人家

• Pinyin: rén jia
• Hanzi breakdown: 人 = a pictograph of a standing person; 家 = 宀 (roof) + 豕 (pig) — a household with livestock, meaning home or family

Meaning

Others; someone else; other people. Also used colloquially as a softened way of referring to oneself.

A versatile colloquial pronoun with two main uses. First, it refers to other people in general or a specific person already mentioned. Second, in casual speech (especially among younger women), it can be a softened or coy self-reference, similar to speaking about oneself in the third person. Context and tone make the intended meaning clear.

Examples

1. 人家都已经到了，就你还没来。 Everyone else has already arrived; only you have not come yet.
2. 你别管人家的事，先做好自己的。 Don't meddle in other people's affairs; take care of your own first.
3. 人家不想去嘛，你就别勉强了。 She doesn't want to go, so don't force her.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken Chinese, colloquial, everyday

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 人家好不容易做的饭，你多少吃一点。(They went to a lot of trouble to cook this meal; at least eat a little.)
• 人家说了不要，你怎么还送？(They already said no; why are you still giving it?)

Don't Say

• 人家是总统 in a formal report meaning 'the person is the president' (Don't use 人家 in formal writing — it is colloquial; say 此人 or 该人 instead)

Origin & History

A compound of 人 (person) and 家 (household, family) — originally meaning 'another household' or 'other people's family', which naturally extended to mean 'others' in general.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal