(tā men) - they, them (of things or animals) in Mandarin
tāmenTraditional: 它們
Translation
they, them (of things or animals)
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Word origin
A compound of the inanimate pronoun 它 (tā) 'it' and the plural suffix 們 (men). 它 was an early graph for a snake, borrowed for 'it'; 們 carries the 亻(person) radical with 門 (mén) as phonetic. Together they mean 'they' for things.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 它 (tā, it) + 們 (men, plural suffix: 亻person + 門 phonetic)
Stroke order
它
们
Examples
。
They are my books.
。
I like them a lot.
。
They are singing in the tree.
。
They are all kittens.
。
Their colour is very pretty.
它们 is the plural of 它 (tā), the pronoun for a thing or an animal, so it is the "they" you use for objects and creatures rather than for people. Chinese does not mark plurals on nouns, but 们 does mark them on pronouns: 他们 is "they" for people, 它们 is "they" for everything else. It sounds exactly like 他们, so only the writing separates them. In speech it is much rarer than English "they", because Chinese is happy to repeat the noun or leave the subject out altogether.
Where this fits
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Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "它们" (they, them (of things or animals)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free week (no card)This word is taught in chapter 5, lesson 11: 它们, 今晚, 回家 and 6 more words.