本人 běnrén I
I; me; myself; oneself; yourself; himself; herself; the person concerned
How to remember 本人: 本 source + 人 person = I.
Characters
How it is used
- Formal 'I/myself, in person' - 本人同意 (běnrén tóngyì) I hereby agree; used on forms and in official statements.
- Also 'the person concerned/in question': 请本人签字 (qǐng běnrén qiānzì) please have the person themselves sign.
- Stiffer than 我 (wǒ); using it in casual chat sounds bureaucratic or jokingly self-important.
Example sentences
- 我是日本人。 Wǒ shì rìběn rén.I am Japanese.
- 他是日本人吗？ Tā shì rìběn rén ma?Is he Japanese?
- 我不知道他是日本人。 Wǒ bù zhīdào tā shì rìběn rén.I didn't know that he was Japanese.