Beginner Building Blocks: A Comprehensive Overview of Chinese Pronouns

For the majority of Chinese learners, the first greeting they encounter is “你好” (Hello). This initial step reveals that Chinese learners become acquainted with Chinese pronouns sooner than they might anticipate. The Chinese language, renowned for its rich history and intricate structure, presents a wide variety of pronouns. Using the appropriate pronouns in Chinese is not only crucial for effective communication, but also helps you navigate some potential conversational pitfalls, demonstrating cultural sensitivity and respect.

In this overview, we’ll break down the complexities of Chinese pronouns into manageable sections, providing insights and examples to ensure that you not only grasp their grammatical usage but also appreciate the cultural nuances embedded within these words. From personal pronouns that reveal one’s identity to interrogative pronouns that open the doors to questions, we’ll cover it all.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at all the Chinese pronouns at your disposal.

• Personal Pronouns in Chinese
• Plural Personal Pronouns in Chinese
• Reflexive Pronouns in Chinese
• Possessive Pronouns in Chinese
• Demonstrative Pronouns in Chinese
• Interrogative Pronouns in Chinese
• Indefinite Pronouns in Chinese

Personal Pronouns in Chinese

Personal Pronouns are used to replace names to avoid repetition and show a person’s role in a conversation or their relationships.

Personal Pronouns: Nominative and objective cases in Chinese

Unlike many other languages, Chinese personal pronouns keep the exact same form for the nominative and objective cases.

For example:

我爱你。(Wǒ ài nǐ) I love you.

你爱我 (Nǐ ài wǒ) You love me.

爸爸昨天忘记送我去学校了。(Bàba zuótiān wàngjì sòng wǒ qù xuéxiào le.)
My father forgot to take me to school yesterday.

你不喜欢她，但是她很喜欢你。(Nǐ bù xǐhuān tā, dànshì tā hěn xǐhuān nǐ.)
You don’t like her, but she likes you very much.

When to use 您 instead of 你 in Chinese

你(nǐ) and 您(nín) both mean “you” in Chinese. However, they differ in formality and usage. 你(nǐ) is informal and used in daily conversations with friends, family, and peers. 您(nín) is formal and polite, suitable for addressing elders, superiors, teachers, and others you want to show respect to.

For example:

小明，你现在在哪里工作？(Xiǎo Míng, nǐ xiànzài zài nǎlǐ gōngzuò?)
Xiao Ming, where are you working now?

李老师，可以问您一个问题吗？(Lǐ lǎoshī, kěyǐ wèn nín yī gè wèntí ma?)
Mr. Li, may I ask you a question?

Personal Pronouns: Third-person pronouns in Chinese

他(tā), 她(tā), and 它(tā) are all third-person pronouns in Chinese, referring to different things. 他(tā) refers to men, 她(tā) refers to women, and 它(tā) refers to things or animals.

For example:

它是我妹妹的小狗。(Tā shì wǒ mèimei de xiǎo gǒu.)
It‘smy younger sister’s puppy.

她不是我的老板，他才是。(Tā búshì wǒ de lǎobǎn, tā cái shì.)
He is my boss, not her.

他是哪国人？(Tā shì nǎ guó rén?)
Which country is he from?

Plural Personal Pronouns in Chinese

Creating plural pronouns in Chinese is quite simple. Just add 们 (men) to the pronoun.

Pronoun + 们 (men)

When to use 我们 or 咱们

To say “we” or “us” in English, you have two options. But you might wonder, what’s the difference between 我们(wǒmen) and 咱们(zánmen)?

我们(wǒmen) can be used in both formal and informal contexts throughout all Chinese-speaking regions. 咱们(zánmen) is more commonly used in spoken language, especially in Northern China. Depending on the context, 我们(wǒmen) may or may not include the listener, while 咱们(zánmen) almost always includes the listener.

For example:

咱们一起去火车站吧。(Zánmen yīqǐ qù huǒchēzhàn ba.)
Let’s go to the train station together.

我们要去参加那个会议吗？(Wǒmen yào qù cānjiā nàge huìyì ma?)
Do we need to attend that meeting?

老公，咱们家今年夏天去哪儿旅游？(Lǎogōng, zánmen jiā jīnnián xiàtiān qù nǎr lǚyóu?)
Husband, where will our family travel this summer?
-> 咱们 includes the husband who is also the listener.

小王，我们家准备这周末去爬山，你们家呢？(Xiǎo Wáng, wǒmen jiā zhǔnbèi zhè zhōumò qù páshān, nǐmen jiā ne?)
Xiao Wang, our family is going to go hiking this weekend, what about your family?
-> As you can see, here 我们 doesn’t include 小王.

What’s the difference between 他们 and 她们

Also, note that 他们 (tāmen) can refer not only to groups of exclusively men but also groups that include both men and women. However, if you’re referring to a group of exclusively women you should use 她们 (tāmen).

For example:

If there are five boys who have already gone to sleep, you can say:

他们都已经睡了。(Tāmen dōu yǐjīng shuì le.)
They have all gone to sleep.

If your friend group, including two boys and two girls, went out, you can say:

他们出去了。(Tāmen chūqù le.)
They went out.

If a group of girls is going shopping, you can say:

她们在逛街。(Tāmen zài guàng jiē.)
They are going shopping.

Reflexive Pronouns in Chinese

Reflexive pronouns in Chinese emphasize that the person doing the action is also the person affected by it. An example is 自己(zìjǐ, oneself), which can be added after another pronoun. Like regular pronouns, reflexive pronouns stay the same whether they’re the subject or object of a sentence.

For example:

他自己做了一个小程序。(Tā zìjǐ zuòle yīgè xiǎo chéngxù.)
He made a small program by himself.

