Pronouns in Chinese

By Carson 木林森 · October 2026

The Chinese word for "pronouns" is 代词 (dài cí). Below are 22 Chinese words for pronouns, each with pinyin, English and its level in the new HSK 3.0 word list. They cover HSK 1, in the order a learner meets them.

Personal Pronouns HSK 1 lesson

ChinesePinyinEnglishHSK 3.0
我wǒI; me; my1
你nǐyou (informal, as opposed to courteous 您)1
他tāhe; him (used for either sex when the sex is unknown or unimportant)1
她tāshe1
我们wǒ menwe1

This, That, Which HSK 1 lesson

ChinesePinyinEnglishHSK 3.0
这个zhè gethis; this one1
那个nà gethat; that one1
哪个nǎ gewhich; which one1
这些zhè xiēthese1
那些nà xiēthose1
哪些nǎ xiēwhich ones (more than one)1
这边zhè biānthis side; over here1
那边nà biānthat side; over there1

Question Words and Demonstratives HSK 1 lesson

ChinesePinyinEnglishHSK 3.0
什么shén mewhat?1
谁shéiwho1
哪nǎwhich?1
那nàthat; those1
多少duō shǎohow many?; how much?1
几jǐhow many; several; a few1
怎么zěn mehow?1
怎么样zěn me yànghow is it?; how about it?1
这zhè(pronoun) this; these1

Every word links to its dictionary entry, with audio, example sentences and stroke order. The words are grouped by the GraphChinese lesson that teaches them, so a few in each group belong to the lesson and sit a little outside the topic.

More topics:

Which of these do you already know? The free HSK placement test takes about ten minutes and returns your level on the new HSK 3.0 scale.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say "pronouns" in Chinese?

代词 (dài cí), meaning "pronoun". The most common words in this topic are 我 (wǒ, I), 你 (nǐ, you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您)), 他 (tā, he), 她 (tā, she).

How many Chinese words for pronouns do I need?

This page lists 22, from HSK 1. The 5 at the top are enough to start; the rest follow level by level.

What do the HSK levels on this page mean?

Each word shows where the new HSK 3.0 word list places it, from level 1 to the 7-9 band. A dash means the word is taught in the course and is not on the HSK 3.0 list. HSK 3.0, complete.

How do I pronounce these words?

The pinyin beside each word gives the sound and the tone. Each word links to its dictionary entry, where you can hear it. If the tone marks are new to you, start with the four tones, explained.

GraphChinese teaches these words in dependency order, with audio, and only moves on when each one is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.

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