The character 们 — “plural suffix”: how to write it and what it means
plural suffix
The Chinese character 们 is read men and means “plural suffix”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 们
们 has 5 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 们, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 们 is made of
On the left, 亻 “person”; on the right, 门 mén “door” hints at the sound.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 们
- 我们weHSK 1
- 你们you (plural)HSK 1
- 他们theyHSK 1
- 她们they (women)HSK 1
- 它们they (animals, things)HSK 1
- 咱们we (you and I)HSK 3
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 们?
们 has 5 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 们 mean?
们 means “plural suffix”. It appears in 我们 (“we”), 你们 (“you”), 他们 (“they”), 她们 (“they”).
How do you pronounce 们?
们 is read men. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 们 have?
5 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 们 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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