奈 means “Nara, (the sound) na”

な · na

Also: what?

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

いかん, からなし

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ナ, ナイ, ダイ

JLPT N1 · Taught in grade 4 · 8 strokes

The story

Big (大) over an altar (示): picture a grand offering spread before the gods. 奈 mostly spells the sound na: 奈良, the old capital of deer and great temples, 神奈川, Kanagawa, and 奈落, the abyss, also the pit under a kabuki stage.

Used in 奈良 (nara, Nara), 神奈川 (kanagawa, Kanagawa), and 奈落 (naraku, abyss)

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.