字Study Chinese Characters
内

nèi inside

4 strokes

内 (nèi) is a Chinese character meaning “inside”. It is written from 冂 (down box) and 人 (person), one enclosing the other, and takes 4 strokes.

Build the character for “inside”

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Structure

冂 + 人

Enclosing structure

  • 冂 down box · jiōng meaning
  • 人 person · rén meaning

Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿵冂人；与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验：第 1–2 笔属 冂，第 3–4 笔属 人

Memory aid

A person (人) standing under the open frame (冂) — not outside, but inside.

This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.

Stroke order

4 strokes

In real words

  • 国内guó nèidomestic; within the country内 = nèiHSK 4
  • 内心nèi xīninner feelings; heart内 = nèiHSK 5
  • 内奸nèi jiāna traitor inside one's own group; inside collaborator内 = nèi
  • 内容nèi róngcontent; contents内 = nèi
  • 内敛nèi liǎnreserved; low-key; understated内 = nèi
  • 内涝nèi làowaterlogging (rainwater that cannot drain away, e.g. in a city or low fields)内 = nèi
  • 内涵nèi hánconnotation; inner meaning; depth (of character)内 = nèi
  • 内疚nèi jiùto feel guilty; guilty conscience内 = nèi
  • 内阁nèi gécabinet (of a government)内 = nèi
Go deeper

All readings

nèi main reading

inside

inside; inner; within; internal

里面；一定范围以内。与「外」相对。 — studyhanzi 编写

Words with this reading

  • 国内guó nèidomestic; within the country内 = nèiHSK 4
  • 内心nèi xīninner feelings; heart内 = nèiHSK 5
  • 内奸nèi jiāna traitor inside one's own group; inside collaborator内 = nèi
  • 内容nèi róngcontent; contents内 = nèi
  • 内敛nèi liǎnreserved; low-key; understated内 = nèi
  • 内涝nèi làowaterlogging (rainwater that cannot drain away, e.g. in a city or low fields)内 = nèi
  • 内涵nèi hánconnotation; inner meaning; depth (of character)内 = nèi
  • 内疚nèi jiùto feel guilty; guilty conscience内 = nèi
  • 内阁nèi gécabinet (of a government)内 = nèi

Other characters with these parts

冂 → 两丽冈冉口同央巾

人 → 个亥从仑仓令以企

Easy to confuse with

贝肉冈

Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions

Questions people ask about this character

What does 内 mean?

内 (nèi) means inside; inner; within; internal.

How do you pronounce 内?

It is pronounced nèi.

What parts is 内 made of?

冂 (down box) and 人 (person), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿵冂人；与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验：第 1–2 笔属 冂，第 3–4 笔属 人. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.

How many strokes does 内 have?

4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 内?

入. 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 内?

Common ones are 国内 and 内心. The reading of 内 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.