<p>她 is "she",female only.
While 他 refers to both male and female. But sometimes 他 may only stand for male.
In English,when you're not sure one's gender,you have to say "He or she is....".But in Chinese you can simply use 他 to include both male and female.
Please note,unlike "it" in English,它 is only used to indicate non-living objects.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T03:31:14.943Z
that's true! 牠 as well... though does anyone even bother with that last one? Never see it...
Master Sparkles
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T04:36:57.000Z
He or she in English is they.
Gao
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T08:48:52.553Z
Really?But I've never seen that usage before.
Libécht Wang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-17T04:58:02.420Z
Regarding ＂它 is only used to indicate non-living objects＂， just look up Chinese version of any Wikipedia article for an animal e。g。 elephant，when referring to elephants it always uses 它们（１０ times），twice 它 for a single individual
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-18T03:09:18.287Z
That confuses me....
Cuz everyone I've talked to always uses "牠"or"她/他" when referring to animals,otherwise what's "牠" for?
Libécht Wang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-18T13:46:36.247Z
when entering 牠 into iciba，there is this reply  
<代> （称人以外的事物）it，confirming that 它 for nonliving objects，牠 for animals coexisted for a while，but 牠 has long since been replaced by 它 which is now used for both （at least in mainland Chinese）
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-19T02:48:30.650Z
Well that really blew my mind! I'm Taiwanese so there might be some differences.
Libécht Wang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T03:28:01.613Z
2015-02-16T03:28:01.613Z
Libécht Wang
<p>What is the difference between 他, 它, and 她?</p>

<p>In short, you can exchange 它 and 她 to 他, but not always right inversely. Basically, 他 is inclusive. In the stories for children, 他 is used for animals. In most cases, if you do not have to use 她, always use 他 instead.</p>

<p>For example, 我们今天要选一个组长,他必须有五年的工作经验.</p>

<p>You must not write, 我们今天要选一个组长,她必须有五年的工作经验. Since 她 is exclusive.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T16:56:06.190Z
2015-02-16T16:56:06.190Z
PdotWang
<p>Trying to use linguistic slangs: 他 is the masculine gender third person, i.e "he/him"; 她 is the feminine gender third person i.e "she/her"; it for non-human third person, i.e "it"
In Traditional Chinese, there is also 妳 for feminine gender second person, Simplified Chinese doesn't normally distinguish the gender for second-person.</p>

<p>Also in Chinese, do not use 它("it") for babies.</p>

<p>You can use 她/他 for animals, pets. Nations, lands, ships are often referred to in feminine gender when speaking figuratively.</p>

<p>Normally, the masculine gender are used for default, unknown and mixed genders like it is used to be in English in which it is common to use "she or he" to refer to unknown gender. In Chinese the form of 他或她 (he or she) are not very common but acceptable if the speaker what to stress gender equity.</p>

