人
person; people
rén
What does 人 mean?
人 (rén) is the basic noun for 'person' or 'people' and one of the first characters every Chinese child learns to write — it's just two strokes, picturing a standing person with legs apart. It's both singular and plural: 一个人 means 'one person,' 很多人 means 'many people,' and bare 人 in context can mean 'humans / mankind.' It pairs with country names to form nationality words: 中国人 (Chinese person), 美国人 (American), 法国人 (French person).
It also appears in countless compounds: 男人 (man), 女人 (woman), 家人 (family member), 大人 (adult). In English the line between 'person' and 'people' depends on number; in Chinese 人 covers both, and the measure word (个 for casual, 位 for polite) does the counting work.
Character breakdown
person; people. A pictograph of a standing human seen from the side — two legs spread for balance.
Memory hook: Two strokes — legs of a standing figure. Literally a stick-figure person.
Measure word for 人
Example sentences
我是中国人。
Wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén.
I'm Chinese.
neutral
这儿有很多人。
Zhèr yǒu hěn duō rén.
There are a lot of people here.
spoken
他是一个好人。
Tā shì yí ge hǎo rén.
He's a good person.
neutral
我一个人去。
Wǒ yí ge rén qù.
I'll go alone.
spoken
Common phrases with 人
Synonyms
Don't confuse 人 with
入 means 'to enter' and looks almost identical to 人 — the top stroke goes the other way. 入 starts with the rightward stroke first; 人 starts with the leftward stroke. Tiny shape difference, completely different meaning.
FAQ
Acquire by listening
Hear 人 in real Chinese, not in a flashcard.
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