HSK 1 · Particles

的 de “possessive particle” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 的 means

possessive particle
of
~’s (possessive particle)
(used after an attribute when it modifies a noun)
(used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis)

More meanings from CC-CEDICT

(used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 “one made of leather” or 跑堂儿的 “a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)” or 新的 “new one”)

How to say 的

的deneutral tone, light and short

Grey pinyin is a neutral tone: say it short and light. More on the neutral tone

的 in a sentence

“这是谁的椅子？”“它是我的。”
"Zhè shì shéi de yǐzi?" "Tā shì wǒ de."
“Whose chair is this?” “It is mine.”
Sentence #1737869 from Tatoeba
你的衣服是什么颜色的？
Nǐ de yīfu shì shénme yánsè de?
What colour are your clothes?
Sentence #3565125 from Tatoeba · translation adapted
他们告诉我这是你的错。
Tāmen gàosu wǒ zhè shì nǐ de cuò.
They told me it was your fault.
Sentence #5856756 from Tatoeba

How 的 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 的 (de) with each of its parts in a different colour

的deof; ~’s

白white · bái
勺spoon · sháo

Memory aidIt first meant “bright, clear”, with white 白 for the meaning and 勺 (sháo) for the sound. Now it is the most common character in Chinese.

How to write 的

的 8 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

的 (de) stroke order chart: each stroke of the character in the order you write it — Stroke order chart for 的 (de). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 的

Words with 的

有的yǒude · (there are) some (who are…)别的biéde · other 的话dehuà · if (ends a conditional clause)目的mùdì · purpose 的确díquè · really 似的shìde · as if

More words: Particles & Connectors

了le · aspect particle 吗ma · question particle 呢ne · question particle 不bù · no 最好zuìhǎo · best 座zuò · measure word for buildings 左右zuǒyòu · about 重chóng · again

FAQs

What does 的 mean in English?

的 (de) means “possessive particle” or “of”. It is an HSK 1 word, so it is one of the words learners meet early.

How do you pronounce 的?

Say it de: de with a neutral tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.

Is 的 the same in Traditional Chinese?

Yes. 的 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.

How do you type 的 on a keyboard?

Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type de with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 的 from the suggestions. Typing de into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.

What HSK level is 的?

的 is an HSK 1 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.