人物 (rénwù) · figure

人物 (rénwù) means “figure; personality; character (in a story)”. It is written with 2 characters: 人 (person) + 物 (thing). It is an old HSK 5 word (HSK 2.0).

How 人物 is built

The characters

人 rén · person

What 人 is made of

人 is not built from smaller parts; it is written with 2 strokes.

Origin hint: The legs of a human being (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

物 wù · thing

What 物 is made of

牛niú — ox
勿wù — must not
- 勹bāo — wrap shape
  - 丿 — falling stroke
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 丿 — falling stroke

Origin hint: 牛 gives the meaning, 勿 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

Example sentences

他是历史上很重要的人物。Tā shì lìshǐ shàng hěn zhòngyào de rénwù.He is an important figure in history.

这本小说里的人物很有意思。Zhè běn xiǎoshuō lǐ de rénwù hěn yǒuyìsi.The characters in this novel are interesting.

Questions about 人物

What does 人物 mean?

人物 (rénwù) means “figure; personality; character (in a story)”.

How do you pronounce 人物?

人物 is pronounced rénwù.

Which HSK level is 人物?

人物 is in Old HSK 5.

Related words

Learn 人物 with its group

It is part of Old HSK 5 · Group 79: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

Open the group