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他们 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
他们tāmentheyHSK 1, unknown, 10 strokes, rank #34, Easy
tāmen(ta1men5)ta men T1
  1. 1they
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March 24, 2026

他们(他們)tāmen(ta1men5)

他们 (tā men) means 'they' in Mandarin and is used to refer to a group of people that includes at least one male or a mixed-gender group. It is commonly used in both spoken and written contexts to indicate a third-person plural subject.

Strokes10Frequency#34DifficultyEasy
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, pronouns can reflect gender and social roles, making it important to distinguish between 他们 (they for males/mixed) and 她们 (they for females). This distinction highlights the cultural significance of gender in language.

Memory Tip

Think of 他们 as 'ta men' (sounds like 'tah men'). Imagine a group of guys (men) standing together, making it easy to remember that this word refers to 'they' or 'them'. The character '他' means 'he' and '们' is a plural marker, so it visually represents 'he (they)'.

Meanings of 他们

tāmen(ta1men5)
1they
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About 他们

他们Simplified
他們Traditional
10Strokes
—Radical
代词dàicípronoun (pron.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank
HSK 3.0L1ElementaryTOCFLL1HSKKL1CEFRA1

Podcast: 他们

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Podcast: 他们

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AI Study Notes for 他们

Quick Contrast

他们 (tāmen) vs 她们 (tāmen) — use 他们 when referring to a mixed-gender or all-male group, and 她们 when referring exclusively to a group of females.

Usage Notes

Common mistakes include using 他们 when referring to a female-only group, where 她们 (tā men) should be used instead. It is informal and can be used in both formal and casual contexts, but be mindful of using the appropriate pronoun based on the group's gender composition.

HSK Study Tips

他们 is often introduced in HSK Level 1 as a basic pronoun. Students should focus on using it in sentences to understand its plural nature and contrast it with 她们 and 它们 (tā men - they for females; tā men - they for things).

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 他们 with 她们, mistakenly using 他们 for female groups. For example, saying 他们 (tā men) when referring to a female team is incorrect; use 她们 instead.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 他们

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Component Characters

他tāhe or him
HSK 15 strokes亻
View full entry
们menplural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals
HSK 15 strokes亻
View full entry

How to say they in Chinese

“they” in Chinese is他们tāmen

他们 (tā men) means 'they' in Mandarin and is used to refer to a group of people that includes at least one male or a mixed-gender group. It is commonly used in both spoken and written contexts to indicate a third-person plural subject.

When to use 他们

Common mistakes include using 他们 when referring to a female-only group, where 她们 (tā men) should be used instead. It is informal and can be used in both formal and casual contexts, but be mindful of using the appropriate pronoun based on the group's gender composition.

他们 or something close to it

他们 (tāmen) vs 她们 (tāmen) — use 他们 when referring to a mixed-gender or all-male group, and 她们 when referring exclusively to a group of females.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 他们 with 她们, mistakenly using 他们 for female groups. For example, saying 他们 (tā men) when referring to a female team is incorrect; use 她们 instead.

Write 他们

他
们

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Frequently Asked Questions about 他们

No, you should use 她们 (tā men) for an all-female group.

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