他

• Pinyin: tā
• Hanzi breakdown: 他 = 亻(person radical) + 也 (also, phonetic component)

Meaning

He; him. The third-person masculine pronoun.

Used to refer to a male person. In spoken Chinese, 他 and 她 sound identical (both tā), so the distinction only exists in writing. When the gender is unknown or the group is mixed, 他 is used as the default pronoun.

Examples

1. 他是我的同学。 He is my classmate.
2. 我很喜欢他。 I like him a lot.
3. 他在家里看电视。 He is watching TV at home.

Usage Guide

Context: reference, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 他叫什么名字？(What is his name?)
• 他是中国人。(He is Chinese.)

Don't Say

• 他是一个很高。(Incomplete — say 他很高 for 'he is tall' or 他是一个很高的人 for 'he is a tall person'; 是 requires a noun after it)

Origin & History

Combines 亻(person radical) and 也 (also, serving as phonetic component). Originally a general third-person pronoun before the feminine 她 was created in modern times.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal