tāmen: 她们 - They, Them (female)

• Keywords: tāmen, 她们, Chinese for they, Chinese for them, female they in Chinese, they them female, Chinese pronouns, difference between 他们 她们 它们, ta men, HSK 1 pronoun, learn Chinese
• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese pronoun 她们 (tāmen), meaning “they” or “them” used exclusively for groups of females. This guide breaks down its characters, cultural context, and practical usage. Understand the critical difference between the written forms 她们 (tāmen), 他们 (tāmen), and 它们 (tāmen)—a key distinction for beginner learners that doesn't exist in spoken Mandarin.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): tāmen (tā men)
• Part of Speech: Pronoun
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: “They” or “them,” used to refer to a group comprised entirely of females.
• In a Nutshell: In English, “they” can refer to any group of people. Chinese is more specific in its written form. 她们 (tāmen) is the pronoun you use when talking about a group of women or girls. It's formed by combining the character for “she” (她) with the plural marker (们). If there is even one male in the group, you must use the masculine/mixed-gender form, 他们 (tāmen).

• 她 (tā): The character for “she” or “her”. It's composed of the 女 (nǚ) radical on the left, which means “woman” or “female,” and 也 (yě) on the right, which primarily provides the phonetic sound. The 女 radical is your biggest clue that this character is related to females.
• 们 (men): This is a plural suffix for pronouns and some nouns referring to people. It's made of the “person” radical 亻(rén) and the character 门 (mén), meaning “door,” which gives the sound. Think of it as the character that turns a single “person” into a group.
• Combined Meaning: Put them together, and 她们 literally translates to “shes” or “a group of shes,” making it the logical choice for the female “they/them.”

The existence of 她们 (tāmen) is a relatively modern linguistic development in Chinese, reflecting cultural exchange and evolving social norms. For most of Chinese history, the character 他 (tā) was used as a universal third-person pronoun for “he,” “she,” and “it.” The specific character for “she,” 她 (tā), was created in the early 20th century. This invention was heavily influenced by contact with Western languages, which have distinct gendered third-person singular pronouns (he/she). Linguists and writers of the time, like Liu Bannong, advocated for its creation to make translation of Western literature more precise and to modernize the written language. Therefore, the distinction between 他们 and 她们 is a feature of modern written Chinese. In spoken Mandarin, both are pronounced identically as “tāmen,” making the distinction impossible to hear. This contrasts sharply with English, where “they” is gender-neutral in the plural, but is now also increasingly used as a singular non-binary pronoun. Chinese, in its written form, requires the writer to specify the gender of a group, which reflects a different linguistic approach to gender and identity.

Understanding when to use 她们 is straightforward but crucial for correct writing.

• Spoken vs. Written: This is the most important rule. The difference only exists in writing. When you speak, “tāmen” is ambiguous. When you write, you must choose the correct characters based on the group's composition.
• All-Female Groups Only: Use 她们 if, and only if, every single person in the group you are referring to is female. If there are 99 women and 1 man, you must use 他们 (tāmen). 他们 functions as both the all-male and the mixed-gender/default plural pronoun.
• Social Media and Texting: In digital communication, using the correct character is standard practice and shows attention to detail. Using 他们 to refer to a group of your female friends might be seen as careless or impersonal.
• Referring to Objects or Animals: Never use 她们 for a group of inanimate objects or animals. For that, you use 它们 (tāmen).

