她 tā she
How to remember 她: 女 woman + 也 also = she. The woman next door also runs marathons, and at the finish line her kids scream "Look, she won!"
Component breakdown
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
她 = 女 woman + 也 also
- 女 woman meaning
- 也 also sound
The woman next door also runs marathons, and at the finish line her kids scream "Look, she won!"
How it came to be
An old variant of the word for elder sister, it got a new job in the 1910s: the woman took the place of the person in the character for he, to write she.
How it is used
- 'She / her': the female-specific written form of tā, sounding identical to 他 (he) and 它 (it) and separated only on the page.
- 她们 (tāmen) = they (an all-female group).
Words with 她
Example sentences
- 她怎么了？ Tā zěnme le?What happened to her?
- 她生病了。 Tā shēngbìng le.She is sick.
- 她在中间。 Tā zài zhōngjiān.She's in the middle.
- 她在吃饭吗？ Tā zài chīfàn ma?Is she eating now?