<p>"咱们" is more like a colloquial usage, especially in northern China(Beijing dialect makes extensive use of it, for example "咱几个"(roughly "we several people") ， "咱哥俩"(we two brothers).) While "我们" is the general written/spoken form and is commonly used all over China.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-08T18:26:01.410Z
2014-06-08T18:26:01.410Z
xji
<p>我们 and 咱们 can be used interchangeably，though 咱们 would less likely be used in formal writings.  Because 咱们 is less formal, it makes the speaker seem more relatable to the person they are talking to (e.g 咱们俩是哥们，we are buddies).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-10T01:38:28.823Z
2014-06-10T01:38:28.823Z
enosan
<p>咱=我：咱不懂他的话。
咱们=我们 including the listener: 同志，您别客气，咱们军民是一家人。
As possessive pronoun: 咱=咱们（的）：咱村全都富起来了。（Here it could be a villager talking to another villager, or talking to an outsider, or even an outsider talking to a villager (the outsider was trying to sound friendly and close by using the term to include himself as part of “us”.  The outsider could simply say 你们村全都富起来了。but he would sound alienating himself from the villagers or the listener.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-29T23:48:01.493Z
2022-11-29T23:48:01.493Z
Geoffrey Chang
<ol>
<li><p><code>我们</code> can be used both formally and colloquially across all Chinese speaking regions, while <code>咱们</code> appears more in spoken language and more in Northern China. </p></li>
<li><p><code>我们</code> may or may not include the listener, depending on the context, while <code>咱们</code> almost always includes the listener. </p></li>
<li><p>Although <code>咱们</code> includes both parties, there can be a strong or even exclusive focus on one party, either the speaker (e.g. <code>瞧咱们的</code> = "we'll show you how it's done") or the listener (e.g. <code>咱们不怕</code> = "let us not be afraid"). This type of usage is very common in Northern China but can be quite unfamiliar/unnatural to other Chinese speaking regions.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>References:</p>

<p>[1] <a href="http://www.chiculture.net/0615/html/d16/0615d16.html" rel="noreferrer">http://www.chiculture.net/0615/html/d16/0615d16.html</a></p>

<p>[2] <a href="http://www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/~pth/pth_passage01.php?passage=99" rel="noreferrer">http://www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/~pth/pth_passage01.php?passage=99</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-08T21:17:51.570Z
2014-06-08T21:17:51.570Z
NS.X.
<p><strong>我们</strong> [wǒmen] and <strong>咱们</strong> [zánmen] both means: we, but when I should use 咱们， 我们？</p>

<p>What is the difference?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-09T03:32:29.203Z
There are already some answers there, but bare in mind the the use of the words may vary from place to place.
fefe
<meaning><grammar><difference><pronouns>
Differences between 咱们 and 我们？
# Differences between 咱们 and 我们？

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-06-08)

**我们** [wǒmen] and **咱们** [zánmen] both means: we, but when I should use 咱们， 我们？

What is the difference?

**Tags:** meaning, grammar, difference, pronouns

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: There are already some answers there, but bare in mind the the use of the words may vary from place to place.  

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## 4 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2014-06-08. Score: 14 | Accepted answer

1. `我们` can be used both formally and colloquially across all Chinese speaking regions, while `咱们` appears more in spoken language and more in Northern China.
2. `我们` may or may not include the listener, depending on the context, while `咱们` almost always includes the listener.
3. Although `咱们` includes both parties, there can be a strong or even exclusive focus on one party, either the speaker (e.g. `瞧咱们的` = "we'll show you how it's done") or the listener (e.g. `咱们不怕` = "let us not be afraid"). This type of usage is very common in Northern China but can be quite unfamiliar/unnatural to other Chinese speaking regions.

References:

[1] <http://www.chiculture.net/0615/html/d16/0615d16.html>

[2] <http://www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/~pth/pth_passage01.php?passage=99>


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### Answer by username_2 on 2014-06-08. Score: 3

"咱们" is more like a colloquial usage, especially in northern China(Beijing dialect makes extensive use of it, for example "咱几个"(roughly "we several people") ， "咱哥俩"(we two brothers).) While "我们" is the general written/spoken form and is commonly used all over China.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2014-06-10. Score: 1

我们 and 咱们 can be used interchangeably，though 咱们 would less likely be used in formal writings. Because 咱们 is less formal, it makes the speaker seem more relatable to the person they are talking to (e.g 咱们俩是哥们，we are buddies).


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### Answer by username_4 on 2022-11-29. Score: 1

咱=我：咱不懂他的话。
咱们=我们 including the listener: 同志，您别客气，咱们军民是一家人。
As possessive pronoun: 咱=咱们（的）：咱村全都富起来了。（Here it could be a villager talking to another villager, or talking to an outsider, or even an outsider talking to a villager (the outsider was trying to sound friendly and close by using the term to include himself as part of “us”. The outsider could simply say 你们村全都富起来了。but he would sound alienating himself from the villagers or the listener.


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