v.
To halt movement and remain in a place. To live, stay, or reside; also used after verbs to mean "hold firmly" (e.g., remember, grab). A person (亻) becomes the master (主) of a place, settling down to live there.
住
Common Usage & Traps
- 住在北京 — live in Beijing (the safe, standard form)
- 住哪儿 — where do you live? (casual, 在 dropped)
- 住这儿 — live / stay right here
- 住家里 — live at home with family
- 记住 — memorize, keep in mind (住's second job)
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我住一个房子我住在这儿 / 我住在这个房子里English 'live in a house' keeps the article 'a' and drops the 在. Chinese 住 does not take the building itself as a bare object, and it needs 在 to glue onto the spot.
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我住在家我住在家里 / 我在家住家 alone as a bare place sounds clipped after 在. Natives add 里 or 边, because a house is a container you sit inside, not a surface you sit on.
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我住了北京三年我在北京住了三年The place has to sit before 住 with 在, and [dynamic particle 了1](/grammar/le1-completed-aspect-62) closes the deal. Wedging 了 between 住 and the city sounds broken.
Do you need 在 after 住, or can you just say 我住北京?
住在加地方 is the safe default; 住哪儿 skips 在 and nobody blinks.
Real people say 你住哪儿？, and northerners often say 我住北京 in casual chat. In writing, though, the specific place normally wants 在: 我住在北京。 The logic is simple: 住在 glues the verb onto one exact spot, while bare 住 just says you reside somewhere. With a question word like 哪儿 or 哪里, most people drop 在 entirely. With a real place name like 北京, dropping it is fine in a WeChat message and sloppy in an essay. One more trap: 住 does not eat the house itself as an object. You cannot say 我住一个房子. Say 我住在这儿 or 我住在这个房子里. The story line “住哪里？” (Where do you live?) is the exact same habit in action ── [《问问题》](/read/asking-questions-daily-life#s13).
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Standard statement | 我住在北京。 | 我住北京。(fine in casual talk, sloppy in writing) |
| Asking a friend | 你住哪儿？ / 你住在哪儿？ | 你住在哪里呀？(sounds like a form) |
| Talking about your place | 我住在这儿。 / 我住这个小房子。 | 我住一个房子。 |
Why does 住 mean 'locked in' in 记住 but 'live' on its own?
Same character, two jobs: alone it means 'live', after another verb it means 'locked in'.
As a main verb, 住 means you reside somewhere: 我住在上海。 Bolted onto another verb, it flips into a result: the action lands and stays put. So 记 (to record) plus 住 becomes 记住, meaning the information is stuck in your head for good. The same pattern gives 抓住 (grab and hold on), 站住 (stop dead in your tracks), and 停住 (come to a halt). Catch the shape of the sentence and you will never read 记住 as 'remember-live' again. If 住 follows a verb, nobody is talking about apartments.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Where you live | 我住在北京。 | 我记住北京。 |
| Memorizing a name | 记住他的名字。 | 住他的名字。 |
| Telling someone to halt | 站住！ | 站！(just means 'stand') |
Appears in Stories 4 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
Follow a traveler's unexpected hospital stay in China, where counting days and costs becomes practical learning. Practice numbers, dates, food prices, and simple descriptions of a doctor and room.
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休息两星期，七天 住 医院医生人很好，房间大漂亮。
Enjoy this simple story about a patient and a mysterious apple. It shows how a small act of kindness can make someone feel at home, and you'll learn key words for feelings and daily life.
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马家友生病了，在医院的三号房间 住 。
Ever noticed how similar Chinese words can be? This rhyme plays with place names and homophones, from schools to hotels, even throwing in Samsung's origin. A lighthearted way to boost your word power.
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书店有好书，饭店吃和 住 ，酒店没有酒。
Before you read, think about the questions you ask every day. This simple poem shows you how to ask age, price, time, and more in friendly Chinese.
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住 哪里？
Questions & Discussion 0 questions
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