How to Say He and She in Chinese: 他 vs. 她

What Are “He” and “She” in Chinese?

The English word “he” is 他 (tā), and “she” is 她 (tā) in Mandarin Chinese; both are pronounced tā, but the characters are different in written Chinese. 他 (tā) normally refers to a male person, while 她 (tā) normally refers to a female person. The important difference for learners is that you cannot distinguish 他 and 她 by pronunciation alone; listeners rely on context, while readers can distinguish the two characters visually. Cambridge identifies 他 as the Mandarin pronoun corresponding to “he/him,” while Chinese-learning references consistently list 她 as the female counterpart.

For example, 他是我的朋友 (Tā shì wǒ de péngyou, “He is my friend”) uses 他 for a male friend, while 她是我的朋友 (Tā shì wǒ de péngyou, “She is my friend”) uses 她 for a female friend. The pronunciation of the two sentences is identical; only the written pronoun changes.

How Do You Say “He” in Chinese?

https://wp-more.wukongedu.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/他.mp3

“He” in Chinese is 他 (tā), which means “he” or “him” when referring to a male person. 他 (tā) is a third-person singular pronoun, and can function as the subject or object of a sentence. Cambridge lists 他 as an A1 Mandarin pronoun for a man, boy, or male referent.

How Is 他 (tā) Written?

他 (tā) contains:

• 亻 (rén) — person; a variant form of 人 (rén, “person”)
• 也 (yě) — the right-side component shared with 她 (tā)

The 亻 component helps learners associate 他 (tā) with a person. However, learners should treat the character structure as a memory aid, rather than assuming that every component directly determines the modern meaning.

Example With 他 (tā)

他是我的弟弟。
Tā shì wǒ de dìdi.
He is my younger brother.

Here:

• 他 (tā) — he
• 是 (shì) — be / is
• 我的 (wǒ de) — my
• 弟弟 (dìdi) — younger brother

How Do You Say “She” in Chinese?

https://wp-more.wukongedu.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/她.mp3

“She” in Chinese is 她 (tā), which means “she” or “her” when referring to a female person. 她 (tā) has exactly the same Mandarin pronunciation as 他 (tā), but its written form contains the 女 (nǚ, “woman/female”) radical. Chinese-learning dictionaries list 她 as the standard third-person feminine pronoun.

How Is 她 (tā) Written?

她 (tā) can be visually remembered as:

• 女 (nǚ) — woman / female
• 也 (yě) — the shared right-side component

For a beginner, the 女 (nǚ) component is a useful visual clue that 她 (tā) refers to a female person.

Example With 她 (tā)

她是一名医生。
Tā shì yì míng yīshēng.
She is a doctor.

Here:

• 她 (tā) — she
• 是 (shì) — is
• 一名 (yì míng) — one / a
• 医生 (yīshēng) — doctor

Why Do 他 (tā) and 她 (tā) Sound the Same?

他 (tā) and 她 (tā) sound exactly the same in Mandarin because both characters have the same pronunciation: tā. Mandarin does not have separate spoken forms for “he” and “she” in these standard third-person pronouns. The gender distinction is primarily visible in writing through the characters 他 and 她.

This creates an important difference between spoken and written Chinese.

• In Spoken Chinese

When someone says:

Tā shì wǒ de lǎoshī.

the listener hears only tā, so the sentence could mean:

他是我的老师。
Tā shì wǒ de lǎoshī.
He is my teacher.

or:

她是我的老师。
Tā shì wǒ de lǎoshī.
She is my teacher.

The listener determines the intended meaning from context.

• In Written Chinese

The difference becomes immediately visible:

他 (tā) → he
她 (tā) → she

This is why Chinese learners do not need to worry about trying to pronounce 他 and 她 differently. There is no standard pronunciation difference to memorize.

What Is the Difference Between 他, 她, and 它?

他 (tā) means “he,” 她 (tā) means “she,” and 它 (tā) usually means “it” for non-human referents in simplified Chinese. All three are pronounced tā, so their written characters provide an important distinction.

Usage / No.	Chinese (汉字 + Pinyin)	English Meaning / Sentence
1	他 (tā)	He / him — used for a male person
2	她 (tā)	She / her — used for a female person
3	它 (tā)	It — commonly used for animals or things in simplified Chinese
4	他们 (tāmen)	They / them — commonly used for a group that is not exclusively female
5	她们 (tāmen)	They / them — used for a group consisting of females

What Does 它 (tā) Mean?

它 (tā) is the standard simplified-Chinese third-person pronoun for non-human things and is also commonly used for animals. It is pronounced exactly like 他 (tā) and 她 (tā).

For example:

我的猫很可爱，它喜欢睡觉。
Wǒ de māo hěn kě’ài, tā xǐhuān shuìjiào.
My cat is cute. It likes sleeping.

The exact written convention can vary in Traditional Chinese contexts, where 牠 (tā) is also used for animals. For a beginner learning Standard Mandarin in simplified Chinese, 它 (tā) is the practical form to learn first.

How Do You Use 他 (tā) and 她 (tā) in Chinese Sentences?

他 (tā) and 她 (tā) usually appear before the verb when they function as the subject of a Chinese sentence. They can also appear after a verb or preposition when they function as an object.

• Examples With 他 (tā)

他喜欢打篮球。
Tā xǐhuān dǎ lánqiú.
He likes playing basketball.

他是我们的数学老师。
Tā shì wǒmen de shùxué lǎoshī.
He is our math teacher.

我认识他。
Wǒ rènshi tā.
I know him.

• Examples With 她 (tā)

她有很多玩具。
Tā yǒu hěn duō wánjù.
She has many toys.

她很喜欢画画。
Tā hěn xǐhuān huàhuà.
She really likes drawing.