<p>When personification, 她、他 can be used for objects that are not human.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T04:54:40.673Z
are there internet examples with female dogs, cats, horses, etc, referred as 她, some users (like this one)
have only seen 它 when referring to animals known to be female.
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T05:40:34.513Z
@S.Rhee as I said this is only when used in personification. An internet examples would be http://baike.baidu.com/subview/629576/10574039.htm
艾咪·罗斯（Amy Rose）艾咪一只粉色的刺猬、索尼克的女朋友，性格热情、泼辣，初登场于索尼克 CD。当艾咪初次遇见索尼克时便对他一见钟情，但索尼克对这个充满热情的女朋友又惊又怕，时常躲着她. 
Basically this is the introduction of Sonic's girl friend.
Also you can call your pet he or she which I believe to be common in English as well.
user1228520
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T07:47:40.600Z
Needless to say in English it is common practice to refer to animals of any order （including e。g。insects）as he／she once gender has been established。 Reply seems to confirm that when talking about e。g。公牛、母牛，雄乌鸦，母鸡，雄黄蜂，雌癞蛤蟆 Chinese unlike English would usually not use 他／她 but only 它。
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-17T05:05:59.753Z
@S.Rhee Yes, they should not simply be applied to 公牛、母牛 etc. 她 and 他 should only be used on animals when the speaker tries to personify the object which is common in narratives in stories where all characters are based on animals, but again this is not mandatory, or the animal is of personal significance to the speaker so that the speaker would treat it as a human, i.e. refer to beloved pet.
user1228520
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T04:29:55.120Z
2015-02-16T04:29:55.120Z
user1228520
<p>i want to add on, if use 他们 (they), or 她们 (they)，while the 他们 can be all male, or mix, but 她们 will always be all female group.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-15T09:13:51.290Z
2021-09-15T09:13:51.290Z
ivon
<p>她 is &quot;she&quot; in English, which is the third person used to describe a girl. For example, 她是一个女孩, “she is a girl”.
他 is &quot;he&quot; in English, which is the third person used to describe a man. For example, 他是一个男孩，”he is a boy”.
它 is &quot;it&quot; in English, which is the third person used to describe an animal or object. For example, 它是一只小狗, &quot; It is a dog&quot;.
Chinese is a complex subject because it has a deep cultural heritage. It requires a lot of our time to understand. I have been learning Chinese for six years, since I was a child, so I know a fair amount about it. youtube has a large number of learning videos that are short and easy to understand:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMUWYIs9nj0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMUWYIs9nj0</a>
I usually learn Chinese on this channel</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-25T07:14:37.123Z
2021-09-25T07:14:37.123Z
Vivan122
<p>Since no answer has all of the nuances that I was able to find (although most come close):</p>
<ul>
<li>他 is used for males (ie he) or people of unspecified gender (ie s/he, they, she or he, etc.). Note how the semantic radical is &quot;person&quot; (亻)</li>
<li>她 is used strictly for females (ie she). Note how the semantic radical is &quot;woman&quot; (女)</li>
<li>它 is used for non-humans (ie it). In traditional Chinese script this is generally used for non-living objects, whereas in simplified Chinese this is the default for any non-human. Note how it looks nothing like the others due to lack of phonetic component 也</li>
<li>牠 is used for non-human animals (ie it). This is never used for non-living objects in modern Chinese. Note how the semantic radical is &quot;bovine&quot; (牛)</li>
</ul>
<p>All are pronounced the same, tā/ㄊㄚ in Mandarin, so this is purely a literary distinction</p>
<p>I would also like to add the historical context:</p>
<p>In <strong>Old</strong> Chinese 它 was also used to write 蛇 (&quot;snake&quot;), which was sometimes a perfect homophone of 它 (although this pronunciation is no longer used for snake in any variety), which led to 它 being used for non-humans, and eventually only for non-living things. Later, usage for non-human animals was reintroduced in simplified Chinese. I do not know a precise history of 牠, but it was initially been a perfect synonym of 它, with them later splitting in meaning, so that 牠 is never used for non-living objects in any modern Chinese writing. According to Qian Xuantong, 牠 is actually supposed to evoke 物 (wù/ㄨˋ, &quot;thing&quot;), but regardless the form it takes is 也 with semantic component 牛 &quot;bovine&quot;</p>
<p>The distinction between 他 and 她 is quite modern and comes purely from European influence in the early 1900s (<a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A5%B9#Chinese" rel="nofollow noreferrer">according to Wiktionary</a>, 1910 specifically), so it does not exist in older writing and a few people still do not use 她 (most do use both; this introduction is almost as old as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomiko_Itooka" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Tomiko Itooka</a>)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-06T05:29:52.350Z
2024-11-06T05:56:34.113Z
2024-11-06T05:56:34.113Z
jgh fun-run
<p>Disclaimer: I am a native speaker, but I am neither a professional linguist, nor have I received any sufficient grammar training beyond high school Chinese, so please take a grain of salt.</p>

<p>“他” would be “he” in English， “她” would be “she” and “它” would be “it". We use it exactly like that in English.</p>

<p>a mnemonic device: the left component of "她” is “女字旁”， which is an indication that the word is related to female.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T03:14:00.967Z
I don't think you need to be a linguist to answer questions here. If you know the answer and are willing to share, that should be good enough.
monalisa
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T03:21:44.350Z
@monalisa lol, you are probably right on this particular case, but sometimes the questions could get very tricky. I do have experienced situation where I gave a wrong explanation.
jxhyc
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T03:25:13.513Z
（unlike English）它 applies to any animal whether male or female， to show respect and love 她 can apply to mother land，party， flag etc。 （iciba： 对祖国、党、旗等称呼“她”， 表示敬爱）
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T06:12:10.540Z
@S.Rhee that's not unlike English at all, where sometimes countries or ships are referred to with gendered pronouns. This usage is going out of style though: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/12632/is-it-a-good-practice-to-refer-to-countries-ships-etc-using-the-feminine-form
congusbongus
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T08:02:16.740Z
Of course in English sometimes countries or ships are referred to with gendered pronouns，above comment meant
to say that in Chinese unlike English 它 is used for oxen，cows，stags，hens，roosters，female toads，male beetles etc。， whereas English is free to use he／she
，see comment below。
user6065
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-17T22:05:28.053Z
Well, Chinese also has 牠 specifically for animals. Also 祂 specifically for divine beings.
Curiosity
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T03:07:55.717Z
2015-02-16T03:07:55.717Z
jxhyc
<p>What is the difference between 他, 她, and 它?</p>

<p>I want to know when you use one and when not to. It seems pretty basic language because I hear 他, 她, and 它 everywhere in Chinese language. </p>

<p>Anything else would be appreciated.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T06:13:18.557Z
See also http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/5925/how-gender-specific-in-writing-is-the-character-%E4%BB%96
congusbongus
<mandarin><difference>
What is the difference between 他, 它, and 她
# What is the difference between 他, 它, and 她

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-02-16)

What is the difference between 他, 她, and 它?

I want to know when you use one and when not to. It seems pretty basic language because I hear 他, 她, and 它 everywhere in Chinese language.

Anything else would be appreciated.

**Tags:** mandarin, difference

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: See also http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/5925/how-gender-specific-in-writing-is-the-character-%E4%BB%96  

---

## 7 answers

### Answer by username_11 on 2015-02-16. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

Disclaimer: I am a native speaker, but I am neither a professional linguist, nor have I received any sufficient grammar training beyond high school Chinese, so please take a grain of salt.

“他” would be “he” in English， “她” would be “she” and “它” would be “it". We use it exactly like that in English.

a mnemonic device: the left component of "她” is “女字旁”， which is an indication that the word is related to female.

> **Comments:**
> **username_12**: I don't think you need to be a linguist to answer questions here. If you know the answer and are willing to share, that should be good enough.  
> **username_11**: @username_12 lol, you are probably right on this particular case, but sometimes the questions could get very tricky. I do have experienced situation where I gave a wrong explanation.  
> **username_5**: （unlike English）它 applies to any animal whether male or female， to show respect and love 她 can apply to mother land，party， flag etc。 （iciba： 对祖国、党、旗等称呼“她”， 表示敬爱）  
> **username_1**: @S.Rhee that's not unlike English at all, where sometimes countries or ships are referred to with gendered pronouns. This usage is going out of style though: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/12632/is-it-a-good-practice-to-refer-to-countries-ships-etc-using-the-feminine-form  
> **username_5**: Of course in English sometimes countries or ships are referred to with gendered pronouns，above comment meant to say that in Chinese unlike English 它 is used for oxen，cows，stags，hens，roosters，female toads，male beetles etc。， whereas English is free to use he／she ，see comment below。  
> **username_13**: Well, Chinese also has 牠 specifically for animals. Also 祂 specifically for divine beings.  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2015-02-16. Score: 5

她 is "she",female only.
While 他 refers to both male and female. But sometimes 他 may only stand for male.
In English,when you're not sure one's gender,you have to say "He or she is....".But in Chinese you can simply use 他 to include both male and female.
Please note,unlike "it" in English,它 is only used to indicate non-living objects.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: that's true! 牠 as well... though does anyone even bother with that last one? Never see it...  
> **username_4**: He or she in English is they.  
> **username_2**: Really?But I've never seen that usage before.  
> **username_5**: Regarding ＂它 is only used to indicate non-living objects＂， just look up Chinese version of any Wikipedia article for an animal e。g。 elephant，when referring to elephants it always uses 它们（１０ times），twice 它 for a single individual  
> **username_2**: That confuses me.... Cuz everyone I've talked to always uses "牠"or"她/他" when referring to animals,otherwise what's "牠" for?  
> **username_5**: when entering 牠 into iciba，there is this reply   <代> （称人以外的事物）it，confirming that 它 for nonliving objects，牠 for animals coexisted for a while，but 牠 has long since been replaced by 它 which is now used for both （at least in mainland Chinese）  
> **username_2**: Well that really blew my mind! I'm Taiwanese so there might be some differences.  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2015-02-16. Score: 4

What is the difference between 他, 它, and 她?

In short, you can exchange 它 and 她 to 他, but not always right inversely. Basically, 他 is inclusive. In the stories for children, 他 is used for animals. In most cases, if you do not have to use 她, always use 他 instead.

For example, 我们今天要选一个组长,他必须有五年的工作经验.

You must not write, 我们今天要选一个组长,她必须有五年的工作经验. Since 她 is exclusive.


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2015-02-16. Score: 3

Trying to use linguistic slangs: 他 is the masculine gender third person, i.e "he/him"; 她 is the feminine gender third person i.e "she/her"; it for non-human third person, i.e "it"
In Traditional Chinese, there is also 妳 for feminine gender second person, Simplified Chinese doesn't normally distinguish the gender for second-person.

