Chinese word

咱们

Pronunciation

Pinyinzán men

Meaning

  • pronounwe

Example

咱们一起去吃饭吧。zán men yì qǐ qù chī fàn ba

Let's go eat together.

Illustration for 咱们 (we)

More examples

咱们商量一下这件事。zán men shāng liáng yí xià zhè jiàn shì

Let's discuss this matter.

Core concept

A group that includes both the speaker and the listener, with a close sense of belonging.

Common phrases

  • 咱们一起学习zán men yì qǐ xué xí

    We study together

  • 咱们去看电影zán men qù kàn diàn yǐng

    We go see a movie

  • 咱们商量一下zán men shāng liáng yí xià

    Let's discuss it

Similar words

我们wǒ men: A standard plural pronoun for the speaker and one or more other people.
大家dà jiā: A pronoun for all the people in a group or gathering.
你们nǐ men: A pronoun for two or more people being addressed, not the speaker.

Definition in Chinese

指包括说话人和听话人在内的复数人称代词，常用于口语，表示亲近或共同参与的群体。zhǐ bāo kuò shuō huà rén hé tīng huà rén zài nèi de fù shù rén chēng dài cí cháng yòng yú kóu yǔ biǎo shì qīn jìn huò gòng tóng cān yù de qún tǐ

Word origin

咱 (zán, "we including the listener") + 们 (men, "plural marker") forms a spoken group pronoun for both people together.

Usage tips

  • Unlike an English group pronoun, this form clearly includes the person being spoken to, so it often sounds natural in a friendly invitation or shared plan.

Opposites

Word lists with this word