Finally! You’ve reached the definitive guide to 的, that important – and sometimes even omnipresent – particle of the Chinese language.

We know that 的 often causes confusion due to its multiple uses. That's why, in this lesson, we’re going to break down the main ways in which this particle is used so you can tackle it with confidence.

的 as a possessive marker

This is the most common use of 的. It works like the apostrophe + "s" in English ('s). It can also be a possessive determiner if preceded by a personal pronoun.

Structure: Noun / Personal Pronoun + 的 + Noun

Examples
hanzi	pinyin	meaning
我的书	wǒ de shū	My book
他的车	tā de chē	His car
中国的文化	zhōngguó de wénhuà	China’s culture
小雨的电脑	xiǎo yǔ de diànnǎo	Xiaoyu’s computer

Likewise, when 的 accompanies a personal pronoun, if the noun is omitted, it becomes a possessive pronoun (mine, yours, his/her...).

Examples
hanzi	pinyin	meaning
这是我的	zhè shì wǒ de	This is mine
哪个是你的？	nǎge shì nǐ de?	Which one is yours?
那个手机是他的	nà ge shǒujī shì tā de	This phone is his

It’s common to omit 的 when the noun in question is something very close to us, i.e. family members, pets, friends... This also applies to schools (学校、大学), offices (公司) and classes (班).

Examples
hanzi	pinyin	meaning
他妈妈的名字	tā māma de míngzì	His mother’s name
你们班有几个学生？	nǐmen bān yǒu jǐ ge xuéshēng	How many students are there in your class?
我爱我猫	wǒ ài wǒ māo	I love my cat

的 as an adjective marker (noun modifier)

When an adjective or descriptive phrase qualifies a noun, 的 must be placed between them.

Structure: Adjective / Phrase + 的 + Noun

Examples
hanzi	pinyin	meaning
漂亮的女孩	piàoliang de nǚhái	Beautiful girl
有意思的电影	yǒuyìsi de diànyǐng	Interesting movie
好吃的菜	hǎochī de cài	Delicious food

If the adjective is monosyllabic, 的 can be omitted:

Examples
hanzi	pinyin	meaning
新书	xīn shū	New book
老朋友	lǎo péngyou	Old friend

We can also omit the noun if it has already been mentioned or if we can tell what it is from the context. For example:

Example
hanzi	pinyin	meaning
你喜欢红色的衣服还是白色的？	nǐ xǐhuan hóngsè de yīfu háishi báisè de?	Do you like red clothes or white?

Since we already know that the speaker is referring to clothing, there’s no need to mention 衣服 again after 白色.

的 for relative clauses

When a verbal phrase describes a noun, 的 acts as a connector between the two. In many languages we call them relative clauses and we usually use relative pronouns to connect the noun with the phrase.

Structure: Verb / Phrase + 的 + Noun

Examples
hanzi	pinyin	meaning
他写的书	tā xiě de shū	The book he wrote
昨天来的人	tā zuò de gōngzuò	The job he does
他做的工作	hǎochī de cài	Delicious food
昨天买的衣服	zuótiān mǎi de yīfu	The clothes that I bought yesterday

Adjective + 的 for nominalization

When an adjective is combined with 的, it turns into a noun. We call this process nominalization. Let's see it in action with some examples.

Examples
hanzi	pinyin	meaning
高的在前面	gāo de zài qiánmiàn	The tall ones, step to the front
年轻的喜欢上网	niánqīng de xǐhuān shàngwǎng	Young people like to browse the internet

Exercises

Let’s practice translating these phrases into Chinese!

The house I bought

My new computer

Is this book yours?

The dish my father cooks

I like green

Answers:

The house I bought → 我买的房子

My new computer → 我的新电脑

Is this book yours? → 这本书是你的吗？

The dish my father cooks → 我爸爸做的菜

I like green → 我喜欢绿色