Pinyin	rén
Meaning	person; human
Radical	人	繁體字	same

n/a

category: pictograph

structure: single

2stroke count

HSK 1

人 (rén) “person” is a pictograph, and its shape resembles a person standing.

Used as a component

人 (rén) “person” mainly plays a semantic role as a component, and it has two forms.

1. 亻 (left)

When 人 (rén) is placed on the left, it usually turns from 人 to 亻. It looks like the character 人 rotates 45 degrees clockwise and shrinks from both sides. 亻 usually indicates something related to human beings or human activities, for example, 亻 in 他 (tā) “he.”

2. 人 (top and other)

When 人 (rén) is placed in other positions, it doesn’t have any significant change in form. And it tends to be a substitute for an obsolete element when it is on top in a character, for example, 人 in 会 (huì) “to know how to.”

Used as a morpheme/word

How to pronounce

To pronounce this character, first say sion, as in “vision,” then move the tip of your tongue backward while it is touching the roof. Once you can feel the slope, stop right there, hold still, and say sion again.