Question words
Who, what, where, when, why, how and how many, where the answer goes.
A question word stands where the answer would go in the reply. The order doesn't change, and there is no 吗.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 谁 | shéi | who |
| 什么 | shénme | what |
| 哪儿, 哪里 | nǎr, nǎlǐ | where |
| 什么时候 | shénme shíhou | when |
| 为什么 | wèishénme | why |
| 怎么 | zěnme | how |
| 怎么样 | zěnmeyàng | how is it, what's it like |
| 哪 + measure word | nǎ | which |
| 几 + measure word | jǐ | how many (a few) |
| 多少 | duōshao | how many, how much |
- Tā shì shéi?Who is he?
- Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?What's your name?
- Nǐ qù nǎr?Where are you going?
- Nǐ shénme shíhou huílai?When will you come back?
- Nǐ wèishénme xué Hànyǔ?Why are you learning Chinese?
- Zhège zì zěnme dú?How do you read this character?
- Nǐ juéde zěnmeyàng?What do you think?
- Zhège duōshao qián?How much is this?
几 or 多少
几 jǐ expects a small number, under ten or so, and takes a measure word: 几个人. 多少 duōshao asks about any number, with or without one: 多少人, 多少钱.
Any and every
With 都 or 也, a question word means "any" or "every": 谁都知道 "everyone knows", and with a negative, "nothing, nobody".
- Wǒ shénme dōu bù xiǎng chī.I don't feel like eating anything.
- Shéi dōu kěyǐ cānjiā.Anyone can take part.
Cards from this guide
8 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Questions and negation cards.
Where does a question word go in a Chinese question?
Where the answer goes in the reply: 你去哪儿？ "I'm going to Beijing": 我去北京.
How do you ask "What's your name?"
你叫什么名字？
How do you ask "Why are you learning Chinese?"
你为什么学汉语？
How do you ask "How much is this?"
这个多少钱？
几 or 多少 to ask how many people are in a small family?
几: 你家有几个人？
How do you ask "How do you say this in Chinese?"
这个用汉语怎么说？
How do you say "I don't want to eat anything"?
我什么都不想吃。
Where does 什么时候 go in "When will you come back?"
Before the verb: 你什么时候回来？