在 (zài): to exist, to be alive, (of sb or sth) to be (located) at, (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress)
在 (zài) is a Chinese character meaning “to exist.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 才 (phonetic) and 土 (semantic). It ranks #6 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 在 earth. Its radical form 土 (earth) appears in many related characters such as 地 (dì, earth, ground), 场 (chǎng, field, place), 坏 (huài, bad, broken).
Definitions
- to exist
- to be alive
- (of sb or sth) to be (located) at
- (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress)
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 在 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 在
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 现在noun | xiàn zài | now | 1 |
| 正在adverb | zhèng zài | to be in the process of (doing sth) | 1 |
| 存在verb | cún zài | to exist | 5 |
| 实在adjective/adverb | shí zài | really | 4 |
| 在乎verb | zài hu | to rest with | 5 |
| 在场verb | zài chǎng | to be present | 5 |
| 在于verb | zài yú | to rest with | 5 |
| 在意verb | zài yì | to care about | 6 |
| 在内noun | zài nèi | (included) in it | 5 |
| 在线verb | zài xiàn | online | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 不在乎verb | bù zài hu | not to care |
| 在家verb | zài jiā | to be at home |
| 所在noun | suǒ zài | place |
| 处在verb | chǔ zài | to be situated at |
| 自在adverb | zì zai | comfortable |
| 潜在adjective | qián zài | hidden |
| 在座verb | zài zuò | to be present |
| 内在adjective | nèi zài | inner |
| 无处不在 | wú chù bù zài | to be everywhere |
| 蒙在鼓里phrase | méng zài gǔ lǐ | variant of 蒙在鼓裡|蒙在鼓里 |
| 心不在焉 | xīn bù zài yān | absent-minded |
| 在逃verb | zài táo | to be at large (of a criminal) |
| 在世verb | zài shì | to be alive |
| 何在adverb | hé zài | where? |
| 所在地noun | suǒ zài dì | location |
在 appears in 101 compound words: 51 as the first character, 26 as the last, and 23 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 在 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (38)
right under one's nose; right in front of one's eyes; close at hand; imminent
to take pleasure in something; to find joy in something; to revel in something
to take pleasure in something; to find joy in something; to revel in something
Showing 12 of 38 idioms containing 在.
Example Sentences
他正在厨房里准备晚餐，香味已经从门缝里飘出来了。
Tā zhèngzài chúfáng lǐ zhǔnbèi wǎncān, xiāngwèi yǐjīng cóng ménfèng lǐ piāo chūlai le.
He is preparing dinner in the kitchen, and the aroma is already drifting out through the door crack.
印度AI峰会现尴尬一幕:在总理莫迪出席的场合,Op..
yìn dù A I fēng huì xiàn gān gà yī mù : zài zǒng lǐ mò dí chū xí de chǎng gě , O p . .
An embarrassing scene at the India AI Summit: On the occasion attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Op.
被抓现行!菲律宾海警在南海投放不明物体
bèi zhuā xiàn háng ! 菲 lǜ bīn hǎi jǐng zài nán hǎi tóu fàng bù míng wù tī
Caught in the act! Philippine Maritime Police Drop Unidentified Objects in South China Sea
在春晚与沈腾马丽同框的机器人 在全国100...
zài chūn wǎn yú 沈 téng mǎ lí tóng kuàng de jī qì rén zài quán guó . . .
The robot that was in the same frame with Shen Teng and Ma Li at the Spring Festival Gala in China 100...
这届年轻人的消费,要花在“心窝”里
zhè jiè nián qīng rén de xiāo fèi , yāo huā zài xīn wō lǐ
This generation of young people will spend in their hearts.
宇树科技王兴兴:今年宇树科技的目标出货量在1-2万..
yǔ shù kē jì wáng xīng xīng jīn nián yǔ shù kē jì de mù biāo chū huò liáng zài mò . .
Wang Xingxing of Yushu Technology: This year, Yushu Technology's target shipment volume is 10,000 to 20,000 units.
我能在这里拍照吗？
Wǒ néng zài zhèlǐ pāizhào ma?
Can I take pictures here?
我能把我的车停在这儿吗？
Wǒ néng bǎ wǒ de chē tíng zài zhèr ma?
Can I park my car here?
你在这里住多久了？
Nǐ zài zhèlǐ zhù duōjiǔ le?
How long have you lived here?
我现在该怎么做呢？
Wǒ xiànzài gāi zěnme zuò ne?
What am I to do next?
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 土 (earth) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 在 (zài) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 在 and 挂?
How many strokes does 在 have?
What is the radical of 在?
What are the components of 在?
What are common words containing 在?
What characters sound the same as 在 (zài)?
Is 在 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 在 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.