她
she; her
tā
What does 她 mean?
她 (tā) is the third-person feminine pronoun — 'she / her.' In speech, it sounds identical to 他 ('he/him') and 它 ('it') — all three are pronounced tā, first tone. The distinction exists only in writing: 他 has the 人 ('person') radical, 她 has the 女 ('woman') radical, and 它 has a different shape entirely. Chinese pronouns don't change for case ('she' vs 'her' is the same word, 她), don't change for subject vs object position, and don't have grammatical gender beyond this person/woman/it three-way written split.
她 is a relatively modern character — coined in the early 20th century to mirror European writing's distinction between 'he' and 'she.' Before that, 他
Character breakdown
she; her. The 女 ('woman') radical on the left signals the female pronoun.
Memory hook: 女 (woman) radical on the left = the female version of 'he.'
Example sentences
她是我妈妈。
Tā shì wǒ māma.
She is my mom.
neutral
她叫小红。
Tā jiào Xiǎo Hóng.
She's called Xiao Hong.
spoken
她的书在桌子上。
Tā de shū zài zhuōzi shàng.
Her book is on the table.
neutral
我不认识她。
Wǒ bú rènshi tā.
I don't know her.
spoken
Common phrases with 她
Don't confuse 她 with
他 = 'he / him' (man radical 人). 她 = 'she / her' (woman radical 女). Pronounced identically; the difference is purely written. In speech, listeners use context to know which person is meant.
它 = 'it' — used for animals, objects, abstract things. Same pronunciation as 他 and 她. Written form: no person or woman radical, just the bare shape.
她们 = 'they' (all female)
FAQ
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