捺 (nà) is a Chinese character meaning “to press down firmly”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 奈 (how; what to do (as in 无奈 “no way out”)), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to press down; right-falling stroke”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
扌 + 奈
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰扌奈），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「扌」，笔画 3–10 与「奈」逐笔对应（3+8=11画）；「扌」表示手的动作，「奈 nài」与「捺 nà」声母相同，判为声符。只描述今形构成，不追溯上古来源。
Memory aid
When you don’t know what to do (奈), your hand (扌) presses it down and holds it in — 捺 means to press down or restrain.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 按捺àn nàto restrain; to hold back (one’s feelings)捺 = nà
- 撇捺piě nàleft-falling and right-falling strokes (in Chinese writing)捺 = nà
Go deeper
All readings
to press down; right-falling stroke
to press down firmly; to restrain; the right-falling stroke (㇏) in Chinese writing
用手重按；抑制、忍住。也指汉字笔画中向右下斜出的一笔。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 按捺àn nàto restrain; to hold back (one’s feelings)捺 = nà
- 撇捺piě nàleft-falling and right-falling strokes (in Chinese writing)捺 = nà
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 捺 mean?
捺 (nà) means to press down firmly; to restrain; the right-falling stroke (㇏) in Chinese writing.
How do you pronounce 捺?
It is pronounced nà.
What parts is 捺 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 奈 (how; what to do (as in 无奈 “no way out”)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰扌奈），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「扌」，笔画 3–10 与「奈」逐笔对应（3+8=11画）；「扌」表示手的动作，「奈 nài」与「捺 nà」声母相同，判为声符。只描述今形构成，不追溯上古来源。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 捺 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 捺?
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 捺?
Common ones are 按捺 and 撇捺. The reading of 捺 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.