人

• Pinyin: rén
• Hanzi breakdown: 人 = pictograph of a standing person seen from the side

Meaning

Person; people; human being. The most basic word for a person.

One of the most fundamental characters in Chinese. Used to refer to any human being, either individually or collectively. Appears in countless compounds such as 人们 (people), 工人 (worker), 大人 (adult), 中国人 (Chinese person). Also serves as a radical in many other characters.

Examples

1. 这里有很多人。 There are many people here.
2. 他是一个好人。 He is a good person.
3. 那个人是谁？ Who is that person?

Usage Guide

Context: general, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这个人很好。(This person is very nice.)
• 你是哪国人？(What country are you from?)

Don't Say

• 两个人们。(Don't combine a number with 人们 — say 两个人 for 'two people' or 人们 for 'people' in general)

Origin & History

One of the oldest Chinese characters — a simple pictograph of a person standing in profile, with two legs visible.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal