Why does the Chinese word for "He / She / It" sound like
Ta (like Ta-da!)?!

他 / 她 / 它

The Real Meaning

In Mandarin Chinese, the character 他 / 她 / 它 (pronounced as ) actually translates to He / She / It.

The Funny Part

Chinese didn't have gendered pronouns until the 1900s. They all sound exactly the same: 'tā'. Progressive... or just confusing.

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Nice Teacher says...

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他/她/它 all sound like 'tā' — first tone. He, she, and it are all the same sound! Context tells you which one.