Also in Chinese, do not use 它("it") for babies.

You can use 她/他 for animals, pets. Nations, lands, ships are often referred to in feminine gender when speaking figuratively.

Normally, the masculine gender are used for default, unknown and mixed genders like it is used to be in English in which it is common to use "she or he" to refer to unknown gender. In Chinese the form of 他或她 (he or she) are not very common but acceptable if the speaker what to stress gender equity.

When personification, 她、他 can be used for objects that are not human.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: are there internet examples with female dogs, cats, horses, etc, referred as 她, some users (like this one) have only seen 它 when referring to animals known to be female.  
> **username_7**: @S.Rhee as I said this is only when used in personification. An internet examples would be http://baike.baidu.com/subview/629576/10574039.htm 艾咪·罗斯（Amy Rose）艾咪一只粉色的刺猬、索尼克的女朋友，性格热情、泼辣，初登场于索尼克 CD。当艾咪初次遇见索尼克时便对他一见钟情，但索尼克对这个充满热情的女朋友又惊又怕，时常躲着她.  Basically this is the introduction of Sonic's girl friend. Also you can call your pet he or she which I believe to be common in English as well.  
> **username_5**: Needless to say in English it is common practice to refer to animals of any order （including e。g。insects）as he／she once gender has been established。 Reply seems to confirm that when talking about e。g。公牛、母牛，雄乌鸦，母鸡，雄黄蜂，雌癞蛤蟆 Chinese unlike English would usually not use 他／她 but only 它。  
> **username_7**: @S.Rhee Yes, they should not simply be applied to 公牛、母牛 etc. 她 and 他 should only be used on animals when the speaker tries to personify the object which is common in narratives in stories where all characters are based on animals, but again this is not mandatory, or the animal is of personal significance to the speaker so that the speaker would treat it as a human, i.e. refer to beloved pet.  

---

### Answer by username_8 on 2021-09-15. Score: 0

i want to add on, if use 他们 (they), or 她们 (they)，while the 他们 can be all male, or mix, but 她们 will always be all female group.


---

### Answer by username_9 on 2021-09-25. Score: 0

她 is "she" in English, which is the third person used to describe a girl. For example, 她是一个女孩, “she is a girl”.
他 is "he" in English, which is the third person used to describe a man. For example, 他是一个男孩，”he is a boy”.
它 is "it" in English, which is the third person used to describe an animal or object. For example, 它是一只小狗, " It is a dog".
Chinese is a complex subject because it has a deep cultural heritage. It requires a lot of our time to understand. I have been learning Chinese for six years, since I was a child, so I know a fair amount about it. youtube has a large number of learning videos that are short and easy to understand:
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMUWYIs9nj0>
I usually learn Chinese on this channel


---

### Answer by username_10 on 2024-11-06. Score: 0

Since no answer has all of the nuances that I was able to find (although most come close):

* 他 is used for males (ie he) or people of unspecified gender (ie s/he, they, she or he, etc.). Note how the semantic radical is "person" (亻)
* 她 is used strictly for females (ie she). Note how the semantic radical is "woman" (女)
* 它 is used for non-humans (ie it). In traditional Chinese script this is generally used for non-living objects, whereas in simplified Chinese this is the default for any non-human. Note how it looks nothing like the others due to lack of phonetic component 也
* 牠 is used for non-human animals (ie it). This is never used for non-living objects in modern Chinese. Note how the semantic radical is "bovine" (牛)

All are pronounced the same, tā/ㄊㄚ in Mandarin, so this is purely a literary distinction

I would also like to add the historical context:

In **Old** Chinese 它 was also used to write 蛇 ("snake"), which was sometimes a perfect homophone of 它 (although this pronunciation is no longer used for snake in any variety), which led to 它 being used for non-humans, and eventually only for non-living things. Later, usage for non-human animals was reintroduced in simplified Chinese. I do not know a precise history of 牠, but it was initially been a perfect synonym of 它, with them later splitting in meaning, so that 牠 is never used for non-living objects in any modern Chinese writing. According to Qian Xuantong, 牠 is actually supposed to evoke 物 (wù/ㄨˋ, "thing"), but regardless the form it takes is 也 with semantic component 牛 "bovine"

The distinction between 他 and 她 is quite modern and comes purely from European influence in the early 1900s ([according to Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A5%B9#Chinese), 1910 specifically), so it does not exist in older writing and a few people still do not use 她 (most do use both; this introduction is almost as old as [Tomiko Itooka](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomiko_Itooka))


---

