咱 meaning in English
I or me; we (including both the speaker and the person spoken to)
Meaning of 咱
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- I or me
- we (including both the speaker and the person spoken to)
- variant of 咱[zan2]
- variant of 咱[zan2]
- see 咱[zan2]
How to use 咱
咱 is mostly heard in the word 咱们 (zánmen), an inclusive "we" that always includes the listener. It sounds warm and informal, and it is especially common in northern speech. Example: 咱们走吧。(Zánmen zǒu ba.) Let's go.
咱 is made of 口 (mouth) and 自 (self), plus a small stroke on top. Picture a mouth speaking about oneself and the listener together, so it means us, you and me included.
Common mistake: Learners often use 咱们 and 我们 (wǒmen) the same way. 咱们 always includes the listener, so you cannot say 咱们 to someone who is not part of the group. Also note the shape: the right part is 自 with an extra stroke on top, not just 自.
咱 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.
咱 zán · I or me · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 咱.
Questions about 咱
What does 咱 mean?
咱 (zán) means "I or me; we (including both the speaker and the person spoken to)" and is used as a pronoun.
How do you write 咱?
咱 is made of 1 character: 咱 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 咱 an HSK word?
Yes. 咱 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 咱 be used alone without 们?
Yes. In northern dialects and casual speech, 咱 alone can mean "we" or even "I", as in 咱俩 (zánliǎ) "the two of us". In standard everyday Mandarin, 咱们 is the most common form.
What does 咱家 mean?
咱家 (zájiā) is an old-fashioned way to say "I" or "me", often heard in historical dramas and older novels. Here 咱 is read zá, not zán. Today it can also be heard as zánjiā meaning "our family" in casual speech.