How to say “the former” in Chinese
the former
“The former” in Chinese is 前者, qián zhě: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke.
How to pronounce it
前者 is read qián zhě: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
It is usually the suffix “one who…”; in 或者 it is just the second syllable.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “前者”.
More words from the lesson “Either this or that”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “the former” in Chinese?
“The former” in Chinese is 前者, pinyin qiánzhě.
What does 前者 mean?
前者 (qiánzhě) means “the former”.
How do you write 前者?
前者 is 2 characters: 前 (qián) — front, ahead; 者 (zhě) — one who; suffix. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 前者?
前者 is read qiánzhě. Tones: qián — second tone, zhě — third tone. The page has an audio recording.
“the former” in the lesson “Either this or that”
This word is from the topic “Connectors and particles” of HSK 6. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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