們 (men) - Plural marker for pronouns and some nouns referring & indicates a group of people.

們Tone 5

men ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

伦妙

們 · men

Plural marker for pronouns and some nouns referring to people;

indicates a group of people.

Plural marker for pronouns and some nouns referringindicates a group of people.

Usage highlights

We/usYouThey/themLadiesGentlemenFriends

Synonyms

  • 等— et cetera, and so on (used for listing people)
  • 群— group, crowd (indicates plurality)

Antonyms

  • 个— individual, single (singular counter)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • We are friends (我们是朋友们).
  • They are coming (他们来了).
  • You all should study hard (你们要努力学习).
  • The children are playing (孩子们在玩).

Collocations

  • We/us(我们)
  • You (plural)(你们)
  • They/them(他们)
  • Ladies(女士们)
  • Gentlemen(先生们)
  • Friends(朋友们)

Idioms

  • No specific idioms with 们 as the core character; it functions as a grammatical particle.

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 们 is a grammatical particle borrowed from Altaic languages during the Yuan dynasty.
  • It marks plurality specifically for human nouns and pronouns, reflecting a linguistic distinction between people and objects.
  • Usage expanded during the vernacular movement in early 20th century China.

FAQ