nano
nano — 字首
1. Added before a unit of measurement to mean one thousand millionth (10⁻⁹) of that
奈
度量單位的十億分之一
Added before a unit of measurement to mean one thousand millionth (10⁻⁹) of that unit — for example, a nanosecond is one billionth of a second.
A nanosecond equals one billionth of a second, far too fast for the human eye.
一奈秒等於十億分之一秒，快到人眼根本看不見。
nano- + second creates nanosecond
The new processor can perform calculations in just a few nanoseconds.
新款處理器能在幾奈秒內完成運算。
Erik checked whether the gap between the two metal plates was within 10 nanometers of the target size.
Erik 檢查兩片金屬板之間的縫隙是否在 10 奈米以內的目標誤差範圍。
The lab weighs each sample in nanograms to measure tiny amounts of a chemical compound.
實驗室以奈克為單位稱取樣本，以便測量化合物的極微量成分。
- giga-
means one billion (10⁹), the opposite scale direction
文法句型
nano- + [unit of measurement]
用法筆記
This is an SI (International System of Units) prefix. It attaches directly to measurement words such as meter, second, gram, and liter without a hyphen in standard spelling. Although nano- is historically a combining form from Greek, it now functions as a productive SI prefix for any new measurement term.
常見錯誤
2. Added before nouns in science and technology to refer to things that are built,
奈米
極小的原子級尺度
Added before nouns in science and technology to refer to things that are built, measured, or operated at the scale of individual atoms and molecules.
Nanotechnology allows engineers to build tiny machines that work at the molecular level.
奈米科技讓工程師能在分子層級建造微型機器。
nano- + technology: engineering at molecular scale
Nanoparticles in this sunscreen block UV rays without leaving a white layer on the skin.
這款防曬乳使用奈米粒子來阻擋紫外線，不會在皮膚上留下白色痕跡。
Kim's research team is testing nanomaterials that are both stronger and lighter than steel.
Kim 的研究團隊正在測試比鋼鐵更輕也更堅固的奈米材料。
Dr. Okafor explained how nanorobots could one day deliver medicine directly to a cancer cell.
Okafor 博士說明奈米機器人將來如何能直接把藥物送達癌細胞。
文法句型
nano- + [noun]
用法筆記
This sense is most common in compound words related to nanotechnology, materials science, and medicine. It implies working at a scale of 1-100 nanometers.
3. Used to form established scientific compound nouns where nano- attaches to a non
奈
科學名詞中的極小尺度
Used to form established scientific compound nouns where nano- attaches to a non-unit noun to describe something of nanometer-scale or billionth-scale size — for example, nanoplankton are tiny organisms that pass through normal filters.
Nanoplankton are so small that they pass through most standard filtering nets.
奈米浮游生物非常微小，大多數標準濾網都無法攔截。
nano- + plankton: billionth-scale organisms
The geologist identified nanofossils in the sediment that date back millions of years.
地質學家在沉積物中發現數百萬年前的奈米化石。
Amira analyzed how nanostructures on a lotus leaf make water roll off the surface.
Amira 分析了蓮葉表面的奈米結構如何讓水珠自然滾落。
Noor's team is studying nanobubbles to see if they can improve wastewater treatment systems.
Noor 的團隊正在研究奈米氣泡，看它們能否改善廢水處理系統。
文法句型
nano- + [noun (non-unit)]
用法筆記
This reflects the older combining-form tradition from Greek, where nano- was attached to scientific nouns rather than SI units. Unlike the SI prefix (sense 1), this pattern is not productive for new terms — it occurs in already-established vocabulary such as nanoplankton, nanofossil, and nanostructure.