Definitions

zhè (adjective) this; these
zhèi (adjective) Same meaning as zhè (this; these) but can be pronounced as zhèi in spoken language, especially before classifiers

Etymology

Simplified form of , which originally meant "to meet" and had a pronunciation corresponding to modern Mandarin yàn. later acquired an unrelated pronunciation and meaning through confusion with another character.

About

The character 这 is the primary proximal demonstrative pronoun, meaning "this", and refers to people, objects, or concepts near the speaker in space or time. Its traditional form (這) is a phono-semantic compound of the movement radical (辶) and the phonetic component "yán" (言, speech). In the simplified form, the phonetic part is replaced by "wén" (文, literature/culture), while the movement radical is retained. The meaning later extended to serve as a filler word in speech or to emphasize immediacy when used with measure words.

Example Sentences Hide

是你的书。

Zhè shì nǐ de shū.

This is your book.

个苹果很好吃。

Zhège píngguǒ hěn hǎo chī.

This apple is very delicious.

是你的书包吗?

Zhè shì nǐ de shūbāo ma?

Is this your backpack?

今天的天气么好。

Jīntiān de tiānqì zhème hǎo.

Today's weather is so nice.

里是我的家。

Zhèlǐ shì wǒ de jiā.

This is my home.

是我喜欢的电影。

Zhè shì wǒ xǐhuan de diànyǐng.

This is the movie I like.

么难的问题我不会。

Zhème nán de wèntí wǒ bú huì.

I can't solve such a difficult problem.

次旅行让我学到了很多。

Zhè cì lǚxíng ràng wǒ xué dàole hěn duō.

This trip taught me a lot.