tā: 她 - She, Her

• Keywords: tā, 她, Chinese for she, Chinese for her, Chinese female pronoun, Chinese pronouns, 他 她 它 difference, how to say she in Chinese, HSK 1 vocabulary, 女 radical
• Summary: Learn how to use “她” (tā), the essential Mandarin Chinese pronoun for “she” and “her”. This guide covers its meaning, character origin, and crucial cultural context. Discover why “她” sounds identical to the male pronoun “他” (tā) and the non-human “它” (tā), a common point of confusion for beginners. Master its practical use in sentences, understand common mistakes, and see how it fits in with other core Chinese pronouns.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): tā
• Part of Speech: Pronoun
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: 她 (tā) is the third-person singular pronoun for a female, equivalent to “she” or “her” in English.
• In a Nutshell: “她” is the go-to word when you're talking about a female person. The single most important thing for a beginner to know is that while it is written differently from the male pronoun “他” (he) and the pronoun for things “它” (it), all three are pronounced exactly the same: “tā”. The distinction only exists in written Chinese; in conversation, you rely entirely on context.

• 女 (nǚ): This is the “woman” radical. It is one of the most important radicals in Chinese and is found in many characters related to females, family, and traditional feminine roles (e.g., 妈 mā - mom, 姐 jiě - older sister). Its presence immediately signals that 她 refers to a female.
• 也 (yě): This component primarily provides the sound for the character. On its own, 也 (yě) means “also” or “too”, but in this compound character, its main function is phonetic.

The character 她 is a phono-semantic compound, brilliantly combining meaning and sound. The 女 radical gives the meaning (“female”), and the 也 component provides the pronunciation (a sound close to “tā”).

The character 她 is surprisingly modern. For most of Chinese history, the character 他 (tā) was used as a universal third-person pronoun, referring to men, women, and objects, much like the singular “they” is sometimes used in English. The creation and popularization of 她 occurred in the early 20th century, heavily influenced by the New Culture Movement and increased contact with Western languages. As Chinese intellectuals translated Western literature and scientific texts, they felt the need for a written distinction equivalent to the English “he/she” to avoid ambiguity. The writer Liu Bannong is often credited with championing its use in the 1920s, creating it by adding the “woman” radical (女) to a phonetic component. This is a fascinating contrast to English, where distinct gendered pronouns like “he” and “she” have existed for centuries. The adoption of 她 shows how languages evolve and adapt, in this case borrowing a grammatical concept (written gender distinction) to meet the needs of the modern era. It reflects a shift towards greater precision in written Chinese.

In modern usage, 她 is used exactly like “she” and “her” in English. There is no distinction between the subject form (“she”) and the object form (“her”). The same character is used for both.

• As a Subject: 她是我的朋友。 (Tā shì wǒ de péngyou.) - She is my friend.
• As an Object: 我认识她。 (Wǒ rènshi tā.) - I know her.
• Possessive Form: To make it possessive (“her” or “hers”), you simply add the particle 的 (de).
  • 她的猫 (tā de māo) - her cat
  • 这杯咖啡是她的。(Zhè bēi kāfēi shì tā de.) - This cup of coffee is hers.

The most critical point in practice is auditory. When you hear “tā” in a conversation, you must use the context to understand if the speaker is referring to a man, a woman, or a thing.

