钠

鈉
nà
noun #14,468

Meanings

  1. 1 sodium (Na)

Examples

HSK 5
Zhèzhǒng shíwù hán nà liàng tài gāo le.
This food has too high a sodium content.
HSK 7-9
Yīshēng jiànyì tā jiǎnshǎo nà de shèrù.
The doctor advised him to reduce his sodium intake.

Tips

usage
The 钅 (金) radical indicates it's a metal element. Common compounds: 氯化钠 (sodium chloride / table salt), 碳酸钠 (sodium carbonate). On nutrition labels, 钠 is listed as a key nutrient.

Components

radical
钅 jīn
metal; gold (left-side radical form of 金)
Left metal radical - the simplified side-form of 金. The indexing radical, marking 钠 as a metallic element: sodium (Na). The whole modern periodic-table column of alkali metals sits under this radical - 锂 (lithium), 钾 (potassium), 铷 (rubidium), 铯 (caesium). Inorganic element names almost always use 钅 plus a phonetic.
phonetic
内 nèi
inside
Right 内 supplies the sound - nèi shifting to nà through a regular nasal vowel alternation. 内 itself shows 入 (enter) under 冂 (cover), the picture of going inside. Same phonetic feeds 纳 (receive), 衲 (patched robe), 呐 (shout). Chosen here for the nà sound that approximates Latin natrium, the source of sodium's symbol Na.

Stroke Order

钠 nà