Meaning
inside; inner; internal; within; interior
Chinese: 里面、内部。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “nei” becomes a different word in each tone. 内 is the 4th tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 内容nèi róngcontent; substance; details
- 内心nèi xīnheart; innermost being; (math.) incenter
- 国内guó nèidomestic; internal (to a country); civil
- 内部nèi bùinterior; inside (part, section); internal
- 以内yǐ nèiwithin; less than
Example Sentence
三天内我会给你回信。Sān tiān nèi wǒ huì gěi nǐ huí xìn.I will reply to you within three days.
三Sānthree天tiānday内nèiinside我wǒI会huìcan给gěito你nǐyou回信huí xìnto reply。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
入 (to enter) within a boundary (冂): going in. It means ‘inside / inner / within’.
A way to remember it
Stepping inside the boundary — inner.
Easy to confuse with
- 外‘Outside’: the opposite of 内.