what?
On'yomi (音読み)
- ナ
- ダ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- なに
- なんぞ
- いかん
About this kanji
The kanji 「那」 primarily means "what?" and is often used in questions. It is mostly used as a noun or within compounds. A common compound is 旦那 (だんな), which means "master" or "husband," often referring to the head of a household. Another is 刹那 (せつな), meaning "moment," which conveys a fleeting period of time. Additionally, 支那 (しな) historically referred to China, while 印度支那 (インドシナ) refers to the region known as Indochina. A note to remember is that 「那」often appears in literary or formal contexts, and while it may seem outdated in casual conversation, its compounds are still relevant today.
Example sentences
那の山は美しい景色が広がる。
That mountain has a beautiful view.
Meanings across languages
- English
- what?
- Tiếng Việt
- gì?
- 日本語
- 何？
- 한국어
- 뭐?
- 中文
- 什么？
- id
- apa?
- th
- อะไร?
- es
- ¿qué?
- fr
- quoi?
- de
- was?
- pt
- o quê?
Common compounds
- 旦那だんなmaster (of a house, shop, etc.), husband, sir
- 刹那せつなmoment, instant, kshana
- 支那しなChina
- 印度支那インドシナIndochina
- 那辺なへんwhere
- 遮那しゃなMahavairocana (Bodhisattva)
- 禅那ぜんなdhyana (profound meditation)
- 末那まなmanas (defiled mental consciousness, which gives rise to the perception of self)
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.