A radio frequency identification method and a reader, the reader comprises a camera, a display screen, a distance sensor, an antenna unit and a processor, the camera is configured to collect an image of a target electronic tag, and the display screen is configured to display an image of the target electronic tag, the distance sensor is configured to measure the distance d between the target electronic tag and the reader, and the antenna unit is configured to receive a radio frequency signal emitted by the target electronic tag. When the antenna unit only receives a radio frequency signal transmitted by one electronic tag, the reader reads the electronic tag; when the antenna unit receives radio frequency signals transmitted by a plurality of electronic tags, the processor filters out the target electronic tag according to the matching degree between the distance and a phase value of the radio frequency signal.