我们
we; us
wǒmen
What does 我们 mean?
我们 (wǒmen) is the plural first-person pronoun in Mandarin — 'we' or 'us.' It is formed by adding the plural suffix 们 (men, toneless) to 我 ('I'). Two things differ from English: first, 我们 doesn't change form for subject vs object — same word for 'we' and 'us'; second, Chinese has a separate inclusive 'we' — 咱们 (zánmen) — which always includes the listener ('you and I, together'), while 我们 can be ambiguous between inclusive ('our team including you') and exclusive ('our team, not you'). Northern speakers, especially Beijingers, use 咱们 a lot; southerners default to 我们 for both. The possessive form is 我们的 ('our / ours'). The 们 suffix only attaches to pronouns and people-nouns (你们 'you all,' 他们 'they,' 朋友们 'friends').
Note: 我们 is the standard plural 'we / us.' Mandarin also has 咱们 (zánmen), which always INCLUDES the listener; 我们 can be inclusive or exclusive depending on context.
Character breakdown
I; me
plural suffix for pronouns and people (toneless)
Memory hook: 我 = I, 们 = plural marker. Add 们 to any pronoun: 我们 we, 你们 you all, 他们 they.
Example sentences
我们是朋友。
Wǒmen shì péngyou.
We are friends.
neutral
我们去吃饭吧。
Wǒmen qù chīfàn ba.
Let's go eat.
spoken
这是我们的家。
Zhè shì wǒmen de jiā.
This is our home.
neutral
我们都喜欢中文。
Wǒmen dōu xǐhuan Zhōngwén.
We all like Chinese.
neutral
Common phrases with 我们
Synonyms
咱们 is the inclusive 'we' — always includes the listener ('you and I together'). Common in northern China. 我们 can be inclusive OR exclusive — context tells you. When you want to make clear 'you're included,' 咱们 is unambiguous.
Don't confuse 我们 with
你们 means 'you all' — plural 'you,' not 'we.' Both use the 们 suffix but the pronouns differ. 我们 (we) vs 你们 (you all) vs 他们 (they).
他们 means 'they / them.' Same 们 suffix on the third-person pronoun. Get the pronouns straight: 我 I, 你 you, 他 he/they-singular.