Character 儞

It means “you” as an old Chinese spelling of 你.

An 11th-century Chinese dictionary, 集韻, groups 儞 with 伲 and 你 under 汝, glossed “you.” This places 儞 in an older spelling tradition; it did not name a separate object or feeling.

Modern Chinese uses 你 as the standard form, including in Traditional Chinese; 儞 is a marked variant rather than the usual traditional spelling. It keeps the full form of 爾 after 亻, its left-side person component.

Someone sent me 儞—what should I read into it?

In Chinese, read 儞 as “you”; the spelling alone adds no warmth or anger. It addresses the person being spoken to. The variant spelling by itself does not signal extra politeness, closeness, or hostility.

What does 儞 mean in Japanese?

Japanese dictionaries record 儞 for おれ: “I,” or a belittling “you.” In historical Japanese usage, the pronoun could refer to the speaker or be used to put the addressee down. That is a separate Japanese convention from the Chinese variant of 你.