12 Essential Chinese Particles for Mandarin Learners: A Complete Guide

Chinese particles are essential components of the Mandarin language, serving a pivotal role in expressing grammatical relationships. Although particles generally lack lexical meaning, they significantly impact the overall interpretation of sentences.

That is especially important for Mandarin learners. Chinese grammar is rather simple; meaning particles are the only grammatical references, so you need to know them very well.

Knowing how to use, interpret, and recognize particles becomes essential to understand how a Chinese sentence is structured and what the meaning is.

We will give an overview of the world of Chinese particles, briefly explain the 4 different particle categories, and give examples.

Each Chinese particle deserves a lot of attention, practice, and study. So, take your time to master each one, little by little.

What are Chinese particles?

They are small but important grammatical elements in Mandarin that express various relationships between words in a sentence.

There are four general Chinese particle categories which are:

• Modal particles: to express the speaker's attitude

• Aspect particles: expressing the time, duration, and completion of actions in a sentence

• Structural particles: defining the roles between sentence elements and establishing grammatical relationships

• Final particles: make a statement into a question, add emphasis, or express suggestions

These grammatical particles are crucial for learners as they are integral to sentence structure and significantly impact how sentences are interpreted and understood.

Thus, Chinese particles are essential for interpreting a sentence, a question, or an expression!

Chinese structural particles

The Chinese language doesn't have a lot of grammar rules. 

However, a few structural particles play a crucial role in defining roles between the elements in a sentence. Let's have a look at them.

1. 把 bǎ—to anticipate the object

The structural particle 把 highlights how the subject acts on the object and how the action affects the latter. It is commonly used in sentences where the subject of the sentence is actively acting on an object.

Since the verb must act in a certain way on the object to change, the verb used in the construction with 把 cannot stand alone but must be accompanied by either aspect particles or complements.

The basic sentence structure is:

SUBJECT + 把 + OBJECT + VERB + COMPLEMENTS

Here are a couple more examples:

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
请把那本书给我。	Qǐng bǎ nà běn shū gěi wǒ	Please give me that book.
马克把那些汉字都写错了。	Mǎkè bǎ nàxiē Hànzì dōu xiě cuò le.	Marc wrote those characters wrong.

In written Chinese, you will likely find the particle 将 jiāng, which conveys this same meaning in a more formal style.

2. 被 bei—to create a passive sentence

The Chinese particle 被—bei indicates passive voice in Chinese sentences.

It is placed before the verb to indicate that the verb's action is acting upon the subject. Here's the basic structure of the passive voice using 被:

SUBJECT + 被 + VERB

Notice what would normally be the object of a sentence here becomes the subject, as he/she/it is the one "experiencing the action." Look at the Chinese active vs. passive form:

Active voice	Passive voice
我喝水了。 Wǒ hē shuǐ le. I drank water.	我的水被喝了。 Wǒ de shuǐ bèi hē le My water has been drunk.

If the doer of the action is specified, the sentence elements are arranged as follows:

SUBJECT + 被 + DOER + VERB

Here are a few more examples to illustrate this particle's usage:

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
这封信被我写了。	Zhè fēng xìn bèi wǒ xiě le	This letter was written by me.
水果被我吃了。	Shuǐguǒ bèi wǒ chī le.	The fruits were eaten by me.
一件新衣服被她买了。	Yī jiàn xīn yīfu bèi tā mǎi le.	A new dress was bought by her.
这本书被学生们阅读了。	Zhè běn shū bèi xuéshēngmen yuèdú le.	This book was read by the students.

Since bei indicates an action that took place and produced consequences, causing a change, you will always find the modal particle 了 le at the end of this kind of sentence. 

We'll talk about le later.

The three de (地, 的 and 得)

In Mandarin Chinese, three different structural particles (地, 的, and 得) share the same pronunciation (de, with a neutral tone). 

Each one conveys a different meaning and works differently: let's look at each one so that when you hear "de," you can associate it with the right meaning.

3. 地 de—to turn an adjective into an adverb

The particle 地 is preceded by the adjective describing the action and is followed by the verb to which it refers. Simply, we can say it transforms the preceding adjective into an adverb.

