这

这 (zhè) is the Mandarin demonstrative 'this' — pointing to something near the speaker, in contrast to 那 (nà, 'that'). Two things differ from English: first, 这 almost never stands alone before a noun — it pairs with a measure word: 这个人 ('this person'), 这本书 ('this book'), 这件衣服 ('this piece of clothing'); 这书 sounds wrong to native ears; second, in casual spoken Mandarin, 这 + measure word often blends into zhèi (这个 → zhèi ge), though writing keeps zhè. To say 'this is…' as a standalone, use 这是 + noun (这是我的书 'this is my book'), where no measure word is needed because there's no counted noun directly after. The plural is 这些 (zhèxiē, 'these'). The 辶 (walking) radical relates to motion/direction — pointing toward something.

Note: Pronounced zhè in formal/written contexts and zhèi in colloquial speech (especially when followed by a measure word: 这个 → zhèi ge).

Memory hook: 这 (this, near) and 那 (that, far). 这 = right here, 那 = over there. Always pair with a measure word before a noun.