奈 (nài) is a Chinese character meaning “how”. It is written from 大 (big) and 示 (altar; to show, to indicate), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “how; what can be done about it”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
大 + 示
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 与「大」（3 画）逐笔对应，笔画 3–7 与「示」（5 画）对应，合计 8 画
Memory aid
Something big (大) hangs over the altar (示): you can only stand there and ask — what is there to do about it? That shrug is 奈, the character inside 无奈, "nothing to be done".
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 无奈wú nàihelpless; to have no choice奈 = nài
- 奈何nài héhow; to do something about (someone or something)奈 = nài
Go deeper
All readings
how; to do something about
how; what to do about it; to cope with, to bear — in modern Chinese it appears almost only inside words such as 无奈 and 奈何.
如何、怎么办；对付、承受。现代汉语中基本只出现在「无奈」「奈何」等词里。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 无奈wú nàihelpless; to have no choice奈 = nài
- 奈何nài héhow; to do something about (someone or something)奈 = nài
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 奈 mean?
奈 (nài) means how; what to do about it; to cope with, to bear — in modern Chinese it appears almost only inside words such as 无奈 and 奈何..
How do you pronounce 奈?
It is pronounced nài.
What parts is 奈 made of?
大 (big) and 示 (altar; to show, to indicate), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 与「大」（3 画）逐笔对应，笔画 3–7 与「示」（5 画）对应，合计 8 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 奈 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 奈?
大. 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 奈?
Common ones are 无奈 and 奈何. The reading of 奈 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.