你 nǐ — you
你今天过得怎么样？Nǐ jīn tiān guò de zěn me yàng?How was your day today?
Common words: 你们 (nǐ men)、你我 (nǐ wǒ)、去你的 (qù nǐ de)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "you"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "you", including 你 (nǐ), 尔 (ěr), 台 (tái), 您 (nín). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "you" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 你 (nǐ), 尔 (ěr), 台 (tái), 您 (nín) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span nǐ, ěr, tái, nín — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 你 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 你 nǐyouUseful words: 你们, 你我
- 尔 ěrthus; so; like that; you; thouUseful words: 偶尔, 高尔夫球
- 台 táisurname; (classical) you (in letters); platform; Taiwan (abbr.); desk; platformUseful words: 舞台, 电视台
- 您 nínyou (formal)Useful words: 您好, 请您
Common words for these 4 "you" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 你 (nǐ) — so "you" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
你们nǐ menyou (plural)你我nǐ wǒyou and I; everyone; all of us (in society); we (people in general)去你的qù nǐ deGet along with you!偶尔ǒu ěroccasionally; once in a while; sometimes高尔夫球gāo ěr fū qiúgolf; golf ball尔来ěr lái(literary) recently; lately; hitherto舞台wǔ tái(lit. and fig.) stage; arena电视台diàn shì táitelevision station电台diàn táitransmitter-receiver; broadcasting station; radio station您好nín hǎohello (polite)
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 4 ways to say "you".
尔 ěr — thus; so; like that; you; thou
我偶尔会去那家餐厅吃饭。Wǒ ǒu ěr huì qù nà jiā cān tīng chī fàn.I occasionally go to that restaurant to eat.
Common words: 偶尔 (ǒu ěr)、高尔夫球 (gāo ěr fū qiú)、尔来 (ěr lái)
台 tái — surname; (classical) you (in letters); platform; Taiwan (abbr.); desk; platform
演员们正在台上表演。Yǎn yuán men zhèng zài tái shàng biǎo yǎn.The actors are performing on the stage.
Common words: 舞台 (wǔ tái)、电视台 (diàn shì tái)、电台 (diàn tái)
您 nín — you (formal)
老师，您好！Lǎo shī, nín hǎo!Hello, teacher!
Common words: 您好 (nín hǎo)、请您 (qǐng nín)、您看 (nín kàn)
All 4 characters
Open 你、尔、台 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.