我 (wǒ) - I & me

我Tone 3

wǒ ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 戈

万响

我 · wǒ

I;

me;

my;

our;

we;

us;

self;

ego;

oneself;

used in classical Chinese as a general first-person pronoun.

Imemy

Usage highlights

Imyweourselfego

Synonyms

  • 吾— I (classical Chinese)
  • 余— I (classical Chinese)
  • 予— I (classical Chinese)
  • 自己— self
  • 自身— oneself

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I am a student (我是学生).
  • This is my book (我的书).
  • We are Chinese (我们是中国人).
  • I love my country (我爱我的祖国).

Collocations

  • I(我)
  • my(我的)
  • we(我们)
  • our(我们的)
  • self(自我)
  • ego(自我)

Idioms

  • Selfless and public-spirited(大公无私)
  • Self-examination(自我反省)
  • Self-reliance(自力更生)
  • Self-sacrifice(自我牺牲)
  • Egoism(唯我主义)
  • There is no one but me(唯我独尊)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In classical Chinese, 我 was used as a general first-person pronoun without gender distinction.
  • In modern Chinese, 我 is the most common first-person singular pronoun, used by both males and females.
  • The character 我 originally depicted a weapon with serrated blades, symbolizing conflict and self-defense, later extended to mean 'self'.

FAQ