那样
nàyàng · HSK 2
like that
👉 那 (that) + 样 (kind/way) = that kind, like that
那 means that and 样 means kind, type, or appearance. Together 那样 literally reads as that-kind, meaning like that or that way. Pair it with 这样 (zhèyàng, this way) as a matched set.
那 — 邑 radical 阝(right) + 冄 phonetic
Originally referred to a place name in ancient China, with the right-side 阝 (city/region radical) indicating a settlement and 冄 providing the sound. Over time it lost its geographic meaning and was borrowed as a demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'those'.
样 — wood radical 木 + sheep 羊
样 is a phono-semantic compound. The wood radical 木 originally hinted at meaning (a wooden model or sample), while 羊 (sheep) supplies the sound. From 'wooden pattern/template' it broadened to mean 'shape, form, kind, manner'.