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人种 (rén zhǒng) — race (of humans), ethnic group

Definition

A neutral-to-clinical term for 'human race' or 'ethnic group,' common in scientific or academic writing. 民族 is preferred for nations/peoples with shared culture, while 种族 is closer to 'race' in sensitive social contexts.

noun
race (of humans)ethnic group
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 人种。
    Quán shì jiè yǒu duō gè bù tóng de rén zhǒng.
    There are many different races around the world.
  • 人种。
    Kē xué jiā yán jiū rén zhǒng de yí chuán tè zhēng.
    Scientists study the genetic characteristics of races.
  • 人种，。
    Wú lùn shén me rén zhǒng, wǒ men dōu yīng gāi hù xiāng zūn zhòng.
    No matter what race, we should respect each other.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

人rénhuman
种zhǒngkind

The 人 'human' and 种 'kind' combine to name a human race.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
禾禾hérice
Sound part声符shēngfú
中
中zhōng种zhǒng
Same sound today

种 pairs 禾, which shows rice or grain and fits meanings like plant and seed, with 中, which gives its sound.

Open 种 →
Appears in
Ethnic Groups & Nationalities

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