都
all; both; already
dōu
What does 都 mean?
都 (dōu) is an adverb meaning 'all' or 'both' — but with one crucial rule English speakers always trip on: 都 goes BEFORE the verb, not before the noun, and it points BACKWARD to the subject. English says 'we all are students' or 'all of us are students'; Chinese says 我们都是学生 (literally 'we all are students') — 都 sits right before the verb. 都 sums up whatever comes before it: 我们都, 这些书都, 他们都. A second common use: 都 also means 'already,' often paired with 了 to express surprise that something has reached a stage — 都十点了 ('it's already 10 o'clock!'). The character 都 also has a second reading, dū, meaning 'capital city' (首都 shǒudū, capital). At HSK 1, you only need dōu.
Character breakdown
all; both; (alternate reading dū = capital city)
Memory hook: 都 always 'collects' the things to its left and applies the verb to all of them — like a vacuum cleaner sweeping left-to-right.
Example sentences
我们都是学生。
Wǒmen dōu shì xuéshēng.
We are all students.
neutral
他们都喜欢中国菜。
Tāmen dōu xǐhuān Zhōngguó cài.
They all like Chinese food.
neutral
都十点了，快起床！
Dōu shí diǎn le, kuài qǐchuáng!
It's already ten o'clock, get up quick!
spoken
这些书我都看过。
Zhèxiē shū wǒ dōu kàn guo.
I've read all of these books.
neutral
Common phrases with 都
Synonyms
全 ('whole, entire') overlaps with 都 but emphasizes completeness, not summing up. 全班 = the whole class; 班里都… = everyone in the class… Use 都 with plural subjects; 全 modifies a single collective noun.
也 means 'also.' Common confusion: 我也喜欢 ('I also like it') vs 我们都喜欢 ('we all like it'). 也 adds one more; 都 sums up a group.
Don't confuse 都 with
全部 is a noun/adjective meaning 'the whole / all of it.' 都 is an adverb that goes before the verb. You can say 全部都… ('all of it, every one') for emphasis, but 都 alone is the everyday choice.
Beginners mix up 都 ('all') and 也 ('also'). 我们都是学生 = 'we are all students'; 我们也是学生 = 'we are also students.' Different meaning, same sentence position.