人rénperson; people
人 (rén) means "person" or "people." It names one human being, or people as a group. When you count them, put a measure word between the number and 人, as in 一个人 or 三个人. 个 is a measure word you can put in that slot.
What does 人 mean?
- 1.
person; peoplenoun
What does the character 人 mean?
- 人person; people
How do you use 人?
Put a measure word between a number and 人; 个 fits in 一个人 and 三个人.
Patterns
Number + 个 + 人
这里有三个人。
Zhèlǐ yǒu sān gè rén.
There are three people here.
人 + 都
这些人都是学生。
Zhèxiē rén dōu shì xuéshēng.
These people are all students.
一个 + 人
他是一个好人。
Tā shì yí gè hǎo rén.
He is a good person.
What are some examples of 人 in a sentence?
How is 人 used in a conversation?
- Speaker A:
这里有几个人?
Zhèlǐ yǒu jǐ gè rén?
How many people are here?
- Speaker B:
三个人。
Sān gè rén.
Three people.
- Speaker A:
他们是学生吗?
Tāmen shì xuéshēng ma?
Are they students?
- Speaker B:
这些人都是学生。
Zhèxiē rén dōu shì xuéshēng.
These people are all students.
Can you use 人 correctly?
0 of 3 answeredWhat should you learn next?
- Free HSK 3 level testSee which HSK 3.0 level your vocabulary matches.
- HSK 1 word listEvery word at this level, with examples.
- HSK 3.0 guideHow the nine levels and three bands work.
Related words
- 个gè(classifier used before a noun that has no specific classifier)HSK 1
- 位wèiclassifier for people (honorific)HSK 2
- 朋友péng youfriendHSK 1
- 孩子hái zichildHSK 1
- 女人nǚ rénwomanHSK 3
- 男人nán réna manHSK 3
Browse every entry in the Chinese word dictionary.
English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.