拿 (ná) is a Chinese character meaning “to take”. It is written from 合 (to close; to join together) and 手 (hand), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to take; to hold”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
合 + 手
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: Unicode U+62FF, Unicode radical 64 (手), and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph inspection (strokes 0–5 form 合; strokes 6–9 form 手)
Memory aid
Close (合) your hand (手) around something and you have it: 拿 means to take or hold. Both parts really are in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 拿走ná zǒuto take away拿 = ná
- 拿手ná shǒuto be good at; one's specialty拿 = ná
Go deeper
All readings
to take; to hold
to take; to hold; to carry (in the hand); to seize
用手握住或取；取来、带着。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 拿走ná zǒuto take away拿 = ná
- 拿手ná shǒuto be good at; one's specialty拿 = ná
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 拿 mean?
拿 (ná) means to take; to hold; to carry (in the hand); to seize.
How do you pronounce 拿?
It is pronounced ná.
What parts is 拿 made of?
合 (to close; to join together) and 手 (hand), one above the other. The recorded source is: Unicode U+62FF, Unicode radical 64 (手), and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph inspection (strokes 0–5 form 合; strokes 6–9 form 手). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 拿 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 拿?
手. 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 拿?
Common ones are 拿走 and 拿手. The reading of 拿 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.