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 seize"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to seize", including 拿 (ná), 捕 (bǔ). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to seize" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 拿 (ná), 捕 (bǔ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span ná, 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
- 捕 bǔto catch; to seize; to capture; to catchUseful words: 逮捕, 捕捉
Common words for these 2 "to seize" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 拿 (ná) — so "to seize" 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 seize".
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 2 characters
Open 拿、捕 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.