(ǎn) — I (dialectal, used in northern Chinese dialects); we (dialectal, used in northern Chinese dialects)

Definition

A colloquial, northern-dialect first-person pronoun meaning 'I' or 'we' (pluralized as 俺们). It sounds rustic and informal — avoid it in standard or written Chinese, where 我 is the default.

pronoun
I (dialectal, used in northern Chinese dialects)we (dialectal, used in northern Chinese dialects)

Examples

  • ǎn Shì shān dōng rén.
    I am from Shandong.
  • ǎn Men cūn jīn nián shōu cheng bú cuò.
    Our village had a good harvest this year.
  • ǎn Yě bù zhī dào zhè jiàn shì.
    I don't know about this matter either.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Written in full asrénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
yǎnǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

俺 pairs 亻 (person) with 奄, which provides the sound. The 亻 part connects the character to people, while 奄 points to its pronunciation.

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