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我们 (wǒ men) — we; us; our

Definition

First-person plural pronoun 'we/us/our' — excludes the listener. Use 咱们 when you want to include the person you're talking to.

pronoun
weusour

Examples

  • 我们。
    wǒ men Qù xué xiào.
    We go to school.
  • 我们。
    Lǎo shī xǐ huan wǒ men.
    The teacher likes us.
  • 我们。
    Zhè shì wǒ men de shū.
    This is our book.

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.

我wǒI
们menplural suffix

我 refers to the self, and 们 marks a group, so 我们 means we or us.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

The glyph 我 originally drew a trident-like weapon. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write the pronoun "I", so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 我 →

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
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