The basic structure is as follows:

SUBJECT + ADJECTIVE + 地 + VERB

Other examples:

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
他高兴地唱歌。	tā gāoxìng de chànggē	He sings happily.
孩子们认真地学习。	rènzhēn de xuéxí	The kids study seriously.
孩子们很注意地做作业。	háizimén hěn zhùyì de zuò zuòyè	The kids do their homework attentively.

4. 得 de—to describe the way an action takes place or the consequences it produces

The particle 得 de is used to form the so-called degree complement. This complement is used to describe the way an action takes or takes place.

The basic structure is:

SUBJECT + VERB + 得 + ADJECTIVE/ADVERB

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
他睡得晚，起得早。	Tā shuì de wǎn, qǐ de zǎo.	He sleeps late and wakes up early.
雨下得大。	Yǔ xià de dà.	The rain is falling heavily.
他写得又好又快。	Tā xiě de yòu hǎo yòu kuài.	He writes both well and quickly.

If the verb also has an object, you need to repeat the verb two times or place the object at the beginning of the phrase:

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
饺子他吃得很快。	Jiǎozi tā chī de hěn kuài.	He eats dumplings very quickly.
她回答问题回答得对。	Tā huídá wèntí huídá de duì.	She answers questions correctly.

得 de can also indicate the consequence or result of the actions described in the first part of each sentence. The structure is:

SUBJECT + VERB + 得 + CONSEQUENCE

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
大家都笑得肚子疼。	Dàjiā dōu xiào de dùzi téng.	Everyone is laughing so hard that their stomachs hurt.
他说话说得忘了时间。	Tā shuōhuà shuō de wàng le shíjiān.	He talked so much that he forgot the time.
小琳写字写得手都麻了。	Xiǎo Lín xiězì xiě de shǒu dōu má le.	Xiao Lin wrote so much that her hand got numb.

得 and 地 may seem similar in that both are used to describe how an action takes place. However, they work differently:

• 地 is used after an adjective and before the verb, and the adjective works like an adverb:

  • 慢慢地说—Màn màn de shuō—to speak slowly

• 得, on the other hand, describes the way or the extent to which an action takes place. It is placed after the verb, and the adjective or phrase comes after:

  • 我说得很慢—Wǒ shuō de hěn màn—I speak very slowly.

5. 的 de—to describe a noun

The 的 particle has the function of modifying the noun. That can be done by indicating its ownership or attributing its characteristics, such as whose is it? Where is it? How is it? Etc.

的 is usually omitted when talking about family members (我妈妈—wǒ māma—my mom) or with one-syllable adjectives. (好朋友—hǎo péngyǒu—good friend).

The basic structure of the noun group thus formed is:

SPECIFICS OF THE NOUN (owner, location, adjective, etc...) + 的 + NOUN

More examples:

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
我的手机	wǒ de shǒujī	my cell phone
北京的天气	Běijīng de tiānqì	Beijing’s weather
爸爸的朋友	bàba de péngyou	father's friend
我看的书	kàn de shū	the books I read
好听的音乐	hǎotīng de yīnyuè	beautiful music
我认识很多喜欢学汉语的人。	wǒ rènshi hěn duō xǐhuan xué hànyǔ de rén	I know many people who like to study Chinese

How do we distinguish 地 from 的 if an adjective precedes both? It is simple: by observing the grammatical element that follows them.

For example:

When de is followed by a verb	When de is followed by a noun
认真地学习 rènzhēn de xuéxí study seriously	认真的学生 rènzhēn de xuésheng serious student

Chinese final particles

These are particles that go at the end of the sentence. It changed the statement to a question, added emphasis, or imply a suggestion. Let’s take a closer look.

6. 吗 ma—for yes-no questions

吗 is a question particle placed at the end of a sentence to turn a statement into a yes-or-no question. It's very easy to use; you add it at the end of declarative sentences to turn it into an interrogative sentence.

For example: 

• The phrase 你是学生。—Nǐ shì xuéshēng — you are a student.

• Becomes 你是学生吗？—Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?—Are you a student?

