Radical studio
亻 / 人 Person
The standing person radical marks people, pronouns, and many social words.
Meaning and position
Meaning: person, human
Where it sits: Usually the left side (亻). The full form 人 also stands alone.
Why it matters first
Beginner sentences are full of people: I, you, he, teacher, student. The slim 亻 on the left is a reliable “this is about a person” flag.
You already know 你 and 他. Both carry 亻. Once you see that, new characters like 们 feel less random.
Do not hunt radicals in every stroke on day one. Notice this one because it repeats in words you already speak.
How it looks in print
亻 is two strokes: a short falling stroke, then a longer one with a hook-like finish depending on the font.
人 as a standalone character is “person.” As a component it often compresses to 亻 to leave room for the right side.
If a character is about an action done by a person (wait, rest, work), 亻 is a common guest on the left.
Example characters
you
Person radical + 尔-like right side.
he / him
Same left piece as 你; different right side, different person.
plural marker
Turns 我/你/他 into we/you/they.
Takeaways
- 亻 on the left usually means “person involved.”
- Learn it from 你/他/们, not from a radical chart in isolation.
- 人 alone is the word “person”; 亻 is the squeezed writing form.