那
that
nà
What does 那 mean?
那 (nà) is the Chinese demonstrative for 'that' — pointing to something further from the speaker, in contrast to 这 (zhè) 'this.' It also functions as a conjunction meaning 'then / in that case' (那我们走吧 'then let's go'). Two things to know: first, when 那 is followed by a noun, Chinese requires a measure word — you say 那个人 'that person,' not 那人. Second, in casual Beijing-area speech, 那 is often pronounced 'nèi' before a measure word (那个 → nèige), and 'that one' is 那个 (nàge / nèige). The character also reads 'nǎ' in a few older texts, but standard Mandarin keeps 'nà' for 'that' and 哪 for 'which.' 那 appears in many high-frequency words: 那里 'there,' 那么 'so / in that way,' 那时候 'at that time.'
Character breakdown
that; in that case
Memory hook: 那 has the 阝(city/place) radical on the right — pointing to a place 'over there.'
Example sentences
那是我的书。
Nà shì wǒ de shū.
That is my book.
neutral
那个人是谁？
Nàge rén shì shéi?
Who is that person?
spoken
我喜欢那家饭店。
Wǒ xǐhuan nà jiā fàndiàn.
I like that restaurant.
neutral
那我们明天见。
Nà wǒmen míngtiān jiàn.
Then we'll see each other tomorrow.
spoken
Common phrases with 那
Don't confuse 那 with
哪 (third tone) means 'which?' and adds a 口 (mouth) radical: 哪个 'which one.' 那 (fourth tone) means 'that.' Tone + radical tell them apart.
这 means 'this' (closer to speaker); 那 means 'that' (farther). Common pair: 这个 vs 那个.
Same character — 'nèi' is the colloquial reading of 那 before a measure word, common in northern Mandarin. Pronunciation differs; meaning does not.