Here are a few more examples:

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
你喜欢中国菜吗？	Nǐ xǐhuān Zhōngguó cài ma?	Do you like Chinese food?
你看过这部电影吗？	Nǐ kànguò zhè bù diànyǐng ma?	Have you seen this movie?
今天的天气好吗？	Jīntiān de tiānqì hǎo ma?	Is today's weather nice?

7. 呢 ne—to ask a follow-up question or to add emphasis

呢 is a versatile particle used to seek information as it inquires about someone's action or situation or adds emphasis.

It can also form questions or follow up on a previous question.

Below are examples of how ne is used to reciprocate a question:

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
A: 你好吗？ B: 我很好，你呢?	A: Nǐ hǎo ma? B: Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne?	A: How are you? B: I am great, and you?
我想吃面，你呢？	Wǒ xiǎng chī miàn, nǐ ne?	I want to eat noodles, do you?

In these next examples, adding one at the end emphasizes the question or indicates that the speaker expects an answer.

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
我们几点见面呢？	Wǒmen jǐdiǎn jiànmiàn ne?	I am wondering what time we shall meet?
你在干什么呢？	Nǐ zài gàn shénme ne?	What are you doing?

8. 吧 ba—to make a suggestion

吧 is a suggestion or softening particle, often used to express a polite request or to turn a statement into a suggestion.

For examples:

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
我们去吃饭吧。	Wǒmen qù chīfàn ba.	Let's go eat, shall we?
外面天气不错，我们出去走走吧？	Wàimiàn tiānqì bùcuò, wǒmen chūqù zǒuzou ba?	The weather outside is nice; let's go for a walk, shall we?

If you look at the hanzi, you'll notice that these final particles share the same mouth radical variant, 口. This radical can help you remember them!

9. The modal particle 了 le—at the end of the sentence

This particle is most likely the most complex one in Chinese. It serves to indicate a new situation, a subjective or objective change:

	Hanzi	Pinyin	English
Indicate a new situation:	下雨了。	Xià yǔ le.	It's raining. (it wasn't raining before, or I hadn't noticed)
Subjective change:	我明白你的意思了。	Wǒ míngbái nǐ de yìsi le.	Now I get what you mean.
Objective change:	已经三点了。	Yǐjīng sān diǎn le.	It's already three o'clock.

It can also indicate the accomplishment of an action:

	Hanzi	Pinyin	English
An Accomplishment of an action	昨天我去书店了。	Zuótiān wǒ qù shūdiàn le.	Yesterday, I went to the bookstore.

了 can also be used to talk about an action that will take place in the near future. In that case, the sentence is introduced by 要 yào, 快要 kuàiyào, or 就要 jiùyào. 

For example:

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
马克快要结婚了。	Mǎkè kuàiyào jiéhūn le.	Mark is about to get married.
要下雨了。	Yào xià yǔ le.	It's going to rain.

Here is a summary infographic of the particle 了:

了 is also an aspect particle—more on that in the next section.

Chinese aspect particles

Aspect particles are a group of Chinese particles that modify a verb's aspect or temporal nature. These particles play a crucial role in expressing the time, duration, and completion of actions in a sentence as well as indicating whether an action is ongoing, completed, or will occur in the future.

10. 过 guò—to talk about an experience

The aspect particle 过 indicates the experience of having done something in the past. It follows a verb to indicate that the action has been experienced before, but it doesn't specify when or how often.

The basic structure is as follows:

SUBJECT + VERB + 过 (+ OBJECT)

Here are some examples:

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
我吃过中国菜	Wǒ chī guò Zhōngguó cài	I have eaten Chinese food.
我去过北京。	Wǒ qù guò Běijīng.	I have been to Beijing.
她看过那部电影。	Tā kàn guò nà bù diànyǐng.	She has seen that movie.

11. 着 zhe—to tell about a continuous action or state

Zhe is an aspect particle that shows the continuous aspect of an action, similar to the "-ing" form in English. It is placed after the verb to indicate an ongoing action or a state.

