How to Write 咱 (zá/zán) — Meaning “we; us (usually inclusive)”

Imagine opening your mouth (口) to say 'us' including yourself (自). Think of it as 'self + mouth' — when you say 'we' you are speaking for yourself and others. The picture of a mouth saying 'self' can help you recall the inclusive 'we'.

Write the left radical 口 first as a narrow, small square. Then write the right part 自: start with a left vertical stroke, then the top horizontal, then the two inner horizontals, and finally the bottom horizontal. A common mistake is making the left 口 too big or writing the top of 自 as a dot instead of a short left-falling stroke.

咱 (zá) means 'we/us' (inclusive), while 君 (jūn) is a respectful term for 'you' or 'lord', and 吝 (lìn) means 'stingy'. Visually, 咱 has 口 on the left and 自 on the right; 君 has 口 under 尹; 吝 has 口 above 文. Usage also differs: 咱 is casual and inclusive, 君 is formal/classical, and 吝 is an adjective.

咱 is very common in northern Chinese dialects, especially Beijing speech, and is used in casual conversation. The word 咱们 (zán men) includes the listener (inclusive 'we'), unlike 我们 which can be exclusive. Using 咱 gives a warm, friendly feeling and makes the speaker sound like part of the local group.

Common words containing 咱 include: 咱们 (zán men) — we; us; 咱俩 (zán liǎ) — the two of us; 咱家 (zá jiā) — our home.