Meaning
其他人 is a common noun phrase meaning 'other people' or 'others.' It combines 其他 (other, remaining) with 人 (people/person) to refer to people outside of a specific group already mentioned or understood in context. It's neutral in tone and used in both spoken and written Chinese.
Usage
Native speakers use 其他人 when distinguishing between one person or group and everyone else. It often appears in contrasts like '我和其他人' (me and other people) or '除了他，其他人都同意' (except him, everyone else agrees). It's interchangeable with 别人 in some contexts, though 别人 emphasizes 'someone else' while 其他人 emphasizes 'the remaining people.'
Examples
- 01我已经告诉其他人了，你不用担心。, .I've already told the other people, you don't need to worry.
- 02这件事只有我知道，其他人都不清楚。, .Only I know about this matter, all the other people don't know.
Characters
Common collocations
- 和其他人and other people
- 其他人都all the other people, everyone else
- 除了...其他人...except for..., other people
Origin
其他 combines the classical pronoun 其 (that, such) with 他 (other) to mean 'other' or 'remaining,' then adds 人 (people) to specify other people. This construction pattern is productive in Mandarin for creating 'other X' phrases.