拿 ná — to hold; to seize; to catch; to apprehend; to take
请帮我拿一下那本书。Qǐng bāng wǒ ná yí xià nà běn shū.Please help me get that book.
Common words: 拿到 (ná dào)、拿出 (ná chū)、拿走 (ná zǒu)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to catch"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to catch", including 拿 (ná), 获 (huò), 抓 (zhuā), 染 (rǎn), 捕 (bǔ), 捕 (bǔ). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to catch" covers 6 different Chinese characters — 拿 (ná), 获 (huò), 抓 (zhuā), 染 (rǎn), 捕 (bǔ), 捕 (bǔ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 6 characters do not share a sound — their readings span ná, huò, zhuā, rǎn, bǔ — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 拿 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 拿 náto hold; to seize; to catch; to apprehend; to takeUseful words: 拿到, 拿出
- 获 huòto catch; to obtain; to capture; reap; harvestUseful words: 获得, 收获
- 抓 zhuāto grab; to catch; to arrest; to snatchUseful words: 抓住, 抓紧
- 染 rǎnto catch (a disease); dyeUseful words: 污染, 传染
- 捕 bǔto catch; to seize; to capture; to catchUseful words: 逮捕, 捕捉
Common words for these 6 "to catch" characters
Anchor each of these 6 characters in a word you can picture — start with 拿 (ná) — so "to catch" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
拿到ná dàoto get; to obtain拿出ná chūto take out; to put out; to provide; to put forward (a proposal)拿走ná zǒuto take away获得huò déto obtain; to receive; to get收获shōu huòto harvest; to reap; to gain; crop获取huò qǔto gain; to get; to acquire抓住zhuā zhùto grab hold of; to capture抓紧zhuā jǐnto keep a firm grip on; to pay close attention to; to lose no time in (doing sth)抓地zhuā dìgrip on the road; roadholding污染wū rǎn(lit. and fig.) to pollute; to contaminate
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 6 ways to say "to catch".
获 huò — to catch; to obtain; to capture; reap; harvest
这部电影获得了很多奖。Zhè bù diàn yǐng huò dé le hěn duō jiǎng.This movie won many awards.
Common words: 获得 (huò dé)、收获 (shōu huò)、获取 (huò qǔ)
抓 zhuā — to grab; to catch; to arrest; to snatch
他用力抓住了绳子。Tā yòng lì zhuā zhù le shéng zi.He grabbed the rope firmly.
Common words: 抓住 (zhuā zhù)、抓紧 (zhuā jǐn)、抓地 (zhuā dì)
染 rǎn — to catch (a disease); dye
秋天，枫叶把山林染成了红色。Qiū tiān, fēng yè bǎ shān lín rǎn chéng le hóng sè.In autumn, maple leaves dye the forest red.
Common words: 污染 (wū rǎn)、传染 (chuán rǎn)、感染 (gǎn rǎn)
捕 bǔ — to catch; to seize; to capture; to catch
猫是捕老鼠的好手。Māo shì bǔ lǎo shǔ de hǎo shǒu.Cats are good at catching mice.
Common words: 逮捕 (dài bǔ)、捕捉 (bǔ zhuō)、被捕 (bèi bǔ)
捕 bǔ — to catch; to seize; to capture; to catch
猫是捕老鼠的好手。Māo shì bǔ lǎo shǔ de hǎo shǒu.Cats are good at catching mice.
Common words: 逮捕 (dài bǔ)、捕捉 (bǔ zhuō)、被捕 (bèi bǔ)
All 6 characters
Open 拿、获、抓 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.