咱
Character learning workspace

zá / zán · we, us

Master the form, understand its parts, and learn how it behaves in real Chinese.

Frequency #3116
Watch · inspect · write

Learn every stroke in 咱

Replay the complete order, pause on difficult movements, inspect one stroke at a time, then write it yourself with live correction.

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Stroke graphics: Make Me a Hanzi / Arphic Public License
Sound changes meaning

Readings & meanings

咱 has 2 dictionary pronunciations. The examples show how each reading behaves in real words.

zá

see 咱[zan2]

咱家zá jiā · I
zán

I or me; we (including both the speaker and the person spoken to)

咱们zán men · we or us
Step-by-step explorer

See how 咱 is constructed

Switch between the accumulated form and the isolated movement of each stroke.

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Character anatomy

Understand the reusable parts

The decomposition shows how the visual pieces fit together, not necessarily the character’s historical origin.

Writing notes

Shape and proportion

9Total strokes

Count each continuous pen movement once, including turns and hooks.

Left-rightCharacter structure

Keep the left side compact and leave enough room for the right side.

口Key radical

Use the highlighted radical in the animation as a visual anchor for remembering the form.

Print and practise

Download a 咱 writing sheet

Get a ready-to-use A4 sheet immediately, or open the full builder to change its grid and guidance.

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Includes the stroke sequence, progressive tracing, and blank writing squares. Generated locally in your browser.

Read and listen

Example sentences

Notice where 咱 sits in each complete thought.

Zhè dōu shì zán men tīng shuō de.这都是咱们听说的。

That’s what we heard.

Source: Tatoeba #2367641 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Zán liǎ shì tóng dào zhōng rén.咱俩是同道中人。

Apparently we're just two peas in a pod.

Source: Tatoeba #2453118 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Zán men néng bu néng zài děng yí huìer?咱们能不能再等一会儿?

Couldn't we wait a little longer?

Source: Tatoeba #5136689 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Zán men qù nà lǐ jiàn tā ba.咱们去那里见他吧。

We are going there to see him.

Source: Tatoeba #788641 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Zhè lǐ rén tài duō le. zán men huàn gè dì fāng ba.这里人太多了。咱们换个地方吧。

There are too many people here. Let's go somewhere else.

Source: Tatoeba #775903 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Zán men chī ba! wǒ è sǐ le.咱们吃吧!我饿死了。

Let's eat now. I'm dying of hunger.

Source: Tatoeba #2116863 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 咱 in context

  1. Say zá / zán, then recall the core meaning: we, us.
  2. Write all 9 strokes while keeping the left-right balanced.
  3. Use it in 咱们 (zán men), meaning “we or us”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 咱 works in that context.

Definitions and traditional forms are compiled from Make Me a Hanzi, HSK curriculum data, and CC-CEDICT. Sourced example sentences link to Tatoeba; editorial examples are labeled separately. Review data sources and licenses.