Adverbs of place tell you where something happens and help make descriptions more precise. This short guide focuses on common Chinese adverbs that learners use early on.
Key Place Adverbs
The most useful place adverbs are single characters or short phrases that point to locations relative to the speaker or an object. Learn them with example sentences to get a feel for their usage.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 这儿 | zhèr | here | |
| 那儿 | nàr | there | |
| 哪儿 | nǎr | where | |
| 外面 | wài miàn | outside | |
| 里面 | lǐ miàn | inside | |
| 上面 | shàng miàn | on/above | |
| 下面 | xià miàn | under/below | |
| 附近 | fù jìn | nearby |
Using 这儿 / 那儿 / 哪儿
这儿 zhèr and 那儿 nàr are colloquial forms meaning "here" and "there," while 哪儿 nǎr asks "where." They can appear after verbs or be used as sentence-final particles in spoken Mandarin.
Using 里 / 外 / 上 / 下 + 面 / 面儿
Inside lǐ miàn, outside wài miàn, on/above shàng miàn, and under/below xià miàn are formed by a location noun plus 面 miàn or 面儿 miànr, with 面儿 more common in northern dialects. They can follow nouns or be used adverbially.
Using 附近
附近 fù jìn means "nearby" or "in the vicinity" and often follows a place noun. It can describe locations or be used when giving directions. Nearby places can be spots to go to or landmarks to pass.
Examples
Summary
Place adverbs like 这儿, 那儿, 哪儿, and expressions ending in 面 / 面儿 give you clear, natural ways to indicate location in Mandarin. Practice them in short sentences to fix their forms and uses in your mind.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025