How to Write 伲 (nì) — Meaning “We or I (used in some Chinese dialects like Shanghainese).”

Imagine a person (亻) walking close to you and saying, "Neigh" like a horse — the sound of 尼 (ní) reminds you of 'knee' or 'neigh'. Think: "The person (亻) near my knee (ní) is me (伲)." This links the shape and sound to the meaning of 'I' or 'we'.

The left radical 亻 is written with a slanted stroke and a vertical stroke — make sure the vertical line is straight and ends slightly lower than the slanted stroke. The right part 尼 has a small 尸 (corpse) on top and a 匕 (spoon) below: keep the 匕 narrow so the character stays balanced. A common mistake is making the right side too wide, which throws off the proportions.

伲 (nì) means 'I' or 'we' in dialects, while 仔 (zǐ) means 'son' or 'young person' and 仕 (shì) means 'official'. Visually, 伲 has 尼 on the right, 仔 has 子 (child), and 仕 has 士 (scholar). The right-side component is the main clue to the meaning: 尼 looks like a person with a curved back, 子 is a child, and 士 is a standing figure.

伲 is not used in standard Mandarin — it appears mainly in dialects, especially Shanghainese (Wu Chinese), where it means 'I' or 'we'. You might hear it in local Shanghai speech or in regional literature. If you are learning standard Chinese (Putonghua), you probably won't need this character, but it can help you understand dialectal variations.

Common words containing 伲 include: 伲 (nì) — We or I (used in some Chinese dialects like Shanghainese).; 伲子 (nì zi) — Son (dialectal).; 伲家 (nì jiā) — My family or we (dialectal)..