Looking up...
你
nǐ
you
你好吗？
How are you?
formal
Second person singular pronoun, used to refer to the person being addressed.
你是谁？
Who are you?
你想吃什么？
What do you want to eat?
Used in both formal and informal contexts. The plural form '你们' (nǐmen) is used for multiple people.
Pro Tip
Pronunciation Tip
The tone of '你' is the third tone (nǐ), which starts high and then dips slightly before rising again. It sounds like the English word 'knee' but with a rising pitch at the end.
Gold Rule
Usage Rule
Always use '你' when addressing someone informally. Use '您' (nín) for formal or respectful contexts.
Word Origin
The character '你' is a phonetic loan character from Old Chinese. It evolved from the combination of the character '尔' (ěr, meaning 'you') and the phonetic component '亻' (rén, meaning 'person'), indicating a second-person pronoun.
Usage Notes
In modern Mandarin, '你' is the standard second-person singular pronoun. The polite form '您' (nín) is used for elders or superiors. The plural form '你们' (nǐmen) is used when addressing multiple people.
Word Breakdown
亻
person radical
root尔
phonetic component
root汉英词典