你 (nǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “you (singular)”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 尔 (you (literary); the right-hand part of 你), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “you”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 尔
Left–right structure
- 亻 person (the form 人 takes on the left) · rén meaning
- 尔 you (literary); the right-hand part of 你 · ěr unknown
Structure from: Unicode U+4F60 现代字形拆分，依据 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 核验（第 1–2 笔为左侧亻，第 3–7 笔为右侧尔）
Memory aid
A person (亻) standing next to 尔 — the old written word for "you". A person, pointed at: you.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 你好nǐ hǎohello你 = nǐspoken asní hǎoHSK 1
- 你们nǐ menyou (plural)你 = nǐHSK 1
- 你呢nǐ neand you? / what about you?你 = nǐHSK 1
Go deeper
All readings
you
you (singular)
第二人称代词，称呼对方。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 你好nǐ hǎohello你 = nǐspoken asní hǎoHSK 1
- 你们nǐ menyou (plural)你 = nǐHSK 1
- 你呢nǐ neand you? / what about you?你 = nǐHSK 1
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 你 mean?
你 (nǐ) means you (singular).
How do you pronounce 你?
It is pronounced nǐ.
What parts is 你 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 尔 (you (literary); the right-hand part of 你), side by side. The recorded source is: Unicode U+4F60 现代字形拆分，依据 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 核验（第 1–2 笔为左侧亻，第 3–7 笔为右侧尔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 你 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 你?
人. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 你?
Common ones are 你好 and 你们. The reading of 你 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.