我认识她。
Wǒ rènshi tā.
I know her.

Why Does Chinese Use Different Characters for the Same Sound?

Modern written Chinese distinguishes 他 (tā) and 她 (tā) even though spoken Mandarin does not distinguish their pronunciation. The modern use of 她 developed during the language changes of the early 20th century, when Chinese writers and translators were debating how to represent gender-specific European pronouns such as English “she” in written Chinese.

Linguist and poet 刘半农 (Liú Bànnóng, “Liu Bannong”) played an important role in promoting the modern use of 她. Sources differ on how to describe the exact moment of its “invention,” so it is more accurate to say that Liu proposed and promoted the modern feminine pronoun during the New Culture period rather than presenting a single date as an undisputed invention date.

The distinction became established in modern written Chinese, while spoken Mandarin retained the single pronunciation tā.

This history explains why modern Chinese learners encounter an apparently unusual situation:

Two different written pronouns → one spoken pronunciation.

Is “TA” a Gender-Neutral Pronoun in Chinese?

TA (tā) is a modern written convention used in some Chinese online and informal contexts to avoid choosing between 他 (tā) and 她 (tā), but it should not be treated as a standard replacement for both pronouns in formal written Mandarin.

This distinction is particularly useful for learners because TA looks like a Romanized form of the spoken syllable tā, rather than a conventional Chinese character.

Contemporary Chinese-learning discussions and educational materials continue to describe TA as a gender-neutral or unspecified-person convention, especially in online contexts.

For example, a social-media profile might use:

TA是我的朋友。
TA shì wǒ de péngyou.
TA is my friend.

The use of TA avoids explicitly writing 他 or 她.

However, TA should be treated as a contextual internet/writing convention, not as evidence that spoken Mandarin has developed separate gender-neutral pronunciation. Spoken tā was already identical for 他 and 她.

Why Is TA Relevant to Chinese Learners?

Learning TA can help students recognize contemporary online Chinese, but beginners should first master:

• 他 (tā) — he / him
• 她 (tā) — she / her
• 它 (tā) — it

These remain the standard forms learners encounter in textbooks and ordinary written Chinese.

What Are Common Mistakes With 他 and 她?

Mistake 1: Trying to Pronounce 他 and 她 Differently

他 (tā) and 她 (tā) have the same standard Mandarin pronunciation.

Do not invent a separate pronunciation for 她.

The correct pronunciation is:

他 = tā
她 = tā

The difference appears in writing, not in the spoken syllable.

Mistake 2: Assuming the 女 Radical Changes the Pronunciation

The 女 (nǚ, “woman/female”) component in 她 helps identify its meaning, but 她 is still pronounced tā.

For beginners, the radical is best used as a visual memory clue:

女 → female → 她 → she

It does not mean that 她 should be pronounced with the sound of 女.

Mistake 3: Confusing 她 (tā) With 它 (tā)

她 (tā) refers to a female person, while 它 (tā) normally refers to a non-human referent in simplified Chinese.

Compare:

她是我的朋友。
Tā shì wǒ de péngyou.
She is my friend.

它是我的猫。
Tā shì wǒ de māo.
It is my cat.

The pronunciation is identical, so the written character is important.

Mistake 4: Thinking Chinese Speakers Always Need Pronouns

Chinese often relies heavily on context and can omit a pronoun when the referent is already obvious.

For example, after identifying someone as your friend, a Chinese speaker may continue the conversation without repeatedly saying 他 (tā) or 她 (tā).

This is one reason learners should not assume that every English “he” or “she” must have a visible Chinese pronoun in every sentence.

FAQ About He and She in Chinese

1. Are 他 (tā) and 她 (tā) pronounced differently?

No.

Both 他 (tā) and 她 (tā) are pronounced tā in Mandarin. The difference between “he” and “she” is visible in writing but cannot normally be heard from the pronoun alone.

2. Does 他 (tā) always mean “he”?

Usually, but context matters.

In contemporary Mandarin, 他 (tā) is normally used for a male person, but historical and some contemporary contexts allow 他 to refer to a person whose gender is unspecified. Japanese Chinese-dictionary references also document this broader usage.

For beginner learners, the safest basic distinction is:

他 = he/him
她 = she/her

3. Is 她 (tā) a modern Chinese character?

Yes, in its modern pronoun use.

The modern use of 她 as the feminine third-person pronoun emerged during the early 20th-century New Culture period. Liu Bannong played an important role in proposing and promoting this usage, although historical sources differ on the precise chronology of its creation and adoption.

4. Is TA the same as 他 or 她?

Not exactly.

TA (tā) is a contemporary written convention that can avoid specifying whether a person is 他 (tā, “he”) or 她 (tā, “she”). It is especially visible in some online contexts, but it is not a replacement that beginners should use instead of the standard Chinese characters in formal writing.

Conclusion: Master 他 and 她 in Mandarin

To say “he” in Chinese, use 他 (tā); to say “she” in Chinese, use 她 (tā). The two pronouns have the same Mandarin pronunciation but different written characters, so context is essential in conversation while the characters make the distinction clear in writing.

The most useful beginner rule is simple:

• 他 (tā) = he / him
• 她 (tā) = she / her
• 它 (tā) = it
• 他们 (tāmen) = they / them
• 她们 (tāmen) = they / them for a female group

Once learners understand that 他 and 她 sound the same, there is no need to memorize two different pronunciations. The next step is practicing these pronouns in complete sentences so that the difference between spoken context and written characters becomes automatic.

For children building Mandarin vocabulary and grammar, structured practice can make these small but important distinctions easier to retain. WuKong Chinese courses offer live online Mandarin classes for children ages 3–18, with courses designed around different language backgrounds and learning levels.