咱们 zán men
“we or us (including both the speaker and the person(s) spoken to); (dialect) I or me; (dialect) (in a coaxing or familiar way) you”
pronounHSK 4 · 2021 list level 2Traditional 咱們
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
咱们 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 962: 咱们 zánmen — Level 3; official annotation 3 (代). PDF page 104
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 咱们
咱们 means “we/us” and includes both the speaker and the person spoken to. It is colloquial and friendly, common in everyday conversation, and often appears as 咱们 + verb or 咱们的 + noun. It is less formal than 我们.
例句Example sentences
- 咱们一起吃饭吧。zán men yì qǐ chī fàn ba.Let's eat together.
- 咱们早点出发，不然会迟到。zán men zǎo diǎn chū fā, bù rán huì chí dào.Let's leave early, or we'll be late.
- 咱们都是朋友，不用客气。zán men dōu shì péng you, bú yòng kè qi.We're all friends, so no need to be polite.
易混词Easily confused
咱们vs我们
我们 can exclude the listener; 咱们 always includes the listener and is more colloquial.