Characters 5

人 rén : human, person

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Graphic components: 人 is a graphic component.
Etymology : 人 rén is a pictogram. In ancient inscriptions, the form clearly evokes a man seen in profile, walking or standing.

们 men : (plural marker)

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Graphic components: 亻 man (variant of 人) ; 门 mén door.
Etymology : 们 men is a phono-semantic compound. It is formed from the 'human' component 亻 and the 'door' 门 mén which gives the pronunciation indication.

您 nín : you (formal)

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Graphic components: 你 you ; 心 heart.
Etymology : 您 nín is a polite form of "you" (你) with the addition of the heart (心), indicating respect. One can see in it the idea of addressing someone "with the heart".

国 guó : (country)

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Graphic components: 囗 enclosure, border ; 玉 jade.
Etymology : 国 guó is an ideogram. It is composed of two elements: 囗 which represents an enclosure or a closed perimeter, often used to indicate a delimited space — here, the territory of a country; inside it, 玉 yù jade. This is an ancient simplification of the character 國 composed of the enclosure 囗 and of 或 which represents a hand holding a spear protecting a city.

法 fǎ : (law)

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Graphic components: 氵 water ; 土 earth ; 厶 the private.
Etymology : 法 fǎ is an ideogram originally formed from 灋, which represents an assembly of two elements: on the left, 氵 shuǐ, water, a symbol of balance, regularity and impartiality; on the right, an ancient character representing the mythical creature xièzhì 獬豸, a beast resembling a unicorn goat able to distinguish good from evil. This beast struck the guilty with its horn and thus served as a symbol of justice. The character was later simplified to 法, keeping 氵 water, and 去 "to go", which originally meant "to leave, to depart".

美 měi : to be beautiful

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Graphic components: 羊 sheep ; 大 big.
Etymology : 美 měi is an ideogram composed of two elements: 羊 yáng (the sheep) above 大 dà (big). A traditional interpretation sees in it a big sheep, a symbol of prosperity and beauty in ancient Chinese culture. Another theory suggests a stylized representation of a person wearing a feather ornament or a ceremonial headdress, evoking the idea of elegance and harmony.

英 yīng : (flourishing, flower)

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Graphic components: 艹 grass ; 央 yāng central.
Etymology : 英 yīng is an ideogram composed of two elements: 艹 cǎo (the grass or plant) above 央 yāng (center, middle). Originally, 英 referred to the flower of a plant (a central and brilliant element), then by extension it took on the meaning of "excellence" or "hero" (symbolizing what stands out, like a flower among the grasses). This character also evokes the idea of vitality and splendor.

文 wén : (writing, language)

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Graphic components: 文 is a graphic component.
Etymology : 文 wén is an ancient pictogram originally representing a stylized figure with ornamental patterns on the chest. This character evokes the concepts of pattern, writing and culture. It symbolizes the marks or drawings traced, then by extension, writing itself and finally literary culture. In its composition, one can see a person with decorations, although the modern form has simplified this drawing.

汉 hàn : (Chinese)

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Graphic components: 氵 water ; 又 right hand.
Etymology : 汉 hàn is the simplified form of the traditional character 漢. Originally, 漢 represented the Han River (漢水), combining the water radical 氵 and a complex phonetic component. The simplified version 汉 keeps the water 氵 and replaces the right part with 又 yòu, thus simplifying the writing. This character today refers to the Han ethnicity and Chinese culture, a legacy of the Han dynasty (from 206 BC to 220 AD).

语 yǔ : (language)

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Graphic components: 讠 speech ; 五 five ; 口 mouth.
Etymology : 语 yǔ is the simplified form of the traditional character 語. It is a phono-semantic compound composed of speech 讠 (simplified form of 言) and the phonetic component 吾 wú. Originally, 語 symbolized verbal exchange, associating speech (言) with a phonetic element evoking the pronoun "we" (吾). The simplified version 语 keeps this logic, with 讠 for the meaning and 吾 for the pronunciation.

说 shuō : to speak
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Graphic components: 讠 speech ; 八 inverted eight ; 口 mouth ; 儿 son.
Etymology : 说 shuō is the simplified form of the traditional character 說. It is a phono-semantic compound composed of speech 讠 (simplified form of 言) and the component 兑 duì. The latter, originally meaning "to exchange" or "to convert", brings both a phonetic indication and the idea of a verbal exchange. The character 说 thus refers to the action of speaking, explaining or convincing, reflecting the link between communication and linguistic transaction.

写 xiě : to write
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Graphic components: 冖 to cover ; 与 to give, and.
Etymology : 写 xiě is the simplified form of the traditional character 寫. Originally, 寫 combined the component 宀 (roof, symbolizing an interior space) with other elements evoking the action of placing down or reproducing. The simplified version 写, adopted in the 1950s, keeps a stylized structure: the component 冖 (cover) above 与 (give, and), suggesting the idea of transcribing or copying. This character today refers to the action of writing, describing or representing.

会 huì : to know (how to do)
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Graphic components: 人 human ; 二 two ; 厶 private.
Etymology : 会 huì is the simplified form of the traditional character 會. Originally, 會 represented a covered container (亼) containing food, associated with 曾 (an ancient character evoking steam escaping from a cauldron). This symbol illustrated the idea of gathering or assembling, like ingredients in a pot. The simplified version 会 keeps the upper part 人 (person) and simplifies the rest, now evoking a collective meeting or a acquired skill (know-how).

都 dōu : all
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Graphic components: 土 earth ; 丿 left downward stroke ; 日 sun ; 阝 city.
Etymology : 都 dū/dōu is a phono-semantic character composed of the 'city' 阝 (on the right, abbreviation of 邑) and the component 者 zhě (a particle of personification), serving here as a phonetic clue: characters with 者 are often pronounced zhu (the phonetic clue mainly indicates the final). Originally, 都 referred to a capital or a important city, associating the concept of an inhabited place (阝) with a sound marker. By extension, it acquired the meaning of "all" or "entirely" (dōu) as an adverb, reflecting the idea of a centralized totality.

哪 nǎ : which, which one?

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Graphic components: 口 mouth ; 阝 city ; the middle element is not considered a graphic component.
Etymology : 哪 nǎ is a phono-semantic compound composed of two elements: 口 kǒu (the mouth, indicating a relation with language or speech) on the left, and 那 nà (which means "this/that") on the right. The component 那 mainly serves as a phonetic marker, while 口 brings the meaning related to oral questioning. This character is used to form interrogative pronouns such as "which" or "which one".