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都dōuall; both; entirely

HSK 1word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

都 (dōu) means "all," "both," or "entirely." Place it after the subject and before the verb phrase. Chinese uses the same 都 for "all" and for "both"; there is no separate word for "both." Do not put 都 at the start of the sentence.

What does 都 mean?

  1. 1.

    all; both; entirelyadverb

What does the character 都 mean?

  • 都all; both; entirely

How do you use 都?

Grammar patterns

  1. 1

    Subj. + 都 + Verb Phrase

    Put 都 after the subject and before the verb. It covers "all" for more than two people or things, and "both" for two.

都 usually sits right after the subject; English "all" often comes first, but that word order is not good Chinese.

Patterns

  • 我们 / 你们 / 他们 + 都 + Verb

    你们都认识他吗？

    Nǐmen dōu rènshi tā ma?

    Do you all know him?

  • A 和 B + 都 + Verb

    我和他都喜欢茶。

    Wǒ hé tā dōu xǐhuan chá.

    He and I both like tea.

What are some examples of 都 in a sentence?

  1. HSK 1

    我们都喜欢中文。

    Wǒmen dōu xǐhuan Zhōngwén.

    We all like Chinese.

  2. HSK 1

    他们都在学校。

    Tāmen dōu zài xuéxiào.

    They are all at school.

  3. HSK 1

    我们都要水。

    Wǒmen dōu yào shuǐ.

    We all want water.

  4. HSK 1

    爸爸和妈妈都是老师。

    Bàba hé māma dōu shì lǎoshī.

    Dad and Mom are both teachers.

How is 都 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    你们都喜欢中文吗？

    Nǐmen dōu xǐhuan Zhōngwén ma?

    Do you all like Chinese?

  2. Speaker B:

    都喜欢。

    Dōu xǐhuan.

    We all like it.

  3. Speaker A:

    他们都在学校吗？

    Tāmen dōu zài xuéxiào ma?

    Are they all at school?

  4. Speaker B:

    都在。

    Dōu zài.

    They all are.

  5. Speaker A:

    你和你朋友都要水吗？

    Nǐ hé nǐ péngyou dōu yào shuǐ ma?

    Do you and your friend both want water?

  6. Speaker B:

    都要。

    Dōu yào.

    We both do.

Can you use 都 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.Fill in the blank: 我们___喜欢茶。
  2. 2.Where does 都 go in "They are all at school"?
  3. 3.Fill in the blank: 爸爸和妈妈___是老师。

What should you learn next?

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English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.