How common it is
在 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say zài slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
“在”用于表示位置或时间。例如，在家里、在学校。
zài yòng yú biǎoshì wèizhī huò qíshí。rúkě zài jiālǐ、zài xuéxiào。
"在" is used to indicate location or time. For example, at home, at school.
Context note
“在”常用于描述物体或人的位置，比如：在桌子上、在学校里。
zài cháng yòng wù dé huò rén de wèi zhī, bǐrú: zài zhuōzi shàng、zài xuéxiào lǐ。
"在" is commonly used to describe the position of objects or people, for example: on the table, in school.
5 examples
在桌子上放一本书。
zài zhuō zi shàng fàng yì běn shū。
Place a book on the table.
他在学校里学习。
tā zài xué xiào lǐ xué xí。
He studies at school.
这个玩具在柜子里。
zhè ge wán jù zài guì zi lǐ。
This toy is in the cabinet.
妈妈在家做饭。
mā ma zài jiā zuò fàn。
Mom cooks at home.
现在我们在公园里玩。
xiàn zài wǒ men zài gōng yuán lǐ wán。
Now we are playing in the park.
5 mini stories
小明在教室里上课。他在第一排。
xiǎo míng zài jiào shì lǐ shàng kè。 tā zài dì yī pái。
Xiaoming is in class at school. He sits in the first row.
妈妈在厨房做饭，爸爸在客厅看电视。
mā ma zài chú fáng zuò fàn， bà ba zài kè tīng kàn diàn shì。
Mom cooks in the kitchen, dad watches TV in the living room.
小红在公园里玩滑梯，她的弟弟在草地上跑。
xiǎo hóng zài gōng yuán lǐ wán huá tī， tā de dì di zài cǎo dì shàng pǎo。
Xiaohong plays on the slide in the park, her younger brother runs on the grass.
我在图书馆看书，在那里我找到了一本好书。
wǒ zài tú shū guǎn kàn shū， zài nà lǐ wǒ zhǎo dào le yì běn hǎo shū。
I read books at the library, where I found a good book.
小华在花园里种花，他在树下浇水。
xiǎo huá zài huā yuán lǐ zhǒng huā， tā zài shù xià jiāo shuǐ。
Xiaohua plants flowers in the garden, he waters under the tree.