人
person, human
At a glance · 人
Evolution of the glyph
Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.
Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE
⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
人字甲骨文象侧面站立之人形，本义为人、人类；金文、小篆承之。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
人本义为人、人类。
Structure
人为象形字，描摹人侧立垂手之形。
At a glance
Pinyinrén
Radical人
Strokes2
UnicodeU+4EBA
Character type象形
Theme人体
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
person, human
Ren is a pictograph of a person standing in profile, meaning human being.
Français
personne, humain
Ren est un pictogramme d'une personne de profil, signifiant être humain.
Español
persona, humano
Ren es un pictograma de una persona de perfil, significa ser humano.
العربية
إنسان، شخص
رن رسم تخطيطي لشخص جانبي، ويعني الإنسان.
Русский
человек
Жэнь — пиктограмма человека в профиль, означает человека.
Common words
- 人民rén mínpeople
- 人生rén shēnglife