乃 (nǎi) is a Chinese character meaning “thus”. It is written from 乙 (second Heavenly Stem) and 丿 (left-falling stroke), one enclosing the other, and takes 2 strokes.
Build the character for “thus; only then”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
乙 + 丿
Enclosing structure
Structure from: makemeahanzi dictionary modern decomposition candidate, verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry
Memory aid
An 乙-shaped bend wraps around a left-falling stroke (丿): 乃 means thus or only then.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
2 strokes
In real words
- 乃至nǎi zhìand even; up to乃 = nǎi
- 乃是nǎi shìis; indeed is乃 = nǎi
Go deeper
All readings
thus; only then
thus; therefore; only then; to be
表示于是、因此，也可表示“才”或判断，相当于“是”。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 乃至nǎi zhìand even; up to乃 = nǎi
- 乃是nǎi shìis; indeed is乃 = nǎi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 乃 mean?
乃 (nǎi) means thus; therefore; only then; to be.
How do you pronounce 乃?
It is pronounced nǎi.
What parts is 乃 made of?
乙 (second Heavenly Stem) and 丿 (left-falling stroke), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: makemeahanzi dictionary modern decomposition candidate, verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 乃 have?
2. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 乃?
丿. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 乃?
Common ones are 乃至 and 乃是. The reading of 乃 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.