Character breakdown
Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.
How to learn 拿起
Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.
When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.
Words with the same characters
Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.
I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint
起床qǐchuángto get out of bed; to get up
拿náold variant of 拿[na2]; to hold; to seize; to catch; to apprehend; to take; (used in the same way as 把[ba3]: to mark the following noun as a direct object); variant of 拿[na2]
起来qǐláito stand up; to get up; also pr. [qi3lai2]
一起yìqǐ(in) the same place; together; in company (with); altogether; in total; an instance of; a case of (murder, accident, dispute etc)
起qǐto rise; to raise; to get up; to set out; to start; to appear; to launch; to initiate (action); to draft; to establish; to get (from a depot or counter); verb suffix, to start; starting from (a time, place, price etc); classifier for occurrences or unpredictable events: case, instance; classifier for groups: batch, group