收 shōu — to receive; to accept; to collect; in care of (used on address line after name)
请把桌上的书收好。Qǐng bǎ zhuō shàng de shū shōu hǎo.Please put away the books on the desk.
Common words: 收到 (shōu dào)、收入 (shōu rù)、收费 (shōu fèi)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to accept"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to accept", including 收 (shōu), 纳 (nà). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to accept" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 收 (shōu), 纳 (nà) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shōu, nà — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 收 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 收 shōuto receive; to accept; to collect; in care of (used on address line after name)Useful words: 收到, 收入
- 纳 nàto accept; to pay (tax etc.)Useful words: 容纳, 采纳
Common words for these 2 "to accept" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 收 (shōu) — so "to accept" 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 2 ways to say "to accept".
纳 nà — to accept; to pay (tax etc.)
每个公民都要按时纳税。Měi ge gōng mín dōu yào àn shí nà shuì.Every citizen must pay taxes on time.
Common words: 容纳 (róng nà)、采纳 (cǎi nà)、缴纳 (jiǎo nà)
All 2 characters
Open 收、纳 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.