TongTong
Sign in

咱们 (zán men) — we or us (including the person being spoken to)

Definition

咱们 is an informal "we/us" that always includes the listener — friendlier than 我们, which can mean "we" in general or exclude the listener.

pronoun
we or us (including the person being spoken to)

Examples

  • 咱们。
    zán men Yì qǐ qù chī fàn ba.
    Let's go eat together.
  • 咱们，。
    zán men Shì hǎo péng you, yīng gāi yì qǐ wán.
    We are good friends, we should play together.
  • 咱们？
    zán men Shén me shí hou qù gōng yuán?
    When are we going to the park?

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

咱zánwe
们menplural

咱 “we” plus 们 gives the inclusive first-person plural.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 咱 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 們; 们 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén們men
Same sound today

The traditional form 們 uses 亻 for a person and 門 for the sound; the simplified 们 is a later shorthand.

Open 们 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3HSK 2.0 Level 41000 Most Frequent Chinese Words2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 3 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.