Question Words (Who, What, Where) in Chinese 疑问词
yíwèncí
Question words in Chinese is 疑问词 (yí wèn cí).
Also searched for as: who what where, why, how, when, question words.
How do you ask about them? 12 essential question words words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Asking 'who', 'what' and 'where' in Chinese is simpler than in English: the question word sits in the same spot as the answer, so 你是谁？ (nǐ shì shéi) is literally 'you are who?'. This set covers 什么 (shén me), 哪儿 (nǎr), 为什么 (wèi shén me), 多少 (duō shao) and the yes-no particle 吗 (ma), the words you'll use to ask about people, places, times and prices.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 谁 | shéi | who |
| 什么 | shén me | what |
| 哪儿 | nǎr | where |
| 哪里 | nǎ lǐ | where |
| 什么时候 | shén me shí hou | when |
| 为什么 | wèi shén me | why |
| 怎么 | zěn me | how |
| 怎么样 | zěn me yàng | how is it? |
| 多少 | duō shao | how many; how much |
| 几 | jǐ | how many (small numbers) |
| 哪 | nǎ | which |
| 吗 | ma | question particle |
Usage tips
- 几 (jǐ) is for numbers you expect to be small, usually under ten, and needs a measure word, as in 几个人 (jǐ ge rén); 多少 (duō shao) works for any amount and is what you use for prices: 多少钱？ (duō shao qián).
- 哪儿 (nǎr) is typical of the north, especially Beijing, while 哪里 (nǎ lǐ) is more common in southern China, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia; both mean 'where'.
- 怎么 (zěn me) plus a verb asks how to do something, as in 怎么走？ (zěn me zǒu), 'how do I get there?', while 怎么样 (zěn me yàng) asks for an opinion or how something is going.
Common mistakes
- Adding 吗 (ma) to a question that already has a question word, as in 你去哪儿吗: the question word is enough, so say 你去哪儿？ (nǐ qù nǎr).
- Moving the question word to the front as in English, as in 什么你想吃: keep it where the answer goes and say 你想吃什么？ (nǐ xiǎng chī shén me).
Mini dialogue
- A你周末去哪儿了？Nǐ zhōu mò qù nǎr le?Where did you go at the weekend?
- B我去上海了。Wǒ qù Shàng hǎi le.I went to Shanghai.
- A跟谁一起去的？Gēn shéi yī qǐ qù de?Who did you go with?
- B跟我姐姐。我们坐火车去的。Gēn wǒ jiě jie. Wǒ men zuò huǒ chē qù de.With my older sister. We went by train.
- A上海怎么样？Shàng hǎi zěn me yàng?What was Shanghai like?
- B很好玩儿，我们玩了三天。Hěn hǎo wánr, wǒ men wán le sān tiān.Great fun, we spent three days there.
Example sentences
- 门口那个人是谁？Who is that person at the door?
- 你晚饭想吃什么？What do you want for dinner?
- 洗手间在哪儿？Where is the toilet?
- 你家在哪里？Where is your home?
- 你什么时候回家？When are you going home?
- 你为什么不高兴？Why are you unhappy?
- 去火车站怎么走？How do I get to the train station?
- 这家饭馆的菜怎么样？How is the food at this restaurant?
- 这件衣服多少钱？How much is this item of clothing?
- 你家有几口人？How many people are there in your family?
- 你是哪国人？Which country are you from?
- 你明天有空吗？Are you free tomorrow?
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Question words speaking island has 8 everyday questions about question words to prepare your own answers to.