Part 1: Differences Among 的 (de), 得 (de) and 地 (de)?

Updated on December 27, 2022

What are the differences among 的 (de), 得 (de) and 地 (de)?

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I’m sure many students, especially the foreigners, often get confused among the three de of Mandarin Chinese language:

1. 的,
2. 得, and
3. 地.

Well, the confusion is partly because they share the same pronunciation (de), and they don’t have direct specific meanings. Further, they cannot be used alone.

Of course, you can see the three characters look very different. However, each one has its own unique set of applications.

Today I’d like to talk about the differences among 的 (de), 得 (de) and 地 (de). Let’s go through them one by one.

In this Part 1 post, let’s start with 的. You can find 得 in Part 2, and 地 in Part 3. I hope you can understand these three basic characters after you read these blog-posts.

Here we go! Let’s discover 的.

Part I

The combination of “noun/pronoun 的+ noun” indicates “possession”.

Examples:

1. My book (wǒ de shū, 我的书)
2. Mom’s phone (māma de shǒujī, 妈妈的手机)
3. Teacher’s clothes (lǎoshī de yīfu, 老师的衣服)

Pro Tips

If “noun/pronoun 的 + noun” indicate family members or other close relationship, the word “的” can be omitted, and an institutional or organizational relationship is implied. For example:

1. My dad (wǒ de bàba = wǒ bàba, 我的爸爸 = 我爸爸)
2. My mom (wǒ de māma = wǒ māma, 我的妈妈 = 我妈妈)
3. My home (wǒ de jiā = wǒ jiā, 我的家 = 我家)
4. Our company (我们的公司 = 我们公司, wǒmen de gōngsī= wǒmen gōngsī)

Part Ⅱ

Well, 的 can also be used to tell us more information about the nouns. The typical form is:

• Word/phrase/clause + 的+ Nouns.

For example:

A. Adj +的 +Noun:

1. A beautiful place (piàoliang de dìfāng, 漂亮的地方)
2. A white phone (báisè de shǒujī, 白色的手机)

• Lesson 1 (Level 1): Common Mandarin Chinese Verbs with Examples
• How to Say “Police Station” In Chinese?

Pro Tips

If the modifier is a monosyllabic word, 的 can be omitted, for instance:

1. Black hair (hēi de tóufa = hēi tóufa, 黑的头发 = 黑头发) 
2. Small room (xiǎo de fángjiān = xiǎo fángjiān, 小的房间 = 小房间)

However, if there is an adverb before the adjective, 的 cannot be omitted, for example:

• Very big room (hěn dà de fángjiān, 很大的房间)

We don’t say: 很大房间 (hěn dà fángjiān)

B. Phrase/verb + 的 + Noun

1. The girl who is singing (chànggē de nǚháizi, 唱歌的女孩子)
2. The cake I bought yesterday (wǒ zuótiān mǎi de dàngāo, 我昨天买的蛋糕)

Pro Tips

If you would like to describe or modify a noun in Chinese, you can put all the details before a noun.

1. The boy who wears a white T-shirt is my younger brother (Chuān báisè chènshān de nánhái shì wǒ de dìdi, 穿白色衬衫的男孩是我的弟弟)
2. The woman who is singing a song is my mom (Zhèngzài chànggē de nǚrén shì wǒ māma, 正在唱歌的女人是我妈妈)

That’s pretty much in this post about 的. I hope you get the basic idea behind the character 的.

You can learn more about the differences between 的, 得, and 地 in Part 2 and Part 3.

I look forward to hearing from you in the comments!