Languages › Mandarin Mandarin Chinese Pronouns Share Flipboard Email Print JupiterImages / Getty Images Languages Mandarin History and Culture Pronunciation Vocabulary Understanding Chinese Characters By Qiu Gui Su Qiu Gui Su Chinese Language Expert Qiu Gui Su is a native Mandarin speaker who has taught Mandarin Chinese for over 20 years. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on December 13, 2019 There are just a few pronouns in Mandarin Chinese, and unlike many European languages, there are no subject / verb agreements to worry about. Just a few simple rules tell you everything you need to know about pronouns in Chinese. Basic Pronouns These are the pronouns of written Mandarin Chinese. I, me: wǒ: 我You: nǐ - 你You (formal): nín: 您 He, Him: tā: 他She, Her: tā: 她It: tā: 它 You'll notice that there are two ways of saying "you." When speaking to elders or someone in authority, it is more polite to address them formally with 您 (nín) instead of the less formal 你 (nǐ). While there are six pronouns listed above in written Mandarin, in spoken Mandarin it boils down to just three basic pronouns: I / me, you, he / she / it. This is because 他 / 她 / 它 are all pronounced the same, tā. Plurals Plurals are formed by adding 們 (traditional form) / 们 (simplified form) at the end of a basic pronoun. This character is pronounced "men." See below: We, Us: wǒ men: 我們 / 我们You (plural): nǐ men: 你們 / 你们They, Them: tā men: 他們 / 他们 Differentiating Gender As discussed earlier, gender differentiating pronouns like "he", "she", and "it" all have the same sound, tā, but different written characters. In spoken Mandarin, differentiating between genders is a little less obvious. However, the context of the sentence will usually tell you whether the speaker is referring to a man, a woman, or a thing. Reflexive Pronoun Mandarin Chinese also has a reflexive pronoun 自己 (zì jǐ). This is used when both subject and object are the same. For example: Tā xǐ huàn tā zì jǐ他喜欢他自己 / 他喜歡他自己He likes himself. 自己 (zì jǐ) can also be used directly after a noun or pronoun to intensify the subject. For example: Wǒ zì jǐ xǐ huàn.我自己喜欢 / 我自己喜歡I, myself, like it. Sentence Examples Using Chinese Pronouns Here are some sentences using pronouns. See if you can use these examples as a guide or template to creating your own sentences. Audio files are marked with ► Wǒ: 我 I am a student. ►Wǒ shì xuéshēng. 我是學生。 (traditional) 我学生。 (simplified) I like ice cream. ►Wǒ xǐhuān bīngqílín. 我喜歡冰淇淋。 我喜欢冰淇淋。 I don’t have a bicycle. ►Wǒ méi yǒu jiǎotàchē. 我沒有腳踏車。 我没有脚踏车。 Nǐ: 你 Are you a student? ►Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma? 你是學生嗎? 你是学生吗? Do you like ice cream? ►Nǐ xǐhuan bīngqílín ma? 你喜歡冰淇淋嗎? 你喜欢冰淇淋吗? Do you have a bicycle? ►Nǐ yǒu jiǎotàchē ma? 你有腳踏車嗎? 你有脚踏车吗? Tā: 她 She is a doctor. ►Tā shì yīshēng. 她是醫生。 她是医生。 She likes coffee. ►Tā xǐhuan kāfēi. 她喜歡咖啡。 她喜欢咖啡。 She doesn’t have a car. ►Tā méi yǒu chē. 她沒有車。 她没有车。 Wǒ men: 我們 / 我们 We are students. ►Wǒmen shì xuéshēng. 我們是學生。 我们是学生。 We like ice cream. ►Wǒmen xǐhuan bīngqílín. 我們喜歡冰淇淋。 我们喜欢冰淇淋。 We don’t have a bicycle. ►Wǒmen méi yǒu jiǎotàchē. 我們沒有腳踏車。 我们没有脚踏车。 Tā men: 他們 / 他们 They are students. ►Tāmen shì xuéshēng. 他們是學生。 他们是学生。 They like coffee. ►Tāmen xǐhuan kāfēi. 他們喜歡咖啡。 他们喜欢咖啡。 They don’t have a car. ►Tāmen méi yǒu chē. 他們沒有車。 他们没有车。 Zì jǐ: 自己 He lives by himself. ►Tā zìjǐ zhù. 他自己住。 I will go myself. ►Wǒ zìjǐ qù. 我自己去。 Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Su, Qiu Gui. "Mandarin Chinese Pronouns." ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/mandarin-pronouns-2279477. Su, Qiu Gui. (2020, August 26). Mandarin Chinese Pronouns. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/mandarin-pronouns-2279477 Su, Qiu Gui. "Mandarin Chinese Pronouns." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/mandarin-pronouns-2279477 (accessed March 27, 2023). copy citation Watch Now: How to Say "Do You Have" in Mandarin