Meaning of 您
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- you (courteous, as opposed to informal 你[ni3])
How to use 您
Use 您 with elders, teachers, customers, and people you meet in formal settings. It is very common in greetings and service language. Example: 您好，请坐。(Nín hǎo, qǐng zuò.) Hello, please have a seat.
您 (nín) is 你 (nǐ, you) sitting on top of 心 (xīn, heart). Think of it as saying "you" from the heart, which makes it the polite, respectful form.
Common mistake: Learners often write 你们 thinking it is the polite plural, or add 们 to make 您们, which is generally considered nonstandard. For a polite plural, say 您几位 (nín jǐ wèi) or 各位 (gèwèi) instead.
您 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
您 nín · you · 11 strokes
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Questions about 您
What does 您 mean?
您 (nín) means "you (courteous, as opposed to informal 你[ni3])" and is used as a pronoun.
How do you write 您?
您 is made of 1 character: 您 (11 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 您 an HSK word?
Yes. 您 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is it rude to use 你 instead of 您?
Not usually. 你 is normal with friends, peers, and in many casual situations. Using 您 simply adds respect, and it is expected with older people or in customer service.
Do people in all regions use 您 equally?
No. 您 is used very often in northern China, especially Beijing. In southern China and Taiwan many people use 你 more, even in polite speech, though 您 is still understood and appropriate in formal writing.