娜

Phono-semantic compound consisting of:

女 (계집 녀) — semantic component, meaning “woman” or “female,” giving the sense of feminine grace.

那 (어찌 나) — phonetic component, providing pronunciation na / nà / nuó.

Thus, 娜 originally denotes “a woman of pleasing form,” extending to general meanings of grace, beauty, elegance.

This character does not appear in the original Shuowen Jiezi, as it was formed in Han period (or later) as part of the expanding class of female-descriptive characters built from 女 + phonetic compounds (e.g., 妍, 姣, 嬋, 娟).

Its appearance parallels that of other graceful female forms such as:

姣 (교, 아름다울 교)

嬋 (선, 고울 선)

娟 (연, 고울 연)

Rarely used in native words; primarily occurs in female given names such as:

미나 (美娜) — “beautiful and graceful”

수나 (秀娜) — “elegant and refined”

연나 (妍娜) — “bright and graceful”

희나 (喜娜), 혜나 (惠娜), 서나 (瑞娜), 지나 (智娜), etc.

In Korean naming tradition, 娜 appears almost exclusively in female names, carrying connotations of elegance, beauty, and femininity.

This character belongs to the female beauty group of 女-radical characters emphasizing elegance and refinement — 姣, 嬋, 嬌, 妍, 娟, and 娜 — all expressing aspects of physical grace or gentle temperament.

Because of its pleasing sound and graceful visual form, 娜 has become one of the most widely used female name characters across East Asia.

In Korea, it conveys warm femininity and charm.

In China, it is a common suffix in women’s names, especially modern transliterations of Western names (e.g. 安娜, 黛娜, 艾娜).

In Japan, although used less in kanji names, it appears in phonetic form (ナ).

Whether in 婀娜多姿 (“graceful in every motion”) or 安娜 (“Anna”), 娜 stands as a visual and phonetic embodiment of gentle elegance.