和
and; with
hé
What does 和 mean?
和 (hé) is the standard Chinese word for 'and' when joining nouns or noun phrases, and for 'with' in phrases like 'I went with him.' Crucial rule: 和 connects nouns, not whole sentences. 我和你 (I and you) is fine, but you cannot say '我吃饭和我睡觉' to mean 'I eat and I sleep' — that requires separate sentences or other connectors.
和 also serves as a preposition meaning 'with' in 我和朋友一起去 (I went with friends). Two pronunciation notes: 和 is read hé as a conjunction, but the same character has other readings (huó 'mix,' hè 'echo / harmonize') in different words. In Taiwan, the conjunction 和 is commonly pronounced hàn.
Note: 和 is the everyday written and spoken form. In casual northern speech you may hear 跟 (gēn) used the same way; 与 (yǔ) is the formal/literary alternative for written Chinese.
Character breakdown
and; with; harmony; peace
Memory hook: 和 also means 'harmony' — when two things are joined harmoniously, they're 'and' together.
Example sentences
我和我哥哥都是学生。
Wǒ hé wǒ gēge dōu shì xuésheng.
My older brother and I are both students.
neutral
我喜欢苹果和香蕉。
Wǒ xǐhuan píngguǒ hé xiāngjiāo.
I like apples and bananas.
spoken
他和朋友去看电影。
Tā hé péngyou qù kàn diànyǐng.
He's going to see a movie with friends.
spoken
今天我和妈妈一起做饭。
Jīntiān wǒ hé māma yìqǐ zuò fàn.
Today I'm cooking together with mom.
spoken
Common phrases with 和
Synonyms
跟 is more colloquial, especially in northern Mandarin: 我跟他去 ('I'm going with him'). 和 is neutral and works in writing; 跟 leans spoken.
与 is formal / written / literary: 中国与美国 ('China and the US') in headlines, titles, contracts. Don't say 与 in casual speech — it sounds like a news anchor.
及 is formal and used in lists, especially in written/legal contexts:
Don't confuse 和 with
FAQ
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