钠 (nà) is a Chinese character meaning “sodium (chemical element Na)”. It is written from 钅 (metal radical (left-side form of 金)) and 内 (inside), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “sodium — the metal inside table salt”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
钅 + 内
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（钅 5 画 + 内 4 画 = 9 画）
Memory aid
The metal radical 钅 tells you this is a metal; 内 “inside” is the sound part — nèi points you toward nà. Sodium: the metal hiding inside your table salt.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 氯化钠lǜ huà nàsodium chloride; table salt钠 = nà
- 钠盐nà yánsodium salt钠 = nà
Go deeper
All readings
sodium
sodium (chemical element Na)
金属元素，符号 Na，银白色、质软，化合物广泛存在于食盐中。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 氯化钠lǜ huà nàsodium chloride; table salt钠 = nà
- 钠盐nà yánsodium salt钠 = nà
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 钠 mean?
钠 (nà) means sodium (chemical element Na).
How do you pronounce 钠?
It is pronounced nà.
What parts is 钠 made of?
钅 (metal radical (left-side form of 金)) and 内 (inside), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（钅 5 画 + 内 4 画 = 9 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 钠 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 钠?
金. 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 钠?
Common ones are 氯化钠 and 钠盐. The reading of 钠 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.