人

rén

HSK 2.0Level 1

HSK 3.0Level 1

Definitions

rén (noun) person; people

Etymology

Pictograph of the side view of a standing person.

About

人 is a pictograph of a standing person shown from the side with legs apart, conveying the basic meaning of a person, humanity, or mankind. As an independent noun, it denotes individuals or people in general, and it also serves as a highly productive radical, often compressed to 亻 on the left side, to categorize characters related to human actions, relationships, or attributes. When compounded, the meaning can extend to specific types of workers or members of groups. Throughout all uses, the core visual representation of a human profile remains fundamental.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他是一个好人。

Tā shì yī gè hǎo rén.

He is a good person.

很多人在这里。

Hěn duō rén zài zhè lǐ.

Many people are here.

中国人很友好。

Zhōng guó rén hěn yǒu hǎo.

Chinese people are friendly.

这个人是我朋友。

Zhè ge rén shì wǒ péng you.

This person is my friend.

人们需要努力工作。

Rén men xū yào nǔ lì gōng zuò.

People need to work hard.

人类应该保护环境。

Rén lèi yīng gāi bǎo hù huán jìng.

Humankind should protect the environment.

那个穿红衣服的人是谁？

Nà ge chuān hóng yī fu de rén shì shéi?

Who is that person wearing red clothes?

在这个世界上，每个人都有自己的梦想。

Zài zhè ge shì jiè shàng, měi gè rén dōu yǒu zì jǐ de mèng xiǎng.

In this world, everyone has their own dreams.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 人

Example Words