What 那 means
It usually points to “that” or sets up “then.” In Mandarin, 那 (nà) contrasts with 这 (zhè), “this.” It can refer to a person, time, or whole situation already under discussion; the distance can be temporal or conversational, not just across a room.
Read sentence-opening 那 against what came before. In 你不去，那我走, it means “If you’re not going, then I’ll go”: 那 connects a condition to the speaker’s response.
Why do old texts use 那 for questions?
Older writing sometimes uses 那 where modern Mandarin uses 哪. An interrogative 那 in a historical text is not automatically a typo. Some scholars connect this question use with shortened expressions such as 奈何, 如何, or 若何, but the route is disputed.
The Shuowen Jiezi, an early Chinese character dictionary, records 那 as a place name associated with a western state and analyzes its parts as a place-name element and a sound element. Other dictionaries record older senses glossed as “many,” “peaceful,” or “how.” These records show different uses, but do not establish a single route from the place name to today’s “that.”
How do I type 那?
Enter na in a Pinyin input method. It may offer both 那 and 哪 under toneless na. Check the written candidate and sentence: 那 is nà, “that/then”; 哪 is nǎ, “which/where.” 哪 has an extra 口 on the left.
那 is ordinary Mandarin for “that” or “then.” Using it for “which” in modern standard writing can look old-fashioned or mistaken.
For a modern “which?” question, choose 哪; 那 can look like a typo.
What it means when someone sends it to you
3 readingsDon't confuse it with
1Combination ideas
3Questions people ask
1Why is 那 pronounced nèi in 那个?
It can be pronounced nèi. Chinese dictionary descriptions connect this reading with a contracted 那一 before a measure word, the kind of word used before a noun when counting it. The written character remains 那.
How to type 那
那\90A3Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.