人 rén — person; human; people
每个人都可以通过学习慢慢进步。Měi gè rén dōu kě yǐ tōng guò xué xí màn màn jìn bù.Everyone can make progress little by little through learning.
Common words: 女人 (nǚ rén)、别人 (bié ren)、男人 (nán rén)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "person"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "person", including 人 (rén), 者 (zhě), 者 (zhě), 身 (shēn), 员 (yuán), 贤 (xián). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "person" covers 6 different Chinese characters — 人 (rén), 者 (zhě), 者 (zhě), 身 (shēn), 员 (yuán), 贤 (xián) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 6 characters do not share a sound — their readings span rén, zhě, shēn, yuán, xián — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 人 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 人 rénperson; human; peopleUseful words: 女人, 别人
- 者 zhě-ist; -er (person); person (who does sth)Useful words: 或者, 记者
- 者 zhě-ist; -er (person); person (who does sth)Useful words: 或者, 记者
- 身 shēnbody; torso; person; life; status; pregnancyUseful words: 身上, 身体
- 员 yuánperson; employee; memberUseful words: 服务员, 人员
Common words for these 6 "person" characters
Anchor each of these 6 characters in a word you can picture — start with 人 (rén) — so "person" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 6 ways to say "person".
者 zhě — -ist; -er (person); person (who does sth)
学习者要多听多说。Xué xí zhě yào duō tīng duō shuō.Learners should listen and speak more.
Common words: 或者 (huò zhě)、记者 (jì zhě)、作者 (zuò zhě)
者 zhě — -ist; -er (person); person (who does sth)
学习者要多听多说。Xué xí zhě yào duō tīng duō shuō.Learners should listen and speak more.
Common words: 或者 (huò zhě)、记者 (jì zhě)、作者 (zuò zhě)
身 shēn — body; torso; person; life; status; pregnancy
运动让我的身体更健康。Yùn dòng ràng wǒ de shēn tǐ gèng jiàn kāng.Exercise makes my body healthier.
Common words: 身上 (shēn shang)、身体 (shēn tǐ)、身边 (shēn biān)
员 yuán — person; employee; member
他是我们公司的新员工。Tā shì wǒ men gōng sī de xīn yuán gōng.He is a new employee of our company.
Common words: 服务员 (fú wù yuán)、人员 (rén yuán)、成员 (chéng yuán)
贤 xián — worthy (person)
古人提倡尊敬贤能的人。Gǔ rén tí chàng zūn jìng xián néng de rén.The ancients advocated respecting the virtuous and able.
Common words: 圣贤 (shèng xián)、贤人 (xián rén)、贤能 (xián néng)
All 6 characters
Open 人、者、者 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.