Meaning of 同
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- like
- same
- similar
- together
- alike
- with
- used in 胡同[hu2 tong4]
- used in 衚衕|胡同[hu2 tong4]
How to use 同
On its own, 同 is fairly formal and often means "with" or "the same as." In everyday speech it mostly appears inside words like 同学 (tóngxué), 同事 (tóngshì), 不同 (bù tóng) and 同时 (tóngshí). Example: 我们是同学。(Wǒmen shì tóngxué.) We are classmates.
Picture 同 (tóng) as a frame 冂 covering a single line and a mouth 口 underneath. Everyone under one roof speaking with one mouth is doing things the same and together.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 同 with 问 (wèn, to ask) or 向 (xiàng, toward) because all three have a frame around 口. In 同 the frame is 冂 with a horizontal line inside. 问 has the door radical 门, and 向 has a small stroke on top.
同 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
同 tóng · like · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 同.
| 同学 | tóngxué | to study at the same school; fellow student |
| 不同 | bù tóng | different; distinct |
| 同样 | tóngyàng | same; equal; similar; similarly; also; too |
| 同时 | tóngshí | at the same time; simultaneously |
| 同事 | tóngshì | colleague; co-worker |
| 相同 | xiāngtóng | identical; same |
| 同意 | tóngyì | to agree; to consent |
| 共同 | gòngtóng | common; joint |
| 同情 | tóngqíng | to sympathize with; sympathy |
| 合同 | hétóng | contract; agreement |
| 如同 | rútóng | like; as |
| 胡同儿 | hútòngr | erhua form of 胡同[hu2 tong4] |
Questions about 同
What does 同 mean?
同 (tóng) means "like; same" and is used as a adjective, adverb and preposition.
How do you write 同?
同 is made of 1 character: 同 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 同 an HSK word?
Yes. 同 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 同 and 跟 when they mean "with"?
Both can mean "with," as in 我同他去 or 我跟他去 (I go with him). 跟 is the normal spoken choice. 同 sounds more formal or written, though it is still common in some southern speech.
Why is 同 pronounced tòng in 胡同?
In 胡同 (hútòng, a Beijing alley), 同 is read with a fourth tone. That reading is only used for this word. Everywhere else it is tóng with a second tone.