The Mandarin Suffix 者 (zhě): 作者, 读者, 记者
By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026
(zhě) after a verb names the person who does it, like English -er: (dú), read, becomes (dúzhě), reader. A handful of words are everyday vocabulary. Building new ones belongs to written Chinese; in speech, (de rén) does the job.
Quick check
Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.
Pick the right one
0/3Pick the Mandarin for the English.
Lots of people are waiting outside (said to a friend).
Both methods work; I'll go for the latter.
Are you having tea or coffee? (Pick one.)
The whole system on one screen
The colours stay the same all page long:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| dúzhě | reader |
| jìzhě | journalist |
| shǐyòngzhě | user (on a sign) |
| shǐyòng de rén | the people using it (said) |
| qiánzhě | the former |
(zhě) as a noun suffix is on the AQA GCSE Chinese specification at Higher tier, and so is (huòzhě), or.
Verb + 者 (zhě): the one who does it
Many of the commonest (zhě) words sit on a one-syllable verb. They are ordinary words, said every day, and you learn them one by one:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| zuòzhě | author ( zuò: write) |
| dúzhě | reader ( dú: read) |
| jìzhě | journalist (记 jì: record) |
| xuézhě | scholar ( xué: study) |
New ones are mostly built on two-syllable verbs, and they sound written, like English "user" or "participant" on a form:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| shǐyòngzhě | user |
| cānjiāzhě | participant |
| xuéxízhě | learner |
| guǎnlǐzhě | manager |
In a sentence: 。 (Zhè běn shū de zuòzhě shì yí wèi niánqīng xuézhě.), the author of this book is a young scholar.
In speech: 的人 (de rén)
Most two-syllable (zhě) words have a spoken twin with (de rén). They mean the same; only the register differs:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| shǐyòngzhě | users (on a notice) |
| shǐyòng de rén | the people using it |
| cānjiāzhě | participants (on a form) |
| cānjiā de rén | the people taking part |
Could it be printed on a sign, a form or in a report? (zhě). Are you saying it to someone? (de rén).
You cannot add (zhě) to just any everyday one-syllable verb. There is no (chī zhě) for "eater" or (děng zhě) for "the people waiting": 。 (Wàimiàn děng de rén hěn duō.), lots of people are waiting outside.
前者 (qiánzhě) and 后者 (hòuzhě): the former and the latter
Here (zhě) names an item rather than a person. (qián) and (hòu) are positions in what was just said:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| qiánzhě | the former (first of two) |
| hòuzhě | the latter (second of two) |
| liǎngzhě | both, the two of them |
，。(Chá hé kāfēi, wǒ gèng xǐhuan qiánzhě.) - Of tea and coffee, I prefer the former.，。(Zhè liǎng ge bànfǎ dōu xíng, wǒ xuǎn hòuzhě.) - Both methods work; I'll go for the latter.
Like English, they pick between two only. And (hòuzhě) has nothing to do with time: "afterwards" is (yǐhòu).
或者 (huòzhě) and 再者 (zàizhě): 者 frozen in
Two more words carry (zhě) with no person left in it:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Nǐ kěyǐ hē chá huòzhě kāfēi. | You can have tea or coffee |
。 | Míngtiān huòzhě hòutiān dōu kěyǐ. | Tomorrow or the day after is fine |
，。 | Zàizhě, zhège bànfǎ tài guì le. | What's more, this method is too dear |
(huòzhě) is the everyday "or" of statements. To ask someone to choose, use (háishi): ？ (Nǐ hē chá háishi kāfēi?) (zàizhě), what's more, is mostly written: an essay word.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| | (chī zhě) is not a word: say it with (de rén) |
| | (zhě) already means the person |
？ | ？ | to ask which: (háishi) |
What to do next
- Do the drill below.
- Find three
(zhě) words on a sign, a form or a news site, and say each one with(de rén). - Then read the 所 (suǒ) family:
names what is done,names who does it.