The structure is:

SUBJECT + VERB + 着 （+ OBJECT)

Here are some examples:

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
她穿着一件漂亮的裙子。	Tā chuānzhe yī jiàn piàoliang de qúnzi.	She is wearing a beautiful dress.
孩子们在玩着游戏。	Háizimen zài wánzhe yóuxì.	The children are playing games.
他坐在桌子旁边，看着电视。	Tā zuò zài zhuōzi pángbiān, kànzhe diànshì.	He is sitting beside the table, watching TV.

12. 了 le—to talk about a completed action

Apart from being a modal particle, 了 can also indicate an action's completion. When placed after a verb, it signifies the action has already happened.

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
他买了红衣服。	Tā mǎi le hóng yīfu.	He bought a red dress

We can also express the fact that the action will be completed before another action takes place (in this case, the second action is usually introduced by 就 jiù). 

For example:

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
我去了邮局就回家。	Wǒ qù le yóujú jiù huí jiā.	I'll go back home after going to the post office.
我去了邮局就回家了。	Wǒ qù le yóujú jiù huí jiā le.	I went to the post office and then came back home. (The second le is modal.)

The basic structure is:

SUBJECT + VERB + 了 (+ OBJECT) (+ SENTENCE TAKING PLACE AFTER THE FIRST ONE IS COMPLETED)

What is the difference between the aspect particle 了 and the modal particle 了?

The difference is very subtle. 

In a phrase like 我买了手机 (Wǒ mǎi le shǒujī.), the emphasis is on the phone you bought and not something else.

While in a sentence like 我买手机了 (Wǒ mǎi shǒujī le), the emphasis is on the fact that this specific action, buying, was completed.

Please note that 了 is not always mandatory. Sometimes, the same meaning can be conveyed with or without it, and the best way to learn when to use it is to read a lot and listen to conversations.

Chinese Particle Table

Below, you can find a recap table:

Particle	Pinyin	Purpose	Example
把	bǎ	used to anticipate the object	请把那本书给我。 Qǐng bǎ nà běn shū gěi wǒ. Please give me that book.
被	bèi	used to create a passive sentence	水果被我吃了。 Shuǐguǒ bèi wǒ chī le. The fruits were eaten by me.
地	de	used to turn an adjective into an adverb	孩子们认真地学习。 rènzhēn de xuéxí The kids study seriously.
得	de	used to describe the way an action takes place or the consequences	饺子他吃得很快。 Jiǎozi tā chī de hěn kuài.  He eats dumplings very quickly.
的	de	used to describe a noun	爸爸的朋友 bàba de péngyou father's friend
吗	ma	used for yes-no questions	你喜欢中国菜吗？ Nǐ xǐhuān Zhōngguó cài ma?  Do you like Chinese food?
呢	ne	used to ask a follow-up question or to add emphasis	我很好，你呢? Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne? I am great, what about you?
吧	ba	used to make a suggestion	我们去吃饭吧。 Wǒmen qù chīfàn ba. Let's go eat, shall we?
了 (modal)	le	Used to express change, accomplishment of an action, or to talk about an action about to take place.	下雨了。 Xià yǔ le. It's raining. (it wasn't raining before, or I hadn't noticed) 我们吃饭了。 Wǒmen chīfàn le. We ate. 要下雨了。 Yào xià yǔ le. It's going to rain.
过	guò	used to talk about an experience	我去过北京。 Wǒ qù guò Běijīng. I have been to Beijing.
着	zhe	used to tell about a continuous action or state	她穿着一件漂亮的裙子。 Tā chuānzhe yī jiàn piàoliang de qúnzi. She is wearing a beautiful dress.
了 (aspect)	le	used to talk about a completed action	我去了邮局就回家。 Wǒ qù le yóujú jiù huí jiā. I'll go back home after going to the post office.

In closing

I hope you can reference this guide to the main Chinese particles during your study journey. Once you master them, Chinese grammar will have no secrets anymore!

See you in the next article!

Elisa Felici has been studying Chinese since 2014. She started her language-learning journey at Italian universities and lived in Beijing while attending Beijing’s Confucius Institute. Elisa passed HSK 4 and 5 and finally, in 2020, HSK 6. She now has a Master’s degree in translation and interpreting and has experience not only as a language learner but also as a Chinese teacher and translator.