• Example 1:
  • 她们是我的同学。
  • Pinyin: Tāmen shì wǒ de tóngxué.
  • English: They are my classmates.
  • Analysis: A simple subject-pronoun sentence. The use of 她们 tells the reader that all the classmates being referred to are female.
• Example 2:
  • 你认识她们吗？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ rènshi tāmen ma?
  • English: Do you know them?
  • Analysis: Here, 她们 is the object of the verb “认识” (rènshi - to know). Again, it implies the group is all-female.
• Example 3:
  • 她们的裙子都很漂亮。
  • Pinyin: Tāmen de qúnzi dōu hěn piàoliang.
  • English: Their skirts are all very beautiful.
  • Analysis: This shows the possessive form, 她们的 (tāmen de), meaning “their”.
• Example 4:
  • 我昨天在图书馆看到了她们。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ zuótiān zài túshūguǎn kàndào le tāmen.
  • English: I saw them at the library yesterday.
  • Analysis: A straightforward sentence where 她们 is the object. The context implies the speaker is referring to a specific group of females.
• Example 5:
  • 别担心，她们知道怎么回家。
  • Pinyin: Bié dānxīn, tāmen zhīdào zěnme huí jiā.
  • English: Don't worry, they know how to get home.
  • Analysis: This example shows 她们 used in a reassuring context.
• Example 6:
  • 那些女孩是她们班的吗？
  • Pinyin: Nàxiē nǚhái shì tāmen bān de ma?
  • English: Are those girls in their class?
  • Analysis: This sentence uses “girls” (女孩) first, making it clear why the pronoun 她们 is the correct choice later in the sentence.
• Example 7:
  • 她们俩是最好的朋友。
  • Pinyin: Tāmen liǎ shì zuì hǎo de péngyǒu.
  • English: The two of them are best friends.
  • Analysis: 俩 (liǎ) is a colloquial way of saying “two” when referring to people. It often attaches directly to pronouns like this.
• Example 8:
  • 我把这本书给了她们。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ bǎ zhè běn shū gěi le tāmen.
  • English: I gave this book to them.
  • Analysis: Demonstrates the use of 她们 as the recipient of an action in a 把 (bǎ) sentence structure.
• Example 9:
  • 她们自己完成了这个项目。
  • Pinyin: Tāmen zìjǐ wánchéng le zhège xiàngmù.
  • English: They completed this project themselves.
  • Analysis: Shows the reflexive pronoun 自己 (zìjǐ) being used with 她们 to add emphasis.
• Example 10:
  • 她们一致同意这个计划。
  • Pinyin: Tāmen yīzhì tóngyì zhège jìhuà.
  • English: They unanimously agreed to this plan.
  • Analysis: A more formal example showing collective action by a group of females.

• The Golden Rule Mistake: The most common error for learners is using 她们 for a mixed-gender group. Remember: 1 man + 99 women = 他们. There are no exceptions.
  • Incorrect: 教室里的学生们，她们都在学习。(Jiàoshì lǐ de xuéshēngmen, tāmen dōu zài xuéxí.) → Why it's wrong: The word “学生们” (students) is gender-neutral and likely includes males. You must use the default 他们.
• Spoken vs. Written Confusion: A learner hears their teacher say “tāmen” when referring to a mixed group and might incorrectly write 她们 in their notes. Always clarify the composition of the group before writing.
• Over-correction: Some learners, after learning about 她们, might start using it for singular women. Remember, 她们 is plural. The singular is always 她 (tā).
  • Incorrect: 这是我的妈妈，她们是医生。(Zhè shì wǒ de māma, tāmen shì yīshēng.) → Why it's wrong: “My mom” is one person. It should be 她是医生 (Tā shì yīshēng).

• 他们 (tāmen) - The masculine “they/them,” and more importantly, the default pronoun for any mixed-gender group.
• 它们 (tāmen) - The “they/them” used for animals and inanimate objects. All three are pronounced identically.
• 她 (tā) - The singular form: “she” or “her.” This is the building block of 她们.
• 他 (tā) - The singular “he” or “him.”
• 它 (tā) - The singular “it.”
• 我们 (wǒmen) - The first-person plural: “we” or “us.”
• 你们 (nǐmen) - The second-person plural: “you” (referring to more than one person).
• 女士们 (nǚshìmen) - A formal term meaning “ladies,” often used in speeches (e.g., “女士们，先生们” - “Ladies and gentlemen”).
• 姐妹 (jiěmèi) - “Sisters.” Can be used literally or figuratively to refer to a close group of female friends (“sisterhood”).