Meaning of 我们
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- we; us; ourselves
How to use 我们
我们 works as both subject and object, so it covers "we" and "us" with no change in form. The 们 is read in the neutral tone. Example: 我们是朋友。(Wǒmen shì péngyou.) We are friends.
我们 is 我 (wǒ, I) plus 们 (men), a plural marker for people. Think of it as "I" with a crowd added, so it becomes "we" or "us".
Common mistake: Learners often say 我们 with a full second tone on 们 (wǒ mén). It should be light and short: wǒmen. Some also add 们 after a number, as in 三个朋友们, but 们 is not used when a number already shows the plural.
我们 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.
我 wǒ · I · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
们 men · plural marker for pronouns · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 我们.
| 他们 | tāmen | they; them |
| 你们 | nǐmen | you (plural) |
| 她们 | tāmen | they; them (females) |
| 朋友们 | péngyoumen | |
| 它们 | tāmen | they; them |
| 人们 | rénmen | people |
| 咱们 | zánmen | we or us (including both the speaker and the person(s) spoken to); (dialect) I or me |
| 自我 | zìwǒ | the self; oneself; self-; (psychology) ego |
| 哥们 | gēmen | (coll.) dude; buddy; bro |
| 我操 | wǒcào | (substitute for 我肏[wo3 cao4]) fuck; WTF |
| 在我看来 | zàiwǒkànlái | in my opinion |
| 哥们儿 | gēmenr | erhua form of 哥們|哥们[ge1 men5] |
Questions about 我们
What does 我们 mean?
我们 (wǒmen) means "we; us; ourselves" and is used as a pronoun.
How do you write 我们?
我们 is made of 2 characters: 我 (7 strokes), 们 (5 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 我们 an HSK word?
Yes. 我们 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 我们 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 我们 is written 我們.
What is the difference between 我们 and 咱们?
咱们 (zánmen) always includes the listener, meaning "you and I together." 我们 can include or exclude the listener depending on context. 咱们 is more common in northern and spoken Chinese.
Can 我们 mean "our"?
Yes. Add 的 to make it possessive: 我们的老师 (wǒmen de lǎoshī), our teacher. With close relationships or groups, 的 is often dropped, as in 我们学校 (wǒmen xuéxiào), our school.