它 (tā) is a Chinese character meaning “it (referring to an animal or a thing, not a person)”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 匕 (ancient spoon; dagger), one above the other, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “it (an animal or a thing)”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
宀 + 匕
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：它，虫也，从虫而長，象冤曲垂尾形（本字为象形；宀 与 匕 只是现代字形的拆分单位，不表义也不表音，已比对 hanzi-writer-data 笔画分组）
Memory aid
Under a roof (宀) something small is crouching (匕). You never say its name — you just point and call it "it".
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 它们tā menthey; them (animals or things)它 = tāHSK 1
Go deeper
All readings
it
it (referring to an animal or a thing, not a person)
第三人称代词，指人以外的动物或事物。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 它们tā menthey; them (animals or things)它 = tāHSK 1
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 它 mean?
它 (tā) means it (referring to an animal or a thing, not a person).
How do you pronounce 它?
It is pronounced tā.
What parts is 它 made of?
宀 (roof) and 匕 (ancient spoon; dagger), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：它，虫也，从虫而長，象冤曲垂尾形（本字为象形；宀 与 匕 只是现代字形的拆分单位，不表义也不表音，已比对 hanzi-writer-data 笔画分组）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 它 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 它?
宀. 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 它?
Common ones are 它们. The reading of 它 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.