耐 (nài) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

耐

nài[nai4]Tone 4

to endure

HSK 5

Guru Deep Dive

English · to endure

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:9

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (而) is slightly narrower and taller, while the right side (寸) acts as a stabilizing anchor, keeping the overall footprint balanced and compact.

1. Meaning

to endure, to bear, to withstand

resistant to

VerbNeutralBound morpheme#emotion#action#persistence

Sample Usage

耐心
nài xīn
patience
耐劳
nài láo
able to endure hard work

2. Sound

/[naɪ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51

耐

nàinai4

`(51)

=nài

Initial Consonant

Type: Alveolar Nasal

Sounds like: n sound as in 'no'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Air passes completely through nose.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the gum ridge behind the upper front teeth, soft palate lowered to let air flow through the nose.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: -ai rhymes with 'eye'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'eye'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 is a high-to-low sharp drop, corresponding to an emphatic command or a definitive statement in English.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing Tone 4 (nài) with Tone 2 (nái) or Tone 3 (nǎi). Tone 4 is a decisive downward drop, not a rise or dip.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 4 starts high and plunges sharply down, like nodding your head firmly in agreement or commanding 'Stop!'.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 9 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (而) is slightly narrower and taller, while the right side (寸) acts as a stabilizing anchor, keeping the overall footprint balanced and compact.

4. Components

Radical 而 · And Radical / Beard Radical (beard, and, conjunction)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 而 (Provides the original idea of facial hair / beard, later extended to endurance and bearing.)

The character combines 而 (beard/facial hair) on the left with 寸 (inch/hand/measure) on the right, symbolizing a person holding firm or measuring out endurance with a steady hand.

而 beard, and
寸 inch, hand, measure

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally derived from components related to facial features (beard) combined with a hand (寸), representing the self-control and stamina required to maintain composure under pressure.

Semantic Evolution: From facial hair or appearance to the inward capacity to bear hardship, hold out, and endure.

It frequently appears as a bound morpheme in compounds dealing with durability and psychological resilience.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: タイ (tai) / Kun: 耐.える (ta.eru)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

내

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

To **endure** (nài) a long beard (而) growing down to an inch (寸) of your chin requires immense patience.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

耐

nàito endureBase character for endurance.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

树(shù)

树 has a tree radical (木) on the left meaning 'tree', whereas 耐 has 而 on the left meaning 'endure'.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

学习一门外语需要极大的[___]心。

Clue: nài xīn

Common Learner Pitfall

Mistaking the left component 而 for 木 or treating 耐 as an independent uncompounded glyph rather than recognizing its structural parts.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 耐 mean and how is it pronounced with tones?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to endure' (nài) using components 而 and 寸?

耐nàito endure

Speed:

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