he

Not she, him

He is the third-person singular masculine pronoun: He said he'd be late.

Traditionally used for males, he was once the default for unknown gender, now often replaced by they. (Capitalized He is the chemical symbol for helium; HE is His/Her Excellency or high explosive.)

pronoun

him

Male object pronoun

hisMale possessive pronoun
himselfReflexive male pronoun
itNeuter third-person pronoun

subject · nominative · singular · third-person · possessive · objective · reflexive · antecedent · grammar · syntax

masculine

man

Adult male human

maleSperm-producing sex
gentlemanCourteous, honorable man
guyChap or steadying cable

fellow · boy · lad · husband · father · son · brother · king · patriarch · bachelor

generic

gender

Social identity category

personHuman individual
individualOne separate human being
humanHomo sapiens individual

one · someone · anybody · everyone · gender-neutral · epicene · sexist · default · unmarked · inclusive

Categories

long E soundbee, fee, see, tee, free
Short Wordsact, a, add, I, bat
gendergender, male, female, masculine, feminine
pronounsI, me, him, my, you
function wordsa, an, the, and, or
gender languagemasculine, feminine, neuter, pronouns, inclusive language

Opposites

gender/sex reference

heshe

That woman there

her · female · woman · girl · feminine

grammatical person

heI

First-person subject pronoun

you · we · me · thou · they

specificity of reference

heit

Neuter third-person pronoun

they · one · someone · anyone · something

Phrases

his and hersCouple's coordinated designation
lose their headAbandon rational thinking
let her ripProceed without restraint
he said, she saidUnverifiable opposing claims
he or sheGender-inclusive subject phrase
hear yeFormal call for attention

Family

she, they, her, them, hers, their, theirs, he's, he'd

Familiarity: Top 1,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G