Reflexive pronouns show when the subject does something to themselves. Mandarin uses reflexive pronouns for actions that turn back on the subject.
Reflexive Pronouns
The basic reflexive pronoun in Mandarin is zìjǐ (自己) which means "oneself." It can be used after possessive pronouns or on its own to emphasize reflexivity.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Word(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我自己 | wǒ zìjǐ | I myself / myself | |
| 你自己 | nǐ zìjǐ | you yourself / yourself | |
| 他/她/它自己 | tā/tā/tā zìjǐ | he/she/it himself/herself/itself | |
| 我们自己 | wǒmen zìjǐ | we ourselves / ourselves | |
| 你们自己 | nǐmen zìjǐ | you all yourselves / yourselves | |
| 他们/她们/它们自己 | tāmen/tāmen/tāmen zìjǐ | they themselves / themselves | |
| 自己 | zìjǐ | oneself / myself / yourself / himself / herself / itself / ourselves / yourselves / themselves |
I did this thing myself.
Usage
Use zìjǐ (自己) to make clear that the action affects the subject. It appears after the subject or after a possessive pronoun when emphasizing that someone did something for or to themselves.
Examples
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🧼 我自己洗了臉。 | Wǒ zìjǐ xǐle liǎn. | I washed my face myself. | |
| 🪞 她在鏡子裡看到自己。 | Tā zài jìngzi lǐ kàn dào zìjǐ. | She saw herself in the mirror. | |
| 🧴 他自己塗了護膚霜。 | Tā zìjǐ tǔle hùfū shuāng. | He applied the moisturizer himself. | |
| 🧖 我們自己做了面膜。 | Wǒmen zìjǐ zuòle miànmó. | We did the face masks ourselves. | |
| 🪄 你自己整理了梳子。 | Nǐ zìjǐ zhěnglǐle shūzi. | You arranged the comb yourself. | |
| 🧻 他們自己換了毛巾。 | Tāmen zìjǐ huànle máojīn. | They changed the towels themselves. |
Emphasis
Adding a personal pronoun before zìjǐ (自己) can add emphasis that it was exactly that person who did the action. Without a pronoun, zìjǐ can be more general or can refer back to whoever fits the context.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✨ 我自己完成了護膚程序。 | Wǒ zìjǐ wánchéngle hùfū chéngxù. | I personally completed the skincare routine. | |
| ✨ 他自己做的面膜效果很好。 | Tā zìjǐ zuò de miànmó xiàoguǒ hěn hǎo. | The mask he made himself worked well. | |
| ✨ 她自己準備了所有用品。 | Tā zìjǐ zhǔnbèile suǒyǒu yòngpǐn. | She prepared all the supplies herself. | |
| ✨ 我們自己洗乾淨了毛巾。 | Wǒmen zìjǐ xǐ gānjìngle máojīn. | We washed the towels ourselves. |
Summary
Mandarin uses zìjǐ (自己) as the key reflexive pronoun to show actions back on the subject. Add a personal pronoun for emphasis, and use it after possessives to keep meaning clear.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025