pronoun HSK 1
he · him
Meaning
This is the third-person singular masculine pronoun in Mandarin Chinese. It refers to a male person or, in some contexts, animals or objects previously mentioned. Historically, 他 was gender-neutral, but modern Chinese distinguishes between 他 (he), 她 (she), and 它 (it).
Usage
Used exactly like 'he/him' in English. In spoken Mandarin, all three pronouns (他/她/它) are pronounced identically as 'tā', so gender is only distinguished in writing. Commonly appears as the subject of sentences or as an object after verbs or prepositions.
Examples
- 01他是我的朋友。.He is my friend.
- 02我昨天见到他了。.I saw him yesterday.
Common collocations
- 他们they (masculine/mixed plural)
- 他的his
Origin
The character combines the person radical 亓 (later simplified to 人) with the phonetic component 也 (yě). Originally gender-neutral in Classical Chinese, it became specifically masculine in modern usage.