那裡 / 那里
nàli
In Mandarin, 'there' is expressed as 那裡 / 那里 (nàli) or 那兒 / 那儿.
Meaning: in or at that place (position) (adv)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 那裡 / 那里 | nàli |
| 那兒 / 那儿 | nàr |
This phrase is an adverb used to indicate a position in or at that place.
Which one should you use?
While both forms mean 'there', 那裡 / 那里 (nàli) sounds more standard or formal in many contexts, whereas 那兒 / 那儿 (nàr) sounds more colloquial and regional in the north.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form 那裡 / 那里 (nàli) is more commonly used in Southern China and Taiwan. In some regions, particularly in northern China, the colloquial term 那边儿 is commonly used instead of 那边.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form 那儿 can also function as a noun meaning 'that place'.
How do you pronounce it?
nàli
Did you know?
- If you add the measure word 個 (gè) after 那 (nà), you change the phrase from 'there' to 'that one'.
- In many Southern dialects, the 'er' sound found in the Northern 那兒 (nàr) is entirely absent, making the 'r' sound a major linguistic giveaway of a person's origin.
- In certain contexts, using 那裡 (nàlǐ) instead of the more common 那兒 (nàr) can make your speech sound more literary or poetic.
Examples in context
- 我们的学校在那里。Our school is there.
- 你看，那里有一只小狗！Look, there's a puppy!
- 我们在那儿见面吧！Let's meet there!
- 那边有一家新的咖啡店。There's a new coffee shop over there.
- 把玩具放在那边。Put the toys over there.
- 我们应该去那边儿玩。We should go play over there.
- 把这些书放在那边儿。Put these books over there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “there” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
