How to Write 牠 (tā) — Meaning “it (referring to animals)”

Picture a cow (牛) saying "ta-da!" (like 也) because it's the special pronoun for animals. Think of the left side as the animal and the right side as the sound—"ta" for it.

Write the left radical 牛 first: three horizontal strokes ending with a vertical stroke. Then write 也 on the right: start with the horizontal hook, then the vertical stroke, and finally the curved hook. A common mistake is making the 牛 radical too wide—keep it narrow so the character stays balanced.

牠 (tā) means "it" specifically for animals, while 牝 (pìn) means "female" of certain animals, like a cow or bird. 牟 (móu) is a verb meaning "to seek" or "to obtain," and also appears in names. Visually, 牝 has 牛 + 匕 (spoon), 牟 has 牛 + a triangle shape above, whereas 牠 uses 牛 + 也.

Use 牠 when referring to an animal as "it" in writing, especially in formal or literary contexts. In everyday speech, people often use 它 (tā, for objects) even for animals, but 牠 is preferred in animal stories or when emphasizing the animal's living nature. It is not in HSK but appears in classic texts and some Chinese translations of foreign works.

Common words containing 牠 include: 牠们 (tā men) — they (referring to animals); 喂牠 (wèi tā) — feed it (referring to an animal); 救牠 (jiù tā) — save it (referring to an animal).