人
rén
- Pinyin
- rén
- Pinyin (Plain)
- ren
- Tone
- 2
- Strokes
- 2
- Radical
- 人
- Readings
- rénrenTone: 2person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4]Order: 0Primary
- Stroke Order Code
- Speed
- Stroke Order Data
- ["M 475 485 Q 547 653 563 683 Q 573 695 565 708 Q 558 721 519 742 Q 491 757 480 754 Q 462 750 465 730 Q 484 537 292 308 Q 280 296 269 284 Q 212 217 68 102 Q 58 92 66 89 Q 76 86 90 92 Q 190 138 274 210 Q 380 294 462 456 L 475 485 Z", "M 462 456 Q 480 423 575 292 Q 666 171 733 101 Q 764 67 793 69 Q 881 75 958 79 Q 991 80 992 89 Q 993 98 956 112 Q 772 178 740 205 Q 617 304 490 466 Q 481 476 475 485 C 457 509 447 482 462 456 Z"]
- Meaning
- The character **“人” (rén)** primarily means **“person” or “human being”** and is used to refer to people in general. It also appears in many compound words and phrases to indicate a type of person or someone’s role (e.g., “中国人” = Chinese person).
- Metadata
- Locale: enCached At: 3/24/2026, 7:16:48 PM
Usage
The character 人 primarily means “person” or “people” and is one of the first characters learners encounter. On its own, it can refer to a person in general (一個人 “one person,” 好人 “a good person,” 壞人 “a bad person”) or to people of a certain place or identity (中國人 “Chinese person,” 美國人 “American,” 外國人 “foreigner”). It also appears in common phrases about human beings or humanity, such as 人們 “people,” 人生 “human life,” and 人口 “population.” In everyday speech and beginner textbooks, learners usually meet it early as a basic noun and as part of nationality or occupation expressions (e.g., 日本人 “Japanese person”). 人 is also very common as a component in other characters, especially in its “standing person” form 亻on the left side of a character. In this position, it often signals that the character’s meaning has something to do with people or human actions, such as 你 “you,” 他 “he,” 休 “to rest,” 住 “to live/reside,” and 件 “item, classifier for events/clothes” (originally related to people and things). Because of this, beginners quickly learn to recognize 亻as a semantic clue that helps guess meanings or remember characters, even before they know all the compound words.
Handwriting Notes
人 in handwriting is a very simple, slightly leaning shape, but it is not just a “V.” It usually appears as two strokes that open downward, with the left stroke often a bit shorter and more upright, and the right stroke a bit longer and more slanted, giving the whole character a sense of “walking” or forward motion. In well-formed handwriting, the top where the two strokes start is fairly narrow, while the bottom is wider, so the character looks balanced rather than perfectly symmetrical. Handwritten forms can vary by angle and curvature: some people write 人 with straighter, almost geometric lines, while others give the strokes a gentle curve, especially the right stroke, which may bend slightly outward or inward. The degree of slant can also differ, and quick writing can make it look more like a loose check mark paired with a shorter side stroke. Despite these personal styles, the key visual idea—two diverging strokes from a close top point—stays consistent enough that AI handwriting recognition systems can reliably identify 人 from pen-input or touchscreen writing, even when the exact angles, lengths, or stroke thicknesses differ from person to person.
Description
人 is a common Chinese character meaning “person,” “people,” or “human.” It is used both on its own and as a component in many other characters related to people or actions. In modern Mandarin, it is pronounced rén (second tone).