你自己不能买票吗？(Nǐ zìjǐ bùnéng mǎi piào ma?)
Can’t you buy the tickets yourself?

我们自己去做这件事吧。(Wǒmen zìjǐ qù zuò zhè jiàn shì ba.)
Let’s do this thing ourselves.

你要相信你自己。(Nǐ yào xiāngxìn nǐ zìjǐ.)
You need to believe in yourself.

Possessive Pronouns in Chinese

Unlike English, which uses distinct words to indicate possession, Chinese simplifies this by using the word 的 (de) after a pronoun. For a more in-depth look at the usage of 的 (de), check out our article on the topic here.

Pronoun + 的(de)

For example:

这是你的袜子吗？(Zhè shì nǐ de wàzi ma?)
Are these your socks?

我们的汉语老师回中国了。(Wǒmen de Hànyǔ lǎoshī huí Zhōngguó le.)
Our Chinese teacher has returned to China.

他们的项目结束了。(Tāmen de xiàngmù jiéshù le.)
Their project has ended.

每个人都有自己的问题。(Měi gè rén dōu yǒu zìjǐ de wèntí.)
Everyone has their own problems.

Demonstrative Pronouns in Chinese

Demonstrative pronouns in Chinese point to specific objects, places, or individuals in relation to the speaker. These pronouns can help you navigate the world more easily and indicate specific points of interest in your conversations.

For example:

这是什么？(Zhè shì shénme?)
What’s this?

这个房子是我去年买的。(Zhège fángzi shì wǒ qùnián mǎi de.)
This house is the one I bought last year.

那些菜都是妈妈们做的。(Nà xiē cài dōu shì māmāmen zuò de.)
Those dishes were all made by the mothers.

我们走这边吧。(Wǒmen zǒu zhè biān ba.)
Let’s go this way.

In addition to the examples above, we can also create more Demonstrative pronouns using 这(zhè) and 那(nà) combined with measure words other than 个(gè). This helps emphasize “this one” or “that one.” For instance:

• 这张 (zhè zhāng) – this one (used for objects with flat surfaces)
• 那杯 (nà bēi) – that one (indicates a cup of something)
• 这条 (zhè tiáo) – this one (used for elongated objects)
• 那本 (nà běn) – that one (used for books)

These combinations help you specify and point out specific objects in conversations, providing clarity and precision.

For example:

这本书是谁的？(Zhè běn shū shì shéi de?)
Whose book is this?

那条裙子真漂亮！(Nà tiáo qúnzi zhēn piàoliang!)
That dress is really beautiful!

Interrogative Pronouns in Chinese

In Chinese, we often use Interrogative Pronouns to ask questions and gather information.

For example:

谁来了？(Shuí lái le?)
Who came?

你做了什么？(Nǐ zuò le shénme?)
What did you do?

这房间怎么样？(Zhè fángjiān zěnmeyàng?)
What do you think about this room?

这些东西你喜欢哪个？(Zhèxiē dōngxi nǐ xǐhuān nǎge?)
Which one of these things do you like?

How to use 哪 with other Measure Words / Nouns

Besides 哪个(nǎ gè) as shown above, you can also use 哪 in combination with other measure words or nouns to mean “which.” For example: 哪天 (nǎ tiān, which day), 哪支 (nǎ zhī, which pen), 哪件 (nǎ jiàn, which one for clothes), and so on. Keep in mind that “哪个” (nǎ gè) is just one example of how to say “which” in Chinese. You can use various measure words to specify different objects or situations.

For example:

我们哪天去爬山？(Wǒmen nǎ tiān qù páshān?)
Which day should we go mountain climbing?

你觉得哪件外套好看？(Nǐ juéde nǎ jiàn wàitào hǎokàn?)
Which jacket do you think looks good?

When to use 多少 or 几

多少(duōshǎo) and 几(jǐ ) are both used to inquire about numbers, but they differ in usage and scope. 多少(duōshǎo)  refers to numbers equal to or greater than ten, while 几(jǐ)  is used for numbers less than ten.

For example:

你有多少书？(Nǐ yǒu duōshǎo shū?)
How many books do you have?

几个人要吃饭？(Jǐ gè rén yào chī fàn?)
How many people want to eat?

For a more in-depth look at the usage of interrogative sentences, check out our article on the topic here.

Indefinite Pronouns in Chinese

Indefinite pronouns don’t pinpoint a specific person or thing. Instead, they provide a general or unspecified reference. We use them when we don’t need to or can’t identify an exact noun.

These pronouns make it easy to refer to unspecified or general things or people in Chinese conversations.

For example:

其他的衣服你可以拿走。(Qítā de yīfu nǐ kěyǐ ná zǒu.)
You can take away the other clothes.

每个学生都需要完成这个作业。(Měigè xuéshēng dōu xūyào wánchéng zhège zuòyè.) 
Every student needs to complete this assignment.

我想吃一些辣的东西。(Wǒ xiǎng chī yīxiē là de dōngxi.)
I want to eat something spicy.

你可以选任何一本书。(Nǐ kěyǐ xuǎn rènhé yī běn shū.)
You can choose any book.

Wrapping Up

From personal pronouns that define our relationships and identities to plural, reflexive, possessive, demonstrative, interrogative, and indefinite pronouns, each type serves a distinct purpose in shaping our conversations.

Mastering these pronouns is not just about language fluency but also a gateway to understanding Chinese culture and etiquette. They help us navigate everyday interactions and convey ideas with precision. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, grasping Chinese pronouns is a fundamental step in your language journey. We hope that the information provided here helps offer you a solid foundation to continue build your language skills on. Happy learning!

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