耐

nài
#1,407 most
frequent character
to be durable, to withstand
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

耐 joins 而 beard with 寸 hand. The picture is a hand shaving a beard, a legal punishment. From that it grew to 'to bear, endure' and 'to be patient'. 而 also acts as the sound part, though the link is not obvious now.

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Example Sentences

这个材料非常耐磨。
zhègè cáiliào fēicháng nàimó 。
This material is very durable.
他能耐住困难，不放弃。
tā néngnài zhù kùnnán ， bù fàngqì 。
He can withstand difficulties and never gives up.
这款手机的电池很耐用。
zhè kuǎn shǒujī de diànchí hěn nàiyòng 。
The battery of this phone is very durable.

Words with similar meanings

耐受nàishòu
to endure
More focused on the ability to tolerate or bear something challenging.
持久chíjiǔ
long-lasting
Implies durability over a longer time period, often used in a more general context.

Homophones

奈nài
used for its phonetic value in writing foreign words

Words Starting With 耐

耐心nài xīn
patient (adjective)
耐用nài yòng
durable

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