How to Write 拿 (ná) — Meaning “to take; to hold”

Imagine you see a box (合) and you use your hand (手) to take it. Visualize your hand closing around the box – that ‘take’ motion is exactly 拿.

Write the top part 合 first (6 strokes: 撇, 捺, 横, 竖, 横折, 横), then the bottom 手 (4 strokes: 撇, 横, 横, 竖钩). A common mistake is making the top too wide or forgetting the final vertical hook in 手.

拿 has 合 (combine) on top of 手 (hand), while 承 has a different top (like 了 with extra strokes) meaning 'to bear'. 拳 (fist) also has 手 at the bottom but its top part is 䏍 (like a curved shape), not 合. So look at the top part to distinguish them.

拿 is used for physically taking or holding objects, e.g., 拿着 (holding) or 拿走 (take away). It also appears in 拿手, meaning a specialty skill, as in 拿手菜 'signature dish' – a common cultural phrase at restaurants.

Common words containing 拿 include: 拿着 (ná zhe) — holding; 拿走 (ná zǒu) — to take away; 拿手 (ná shǒu) — expert; specialty; good at.