你的
nǐ de
In Mandarin, 'your' can be translated as 你的 (nǐ de) when referring to a single owner. Wiktionary also lists 您的 (nín de).
Meaning: belonging to you (singular, one owner) (det)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 你的 | nǐ de | |
| 您的 | nín de | formal |
The phrase is used to indicate that something belongs to one person.
Which one should you use?
Use 你的 (nǐ de) for friends, peers or subordinates. Use 您的 (nín de) to show respect to elders, teachers or customers.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
您的 is the formal and polite version.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan Mandarin, 妳的 (nǐ de) can be used when referring specifically to a singular feminine context.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is formed by combining the pronoun 你 (you) with the possessive particle 的 (de). To express the plural 'your' in an informal setting, Mandarin speakers use 你们的 (nǐmen de).
How do you pronounce it?
nǐ de
Did you know?
- The respectful form 您 (nín) is actually a linguistic 'sandwich' where the character for 'you' 你 is placed inside the character for 'heart' 心.
- In spoken Mandarin, the possessive particle 的 is often dropped when referring to people with a close relationship, such as 我妈 for 'my mother' instead of 我的妈. Using 你的 in these cases can sometimes sound cold or overly distant.
- In a business setting, using 您的 is common, but using someone's professional title instead of 'your' is even more polite. For example, a speaker might say 'Director's' instead of 'your' to show maximum respect.
Examples in context
- 您的家在哪？Where is your house?This example is useful for asking about the location of a house using 您的.Tatoeba #1440417 by egg0073, translation #370706 by saeb
- 闭上你的嘴。Shut your mouth.This example is useful for the command to shut a mouth using 你的.Tatoeba #1691765 by sadhen, translation #240561 by CK
- 你的船不大。Your boat is not big.This example is useful for describing the size of a boat using 你的.Tatoeba #3376512 by go_oo, translation #6443372 by RudeGuyGames
- Nǐ de míngzi (你的名字)Your name
- Nǐ de jiā (你的家)Your house
- Nǐmen de chē (你们的车)Your cars
- 1375 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are looking for a lost phone on a table.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen这是你的手机吗？Zhè shì nǐ de shǒujī ma？Is this your phone?
- 伟 Wei不是，我的手机是黑色的。Bú shì, wǒ de shǒujī shì hēisè de.No, my phone is black.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen那你的手机在哪里？Nà nǐ de shǒujī zài nǎlǐ？Then where is your phone?
- 伟 Wei我想它在我的包里。Wǒ xiǎng tā zài wǒ de bāo lǐ.I think it is in my bag.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “your” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
