里 lǐ — inside; internal; interior; village; within; inside
房间里很安静。Fáng jiān lǐ hěn ān jìng.It is very quiet in the room.
Common words: 这里 (zhè lǐ)、哪里 (nǎ lǐ)、那里 (nà li)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "inside"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "inside", including 里 (lǐ), 里 (lǐ), 内 (nèi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "inside" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 里 (lǐ), 里 (lǐ), 内 (nèi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span lǐ, nèi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 里 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 里 lǐinside; internal; interior; village; within; insideUseful words: 这里, 哪里
- 里 lǐinside; internal; interior; village; within; insideUseful words: 这里, 哪里
- 内 nèiinside; inner; internal; within; interiorUseful words: 内容, 内心
Common words for these 3 "inside" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 里 (lǐ) — so "inside" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "inside".
里 lǐ — inside; internal; interior; village; within; inside
房间里很安静。Fáng jiān lǐ hěn ān jìng.It is very quiet in the room.
Common words: 这里 (zhè lǐ)、哪里 (nǎ lǐ)、那里 (nà li)
内 nèi — inside; inner; internal; within; interior
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.
Common words: 内容 (nèi róng)、内心 (nèi xīn)、国内 (guó nèi)
All 3 characters
Open 里、里、内 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.