的 meaning in English
of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun)
Meaning of 的
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- of; ~'s (possessive particle)
- (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun)
- (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis)
- (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的[pi2 ge2 de5] "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的|跑堂儿的[pao3 tang2 r5 de5] "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的[xin1 de5] "new one")
- also pr. [di4] or [di5] in poetry and songs
- (bound form) a taxi; a cab (abbr. for 的士[di1 shi4])
- really and truly
- (bound form) bull's-eye; target
How to use 的
的 (de) goes after a person, adjective, or phrase to show possession or description, much like English 's or of. It can also stand in for the noun, as in 新的 (xīn de) "the new one." Example: 这是我的书。(Zhè shì wǒ de shū.) This is my book.
Picture 的 as a white 白 (bái) target with a ladle 勺 (sháo) scooping out the center, the bull's-eye, which is its old meaning dì in 目的 (mùdì). Today you mostly see it as the little glue word de that links an owner or description to a noun.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 的, 得, and 地, which are all pronounced de: use 的 before nouns, 地 before verbs (慢慢地走), and 得 after verbs to show degree (跑得快). Also remember 的 is usually dropped between a pronoun and close family or home, so say 我妈妈 (wǒ māma), not 我的妈妈 every time.
的 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.
的 de · of · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 的.
| 真的 | zhēn de | really; truly; indeed; real; true; genuine |
| 别的 | biéde | else; other |
| 有的 | yǒude | (there are) some (who are...); some (exist) |
| 的话 | dehuà | if (coming after a conditional clause) |
| 目的 | mùdì | purpose; aim; goal; target; objective |
| 有的是 | yǒudeshì | have plenty of; there's no lack of |
| 的确 | díquè | really; indeed |
| 似的 | shìde | seems as if; rather like |
| 说真的 | shuō zhēnde | to tell the truth; honestly |
| 目的地 | mùdìdì | destination (location) |
| 总的来说 | zǒngde lái shuō | generally speaking; to sum up |
| 没说的 | méishuōde | (coll.) nothing to pick on; really good; (coll.) nothing to discuss; settled matter; no pr |
Questions about 的
What does 的 mean?
的 (de) means "of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun)" and is used as a auxiliary verb.
How do you write 的?
的 is made of 1 character: 的 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 的 an HSK word?
Yes. 的 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why is 的 sometimes pronounced dī or dì?
It has other readings in certain words. In 的士 (dīshì) it means taxi, and in 目的 (mùdì) it means target or goal. As a grammar particle it is always the neutral tone de.
What does 的话 mean at the end of a clause?
的话 (dehuà) marks a condition, like "if" in English. For example, 下雨的话，我不去 (xià yǔ dehuà, wǒ bú qù) means "If it rains, I won't go." It often pairs with 如果 (rúguǒ) at the start.