奈

See also: 柰

奈 U+5948, 奈 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5948 ← 奇 [U+5947] CJK Unified Ideographs 奉 → [U+5949]

奈 U+F90C, 奈 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-F90C ← 喇 [U+F90B] CJK Compatibility Ideographs 懶 → [U+F90D]

Translingual

Han character

奈 (Kangxi radical 37, 大+5, 8 strokes, cangjie input 大一一火 (KMMF), four-corner 4090₁, composition ⿱大示)

Derived characters

• 倷 㖠 捺 㮈 㴎 錼 䱞 萘 𡞏 𪨼 𭝎 𭦛 𪻦 𥇧 𮁿 𦝀 𮚎 𮛢 𩈫 𩜪 𣮦 𬷝 𪥑 𠣼 𫆕 𤷈 𦤗 𮂃 𭝍

Descendants

• な
• ナ

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 251, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 5893
• Dae Jaweon: page 511, character 1
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 532, character 2
• Unihan data for U+5948
• Unihan data for U+F90C

Chinese

trad.		奈
simp. #		奈
alternative forms		柰

Glyph origin

	Old Chinese
奈	*naːls, *naːds
柰	*naːds
渿	*naːds
捺	*naːd

Characters in the same phonetic series (奈) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

A variant of 柰; however it is etymologically unrelated to it. It represents a man (大) and a sacrifical altair (示), perhaps with a reference to a sacrifice.

Etymology

“how; why”

Possibly a contraction of 若 (OC *nak) and 之 (OC *tə), as in 若之何 (ruòzhīhé) (Pulleyblank, 1995, p. 34).

“nano-”

Borrowed from English nano-.

Pronunciation

Rime
Character	奈	奈
Reading #	1/2	2/2
Initial (聲)	泥 (8)	泥 (8)
Final (韻)	泰 (25)	歌 (94)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	I
Fanqie	奴帶切	奴箇切
Baxter	najH	naH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/nɑiH/	/nɑH/
Pan Wuyun	/nɑiH/	/nɑH/
Shao Rongfen	/nɑiH/	/nɑH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/najH/	/naH/
Li Rong	/nɑiH/	/nɑH/
Wang Li	/nɑiH/	/nɑH/
Bernhard Karlgren	/nɑiH/	/nɑH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	nài	nuò
Expected Cantonese Reflex	naai6	no6

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	奈
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	nài
Middle Chinese	‹ najH ›
Old Chinese	/*nˁa[t]-s/
English	cope with
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	奈	奈
Reading #	1/2	2/2
No.	9349	9350
Phonetic component	奈	奈
Rime group	歌	祭
Rime subdivision	1	1
Corresponding MC rime	奈	柰
Old Chinese	/*naːls/	/*naːds/

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): nài (nai⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄋㄞˋ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): noi⁶

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): noi⁵

• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): nai
• Eastern Min (BUC): nâi
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): nai⁵
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): tā / ta / tāi / nāi

  (Teochew, Peng'im): nai⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: nài
    • Zhuyin: ㄋㄞˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: nài
    • Wade–Giles: nai⁴
    • Yale: nài
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: nay
    • Palladius: най (naj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /naɪ̯⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: noi⁶
    • Yale: noih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: noi⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: noi⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nɔːi̯²²/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: noi⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ⁿdᵘɔi³²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: nai
    • Hakka Romanization System: nai
    • Hagfa Pinyim: nai⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /nai̯⁵⁵/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: nâi
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nˡɑi²⁴²/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian, Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: nai⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nai²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, variant in Taiwan, Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tā
    • Tâi-lô: tā
    • Phofsit Daibuun: da
    • IPA (Xiamen): /ta²²/
    • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /ta³³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /ta⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ta
    • Tâi-lô: ta
    • Phofsit Daibuun: daf
    • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /ta⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tāi
    • Tâi-lô: tāi
    • Phofsit Daibuun: dai
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /tai²²/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: nāi
    • Tâi-lô: nāi
    • Phofsit Daibuun: nai
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /nãi⁴¹/
    • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /nãi³³/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /nãi²²/

Note:

• ta/tai/tā - vernacular (limited, e.g. 無奈何);
• nāi - literary.

• • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: nai⁶
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: năi
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nai³⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: najH, naH

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*nˤa[t]-s/

  (Zhengzhang): /*naːls/, /*naːds/

Definitions

奈

1. how; why (used in rhetorical questions)
2. to bear; to stand; to endure
3. [from 1985] (Taiwan) nano- (SI unit prefix)

   Synonym: 納 / 纳 (nà) (Mainland China)

See also

SI prefix
Last		Next
微 (wēi)	奈/納	皮 (pí)

Compounds

• 不奈
• 不奈何
• 不奈煩 / 不奈烦
• 不寧奈 / 不宁奈
• 可奈
• 叵奈
• 基奈
• 奈上祝下
• 奈何 (nàihé)
• 奈何橋 / 奈何桥 (nàihéqiáo)
• 奈升
• 奈及利亞 / 奈及利亚 (Nàijílìyà)
• 奈向
• 奈守
• 奈曼
• 奈洛比 (Nàiluòbǐ)
• 奈煩 / 奈烦 (nàifán)
• 奈秒
• 奈米 (nàimǐ)
• 奈良 (Nàiliáng)
• 奈良時代 / 奈良时代
• 如之奈何 (rú zhī nàihé)
• 寧奈 / 宁奈
• 尀奈
• 山奈
• 山奈鉀 / 山奈钾
• 康奈爾 / 康奈尔
• 康奈爾大學 / 康奈尔大学
• 怎奈
• 末奈何
• 欽奈 / 钦奈 (Qīnnài)
• 沒及奈何 / 没及奈何
• 沒奈何 / 没奈何 (mònàihé)
• 沒極奈何 / 没极奈何
• 沒計奈何 / 没计奈何
• 澀奈 / 涩奈
• 無可奈何 / 无可奈何 (wúkěnàihé)
• 無奈 / 无奈 (wúnài)
• 無奈我何 / 无奈我何
• 無如奈何 / 无如奈何
• 無計奈何 / 无计奈何
• 爭奈 / 争奈
• 神奈川縣 / 神奈川县
• 萬般無奈 / 万般无奈
• 莫可奈何
• 葛林奈爾 / 葛林奈尔
• 葛林奈爾大學 / 葛林奈尔大学
• 蘇爾奈 / 苏尔奈 (sū'ěrnài)
• 西奈 (Xīnài)
• 西奈半島 / 西奈半岛 (Xīnài Bàndǎo)
• 西奈協定 / 西奈协定
• 西奈山
• 頗奈 / 颇奈
• 香奈兒 / 香奈儿

References

• “奈”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• 莆田市荔城区档案馆 [Putian City Licheng District Archives], editor (2022), “奈”, in 莆仙方言文读字汇 [Puxian Dialect Literary Reading Dictionary] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), page 162.

Japanese

Kanji

See also:

Category:Japanese terms spelled with 奈

奈

(Fourth grade kyōiku kanji)

1. Abbreviation of 奈良: the city of Nara
2. what
3. (obsolete) apple tree

Readings

• Go-on: な (na, Jōyō)、ない (nai)
• Kan-on: だ (da)、だい (dai)
• Kun: いかん (ikan, 奈)、いかんせん (ikansen, 奈)、いかんぞ (ikanzo, 奈)、からなし (karanashi, 奈)
• Nanori: なに (nani)、なん (nan)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
奈
Grade: 4

Alternative spelling
柰

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ka̠ɾa̠na̠ɕi]

Noun

奈(からなし) or 奈(カラナシ) • (karanashi) 

1. Obsolete form of 唐梨 (“red apple”).
2. (by extension) Obsolete spelling of 林檎 (“apple”).

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
奈
Grade: 4

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ikã̠ɴ]

Pronoun

奈(いかん) • (ikan) 

1. Alternative form of 奈何 (“what”)

Korean

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 奈 (MC najH).

Historical readings

• Recorded as Middle Korean 냉〮 (Yale: náy^?) in Dongguk Jeongun (東國正韻 / 동국정운), 1448.
• Recorded as Middle Korean 내 (nay)^訓 (Yale: nay) in Gwangju Cheonjamun (光州千字文 / 광주천자문), 1575.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [nɛ] ~ [ne̞]
• Phonetic hangul: [내/네]

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

奈

Wikisource 奈 (eumhun 어찌 내 (eojji nae))

1. hanja form^? of 내 (“but; how”)

Compounds

• 내하 (奈何, naeha, “how”)
• 막무가내 (莫無可奈, mangmuganae, “stubborn”)

Etymology 2

From Middle Chinese 奈 (MC naH).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [na̠]
• Phonetic hangul: [나]

Hanja

奈 (eumhun 어찌 나 (eojji na))

1. hanja form^? of 나 (“but; how”)

Compounds

• 나락 (奈落, narak)

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Vietnamese

Han character

奈: Hán Nôm readings: nại, nhự

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