内 nèi — inside · English

内

nèi

inside

At a glance · 内

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「内」甲骨文从冂从入，象进入其中，金文小篆承之。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「内」本义为里面、内部，引申内室、内务、纳入。

Structure

从冂、从入，会意字，象入于内，本为内外之内。

At a glance

Pinyinnèi

Radical冂

Strokes4

UnicodeU+5185

Character type会意

Theme数术

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English inside inside

Français intérieur / dedans Intérieur, dedans. «右通广内» : à l'intérieur (bibliothèque).

Español interior / dentro Interior, dentro. «右通广内»: en el interior (biblioteca).

العربية داخل / داخلي داخل، داخلي. «右通广内»: في الداخل (مكتبة).

Русский внутренний / внутри Внутренний, внутри. «右通广内»: внутри (библиотека).

Common words

内容nèi róngcontent
内部nèi bùinternal

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