那边
nàbiān · HSK 1
that side
👉 那 (that) + 边 (side) = that side / over there
那 marks 'that' (distal, opposite of 这 'this'); 边 means 'side' or 'edge'. Together 那边 literally reads 'that-side', covering 'there', 'over there', or 'beyond' depending on context.
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'.
边 — 辶 (walk) + 臱 (phonetic)
边 is the simplified form of 邊. It combines the walking radical 辶 with the phonetic component 臱, suggesting a place reached by walking — the edge or border of a territory. The meaning extended from 'frontier' to 'side' or 'edge' in general.