自己 (zìjǐ) — Oneself in Mandarin

zì​jǐ
“Oneself”

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#60 most common word · HSK 3 · CEFR B1

Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.

Tone breakdown

自己 is pronounced zìjǐ. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.

zì
fourth tone (sharp falling, ˋ)
jǐ
third tone (low dipping, ˇ)

In a sentence

Wǒ zìjǐ zuòle zhège dàngāo.

I made this cake myself.

Hear it, then say it right

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Frequently asked questions

What does 自己 mean?+

自己 (zìjǐ) means "Oneself" in Mandarin Chinese.

How do you pronounce 自己?+

自己 is pronounced zìjǐ. It uses the tone 4 (falling), then the tone 3 (rising/dipping). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.

How common is 自己 in Mandarin?+

自己 is the #60 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.

Where 自己 fits

HSK 3 · CEFR B1
See the full HSK 3 vocabulary list

Every HSK 3 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.

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Browse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.