?
They mean the same thing. 那儿 (nàr) is more common in northern and Beijing speech, while 那里 sounds a bit more neutral and is used everywhere, including in writing.
Can I put 那里 after a person to mean their place?
Yes. 我朋友那里 (wǒ péngyou nàli) means "at my friend's place". Chinese often needs 那里 or 这里 after a person or object to turn it into a location, as in 去老师那里 (qù lǎoshī nàli), go to the teacher.