你

nǐ

Pinyin
nǐ
Pinyin (Plain)
ni
Tone
3
Strokes
7
Radical
人
Readings
nǐniTone: 3you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您[nin2])Order: 0Primary
Stroke Order Code
Speed
Stroke Order Data
["M 272 567 Q 306 613 342 669 Q 370 718 395 743 Q 405 753 400 769 Q 396 782 365 808 Q 337 827 316 828 Q 297 827 305 802 Q 318 769 306 741 Q 267 647 207 560 Q 150 476 72 385 Q 60 375 58 367 Q 54 355 70 358 Q 82 359 109 384 Q 155 421 213 493 Q 226 509 241 527 L 272 567 Z", "M 241 527 Q 262 506 258 375 Q 258 374 258 370 Q 254 253 221 135 Q 215 114 224 80 Q 236 44 248 32 Q 267 16 279 44 Q 294 86 294 134 Q 303 420 314 485 Q 321 515 295 543 Q 289 549 272 567 C 251 589 227 553 241 527 Z", "M 521 560 Q 561 621 602 708 Q 620 751 638 773 Q 645 786 639 799 Q 633 811 602 830 Q 572 846 554 843 Q 535 839 546 817 Q 561 795 552 757 Q 513 619 407 448 Q 398 436 397 430 Q 394 418 409 423 Q 439 432 503 532 L 521 560 Z", "M 503 532 Q 527 510 555 520 Q 795 608 782 549 Q 783 543 743 468 Q 736 458 741 453 Q 745 447 756 459 Q 852 532 894 549 Q 904 552 905 561 Q 906 574 876 592 Q 852 605 828 621 Q 800 637 783 630 Q 686 590 521 560 C 492 555 479 550 503 532 Z", "M 568 72 Q 531 81 494 91 Q 482 94 483 86 Q 484 79 494 71 Q 569 7 596 -33 Q 611 -49 626 -36 Q 659 -3 661 82 Q 655 149 655 345 Q 656 382 667 407 Q 676 426 659 439 Q 634 461 604 470 Q 585 477 577 469 Q 571 462 582 447 Q 619 384 603 127 Q 597 82 589 74 Q 582 67 568 72 Z", "M 444 320 Q 419 262 385 208 Q 364 180 381 144 Q 388 128 409 139 Q 460 181 468 264 Q 472 295 467 319 Q 463 328 456 328 Q 449 327 444 320 Z", "M 738 307 Q 789 249 847 168 Q 860 146 876 139 Q 885 138 893 146 Q 908 159 900 204 Q 891 264 743 338 Q 734 345 731 332 Q 728 319 738 307 Z"]
Meaning
“你” is a common Chinese pronoun meaning “you,” used to address one person informally or in everyday situations. It’s the basic second‑person singular form, similar to “you” in English when speaking to a friend, peer, or family member.
Metadata
Locale: en
Cached At: 3/24/2026, 7:15:35 PM

Usage

“你” is the basic, everyday way to say “you” to one person in modern Mandarin Chinese. Learners first meet it in beginner phrases like “你好” (nǐ hǎo, “hello”), “谢谢你” (xièxie nǐ, “thank you”), and “你叫什么名字？” (nǐ jiào shénme mízi?, “What’s your name?”). It’s used in informal or neutral situations with friends, classmates, people your own age, or when the relationship is not especially distant or formal. Grammatically, it works just like “you”: it can be a subject (“你很忙” – “You are busy”), object (“我喜欢你” – “I like you”), or used with prepositions (“对你来说” – “for you / to you”). Learners soon notice related forms built from “你.” The plural “你们” (nǐmen) means “you (plural),” and “你好” can become “你们好” when greeting several people. In written or more respectful contexts, dictionaries and textbooks often contrast “你” with the polite form “您” (nín), which is used when addressing elders, customers, teachers, or in service situations. Beginners are usually taught that “你” is the default “you” in conversation, and to switch to “您” if they want to show extra respect or politeness.

Handwriting Notes

你 in handwriting usually fits in a tall, slightly narrow rectangle, with the left side (亻 “person” radical) written slimmer than the right side. The right side (the 尔 part) often looks more compact and curved than in printed fonts, especially in quick writing. In everyday handwriting, lines are less straight and more flowing: the left vertical may lean slightly, and hooks or corners can be softened into gentle curves. Proportions often shift a bit—some writers make the left part very thin and let the right part “fill” the square, while others balance the two halves more evenly—but it should still read clearly as a “person” element on the left plus a more complex right component. Handwritten forms can vary by speed, personal style, and background. In fast cursive-style writing, strokes may connect or be simplified, and the right side may look more like a continuous wiggle with hints of its original corners. In more formal or careful writing, strokes are clearly separated, with a visible distinction between the small upper elements and the lower part. Despite this variation, AI handwriting recognition systems are trained on many such styles and distortions, so they can usually identify 你 correctly as long as its basic left-right structure and overall silhouette remain recognizable.

Description

你 is a common Chinese pronoun meaning “you” (singular, informal). It is used in everyday conversation to address one person in a friendly or neutral way. In pinyin it is written nǐ and pronounced with the third (falling-rising) tone.

Common Words

  • 你ni3you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您[nin2])
  • 你好ni3 hao3hello; hi
  • 你我ni3 wo3you and I
  • 随你sui2 ni3as you wish
  • 你们ni3 men5you (plural)

Example Sentences

我喜欢你。

wo3 xi3 huan5 ni3

I like you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您[nin2]).

你好很常见。

ni3 hao3 hen3 chang2 jian4

你好 is very common.

我们在学习你我。

wo3 men5 zai4 xue2 xi2 ni3 wo3

We are learning you and I.

这个随你很重要。

zhe4 ge5 sui2 ni3 hen3 zhong4 yao4

This as you wish is important.

请写一下“你”。

qing3 xie3 yi1 xia4 ni3

Please write '你'.

Try writing this character