HSK 1 · Common Verbs

在 zài “to be at” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 在 means

to be at, in
to exist
to be alive
(of sb or sth) to be (located) at
(used before a verb to indicate an action in progress)

How to say 在

在zài4th tone, falling

在 in a sentence

今天早上你在做什么？
Jīntiān zǎoshang nǐ zài zuò shénme?
What were you doing this morning?
Sentence #1661550 from Tatoeba
你在这儿的时候想做什么？
Nǐ zài zhèr de shíhou xiǎng zuò shénme?
What do you want to do while you’re here?
Sentence #424516 from Tatoeba
我们能在哪儿打电话？
Wǒmen néng zài nǎr dǎ diànhuà?
Where can we make a phone call?
Sentence #501694 from Tatoeba

How 在 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 在 (zài) with each of its parts in a different colour

在zàito exist; to be alive

才ability · cáiSound part
土earth · tǔMeaning part

土 hints at the meaning (earth); 才 (cái) hints at the sound. Compare it with zài.

How to write 在

在 6 strokes

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

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

Words related to 在

Words with 在

现在xiànzài · now 正在zhèngzài · in the process of 实在shízài · really 存在cúnzài · to exist 在乎zàihu · to care about 在于zàiyú · to lie in 内在nèizài · inner 在意zàiyì · to care about

More words: Common Verbs

没有méiyǒu · not to have 是shì · to be 下雨xiàyǔ · to rain 有yǒu · to have 去qù · to go 来lái · to come 看kàn · to look 听tīng · to listen

FAQs

What does 在 mean in English?

在 (zài) means “to be at, in” or “to exist”. It is an HSK 1 word, so it is one of the words learners meet early.

How do you pronounce 在?

Say it zài: zài with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.

Is 在 the same in Traditional Chinese?

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

How do you type 在 on a keyboard?

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

What HSK level is 在?

在 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.