Understanding What Zai Na Li Means in English

Understanding What Zai Na Li Means in English The Mandarin question word for where† is Ã¥Å" ¨Ã¥â€œ ªÃ¨ £ ¡, written in the traditional form, or Ã¥Å" ¨Ã¥â€œ ªÃ©â€¡Å', written in simplified form. The pinyin is zi nÇŽ li. This term is particularly useful to know if you are traveling in China and want to learn or ask about new locations to explore.   Characters The term for where is made up of three characters: Ã¥Å" ¨ (zi)  which means located at, and the two characters å“ ªÃ¨ £ ¡ / å“ ªÃ©â€¡Å' (nÇŽ li) which put together means where. Combined, Ã¥Å" ¨Ã¥â€œ ªÃ¨ £ ¡ / Ã¥Å" ¨Ã¥â€œ ªÃ©â€¡Å' (zi nÇŽ li) literally means, â€Å"Where is it located?† The term å“ ªÃ¨ £ ¡ / å“ ªÃ©â€¡Å'  (nÇŽ li) is sometimes used by itself as a single-word question. Pronunciation With regards to tone marks, Ã¥Å" ¨ (zi) is in the 4th tone and å“ ª (nÇŽ) is in the 3rd tone. è £ ¡ / é‡Å' is usually pronounced in the 3rd tone (lÇ ) but when used as a question word for where it takes on an unaccented  neutral tone (li). Thus, in terms of tones, Ã¥Å" ¨Ã¥â€œ ªÃ¨ £ ¡ / Ã¥Å" ¨Ã¥â€œ ªÃ©â€¡Å' can also be referred to as zai na li. Examples WÇ’ de shÃ… « zi nÇŽ li?我的æ› ¸Ã¥Å" ¨Ã¥â€œ ªÃ¨ £ ¡? (traditional form)我的ä ¹ ¦Ã¥Å" ¨Ã¥â€œ ªÃ©â€¡Å'? (simplified form)Where is my book? WÇ’ men zi nÇŽ li jin?我們åÅ" ¨Ã¥â€œ ªÃ¨ £ ¡Ã¨ ¦â€¹?我ä » ¬Ã¥Å" ¨Ã¥â€œ ªÃ©â€¡Å'è § ?Where are we going to meet? Yà ºnnn shÄ›ng zi nÇŽ li?é› ²Ã¥ â€"çÅ" Ã¥â€œ ªÃ¨ £ ¡Ã¤ ºâ€˜Ã¥ â€"çÅ" Ã¥Å" ¨Ã¥â€œ ªÃ©â€¡Å'?Where is Yunnan province? ShnghÇŽi zi nÇŽ li?ä ¸Å Ã¦ µ ·Ã¥Å" ¨Ã¥â€œ ªÃ¨ £ ¡?ä ¸Å Ã¦ µ ·Ã¥Å" ¨Ã¥â€œ ªÃ©â€¡Å'Where is Shanghai? NÇ  yo qà ¹ nÇŽlÇ  lÇšxà ­ng?ä ½  Ã¨ ¦ Ã¥Å½ »Ã¥â€œ ªÃ¨ £ ¡Ã¦â€"…è ¡Å'ä ½  Ã¨ ¦ Ã¥Å½ »Ã¥â€œ ªÃ©â€¡Å'æâ€"…è ¡Å'Where do you want to travel?