Meaning
那 is one of the most basic demonstrative pronouns in Mandarin, pointing to something distant from the speaker (comparable to 'that' in English). It contrasts with 这 (zhè, 'this') which refers to things closer to the speaker. 那 can modify nouns directly or stand alone as a pronoun.
Usage
那 is used constantly in everyday speech to point out people, things, or situations that are not immediately near the speaker. It can also mean 'then' or 'in that case' when used as a conjunction at the start of a sentence. Native speakers often pronounce it as 'nèi' before measure words (那个 sounds like 'nèige').
Examples
- 01那是我的书。.That is my book.
- 02那我们明天见吧。.Then let's meet tomorrow.
Common collocations
- 那个that one
- 那里there
- 那么so, then, like that
- 那时候at that time
Antonyms
Origin
那 is an ancient character that has served as a demonstrative pronoun since classical Chinese. Its original form combined semantic elements suggesting distance or pointing away from the speaker.