How to Write 它 (tā) — Meaning “It.”

Visualize a roof (宀) over a small spoon (匕) lying on a table—you can call it 'it.' Or imagine a snake wriggling under a roof, since 它 once meant snake, and now you just say 'it' when you see that creature.

Write the roof first: dot, dot, then a short vertical stroke. Next, write the bottom part as a left-falling stroke followed by a vertical hook—this makes 匕, not 七 (which has a horizontal stroke). Keep the roof wide enough to cover the bottom component completely.

宀 is just a roof radical (no bottom part) and never stands alone as a word; it appears in characters like 家. 宁 (níng, meaning 'peace') has 丁 (a nail shape) under the roof, while 它 has 匕 (a spoon shape) under the roof. Also, 宁 is not a pronoun—it's used in words like 宁静 (peaceful).

Use 它 to refer to animals, objects, or abstract concepts—it is the neutral third-person pronoun in Chinese. Unlike English, Chinese does not assign gender to things, so 它 is the default for all non-human references. Some people affectionately use 他 for pets, but 它 is standard in formal writing.

Common words containing 它 include: 它们 (tā men) — They (referring to things or animals).; 它的 (tā de) — Its; 其它 (qí tā) — Other; others (usually things or animals).