• Example 1:
  • 她是谁？
  • Pinyin: Tā shì shéi?
  • English: Who is she?
  • Analysis: A fundamental question. Here, 她 is the subject of the sentence. The context (perhaps pointing or looking at a woman) makes it clear you are asking about a female.
• Example 2:
  • 我昨天看见她了。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ zuótiān kànjiàn tā le.
  • English: I saw her yesterday.
  • Analysis: Here 她 is the object of the verb “看见” (kànjiàn - to see). This demonstrates its use as the equivalent of “her”.
• Example 3:
  • 她的中文说得很好。
  • Pinyin: Tā de Zhōngwén shuō de hěn hǎo.
  • English: Her Chinese is very good. (Literally: The Chinese she speaks is very good.)
  • Analysis: This shows the possessive form, 她的 (tā de), modifying the noun “中文” (Zhōngwén - Chinese language).
• Example 4:
  • 她喜欢听音乐。
  • Pinyin: Tā xǐhuān tīng yīnyuè.
  • English: She likes to listen to music.
  • Analysis: A simple sentence showing a preference. 她 is the subject performing the action “like”.
• Example 5:
  • 你想请她吃饭吗？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ xiǎng qǐng tā chīfàn ma?
  • English: Do you want to invite her to eat?
  • Analysis: 她 is the object of the verb “请” (qǐng - to invite). This is a very common social phrase.
• Example 6:
  • 她住在上海。
  • Pinyin: Tā zhù zài Shànghǎi.
  • English: She lives in Shanghai.
  • Analysis: Used to state someone's location of residence.
• Example 7:
  • 这本书是她写的。
  • Pinyin: Zhè běn shū shì tā xiě de.
  • English: This book was written by her.
  • Analysis: A common structure using 是…的 (shì…de) to emphasize details about a past event. Here, it emphasizes that she was the writer.
• Example 8:
  • 她看起来有点不高兴。
  • Pinyin: Tā kàn qǐlái yǒudiǎn bù gāoxìng.
  • English: She looks a little unhappy.
  • Analysis: “看起来” (kàn qǐlái) means “looks” or “appears”. This sentence is a good example of how to describe someone's apparent emotional state.
• Example 9:
  • 我不认识她的丈夫。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ bù rènshi tā de zhàngfu.
  • English: I don't know her husband.
  • Analysis: Another example of the possessive 她的 (tā de) modifying a noun, in this case, “丈夫” (zhàngfu - husband).
• Example 10:
  • 你可以把这个交给她吗？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ kěyǐ bǎ zhège jiāo gěi tā ma?
  • English: Can you give this to her?
  • Analysis: This sentence uses the 把 (bǎ) structure, which re-organizes the sentence to emphasize the object (“这个” - this) and its disposal (giving it to her).

• The TĀ-TĀ-TĀ problem: The biggest hurdle for learners is that 她 (she), 他 (he), and 它 (it) are all pronounced tā.
  • In Listening: You MUST rely on context. If people are discussing your female friend Wang Li, any “tā” you hear will refer to her.
  • In Writing: You MUST use the correct character. Using the wrong one is a spelling error.
  • Incorrect: `他是一个好老师。` (Tā shì yí ge hǎo lǎoshī.) if you are talking about a female teacher.
  • Correct: `她是一个好老师。` (Tā shì yí ge hǎo lǎoshī.)
• No “She” vs. “Her” Distinction: English speakers often try to find a different word for the object pronoun “her”. In Chinese, 她 is used for both the subject and the object.
  • She is a doctor: 她是医生。(Tā shì yīshēng.)
  • I know her: 我认识她。(Wǒ rènshi tā.)
  • It's a mistake to look for a different character for the second sentence.

• 他 (tā) - The masculine pronoun (“he/him”). It is the most common default pronoun and is pronounced identically to 她.
• 它 (tā) - The non-human pronoun for objects and animals (“it”). Also pronounced identically.
• 她们 (tāmen) - The plural pronoun for a group of all females (“they/them”). Note the 女 radical in both characters.
• 他们 (tāmen) - The plural pronoun for a group of all males or a mixed-gender group (“they/them”). This is the default plural “they”.
• 它们 (tāmen) - The plural pronoun for animals or objects (“they/them”).
• 的 (de) - The essential possessive particle used to make 她 possessive: 她的 (tā de - her/hers).
• 我 (wǒ) - The first-person pronoun (“I/me”).
• 你 (nǐ) - The second-person pronoun (“you”).
• 女 (nǚ) - The “woman” radical, which is the key component giving 她 its meaning.