他们

• Pinyin: tā men
• Hanzi breakdown: 他 = 亻(person) + 也 (phonetic); 们 = 亻(person) + 门 (door, phonetic) — plural marker

Meaning

They; them. The third-person plural pronoun for males or mixed groups.

Used to refer to a group of people. When the group contains at least one male, or when gender is unspecified, 他们 is used rather than 她们. The plural suffix 们 is added to singular pronouns to form plurals.

Examples

1. 他们是我的朋友。 They are my friends.
2. 他们在打篮球。 They are playing basketball.
3. 我和他们一起吃饭。 I eat together with them.

Usage Guide

Context: reference, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 他们都是学生。(They are all students.)
• 你认识他们吗？(Do you know them?)

Don't Say

• 他们是好的人们。(Redundant — say 他们是好人; do not add 们 to 人 after 他们 since plurality is already expressed)

Origin & History

A combination of 他 (he) and 们 (plural suffix). The suffix 们 was adopted in vernacular Chinese to mark plurality in pronouns.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal