Chinese

拿

ná
to take; to hold; to grasp
  • HSK 1
  • TOCFL 2
  • radical 手
  • 10 strokes
  • 拏

Etymology graph

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Origin

The character 拿 is composed of the components 合 and 手. The component 合, meaning to close or to shut, is itself formed from 亼 and 口. The component 亼 is composed of 入 and 一, while 口 refers to the mouth, specifically the lips and internal mouth cavity.

This character serves as a later alternative glyph for 拏 and 挐 regarding senses related to taking with the hand. While it was originally regarded as unorthodox by Zhengzitong and Zihui, it is used to denote holding or taking objects with the hand, capturing, using, or presiding over and grasping something.

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

Lineage

  • componentChinese合 “to close; to shut”
    • ideaChinese亼 “mouth”
      • ideaChinese入 “to enter; to go into”
      • ideaChinese一 “one”
    • ideaChinese口 “mouth, especially the lips and internal mouth cavity (Classifier: 把 c)”
  • componentChinese手 “hand (Classifier: 隻／只 m c mn; 雙／双 m mn; 對／对 c)”

Words built on it: 拿到, 拿出

Wiktionary etymology text

合 + 手.

A later alternative glyph of 拏 and 挐 for senses related to “to take with hand”. Originally regarded as unorthodox by Zhengzitong and Zihui.

From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Sources