How to Write 你 (nǐ) — Meaning “you”

Imagine you are pointing at a friend and saying 'knee' (sounds like nǐ). The left part 亻 looks like a standing person, and the right part 尔 looks like a little person kneeling on one knee, so together it reminds you of 'you' pointing at someone.

Write the left radical 亻 first (two strokes: a slant and a vertical), then the right side 尔. Make sure the right side is narrow and balanced—common mistakes include making 尔 too wide or writing the small hook on top incorrectly. The final stroke is a small dot at the bottom right.

你 means 'you', while 仔 means 'son' or 'young person' and 仕 means 'official' or 'scholar'. Visually, the right parts differ: 你 uses 尔, 仔 uses 子 (child), and 仕 uses 士 (scholar). All share the person radical 亻, so focus on the right side to tell them apart.

你 is the standard informal word for 'you' in Chinese, used with friends, family, and people of similar age. It is very common in greetings like 你好 (nǐ hǎo, hello). In formal or polite situations, use 您 (nín) instead of 你.

Common words containing 你 include: 你好 (nǐ hǎo) — Hello; 你们 (nǐ men) — You (plural); 你的 (nǐ de) — Your / Yours.