How to Write 仁 (rén) — Meaning “Benevolence or kindness”

Imagine two people standing side by side: the left part 亻 is one person and the right part 二 is two strokes representing a second person. They are being kind to each other, which is the meaning of 仁 (benevolence).

Write the left radical 亻 first with a vertical stroke and then a short horizontal, making it narrow. Then add the right part 二 with two horizontal strokes — the top stroke is shorter, the bottom stroke is longer. A common mistake is making the 亻 too wide or spacing the two parts too far apart.

仁 (rén) means benevolence and has 二 (two) on the right. 亿 (yì) means "one hundred million" and has 乙 (a bent stroke) on the right. 什 (shén) means "what" in 什么 and has 十 (ten) on the right. Visually, the right sides are very different: 二, 乙, and 十.

仁 appears in formal and cultural contexts, like 仁爱 (rén ài, "benevolence and love") and 同仁 (tóng rén, "colleague"). It is also used in everyday food terms like 虾仁 (xiā rén, "shelled shrimp"). Culturally, 仁 is a core Confucian virtue representing human kindness and moral excellence.

Common words containing 仁 include: 仁爱 (rén ài) — Benevolence and love; 虾仁 (xiā rén) — Shelled shrimp; 同仁 (tóng rén) — Colleague or associate.