{"id":182201,"date":"2017-09-04T18:00:37","date_gmt":"2017-09-04T22:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/chinese-question-words\/"},"modified":"2025-02-25T08:59:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T13:59:54","slug":"chinese-question-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/chinese-question-words\/","title":{"rendered":"16 Chinese Question Words You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You probably already know that if you want to ask yes-no questions in Chinese, you can add<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/chinese-ma\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong> \u5417 <\/strong><em>(ma)<\/em><\/a> to the end of your sentences. But there are more question words to use\u2014and that&#8217;s what we&#8217;ll be talking about here.<\/p>\n<p>In this post, <strong>you&#8217;ll learn all the words you need to ask Chinese questions<\/strong>\u2014when, where, how and everything in between.<\/p>\n<p>[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>1. \u8c01 <em>(<\/em><em>sh<\/em><em>\u00e9<\/em><em>i)<\/em> \u2014 Who<\/h2>\n<p>The two most common and simplest structures for using this question word are:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Subject + \u662f +\u8c01?\u00a0<\/strong>(To ask a question like, &#8220;who is that?&#8221; or &#8220;who is he\/she?&#8221;)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u8c01 + Verb?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u8c01\u53bb\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(sh\u00e9i q\u00f9?) <\/em>\u2014 Who is going?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u5979\u662f\u8c01\uff1f<\/strong><em> (t\u0101 sh\u00ec sh<\/em><em>\u00e9<\/em><em>i?) <\/em>\u2014 Who is she?<em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u8c01\u6765\u53c2\u52a0\u805a\u4f1a\uff1f<\/strong><em> (sh\u00e9i l\u00e1i c\u0101n ji\u0101 j\u00f9 hu\u00ec?)<\/em> \u2014 Who is coming to the party?<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s always good to be able to ask about new people, especially when you&#8217;re <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/chinese-for-travel-phrases\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">traveling in China<\/a> and meeting new people all the time.<\/p>\n<p>The answer to \u5979\u662f\u8c01 follows the same structure as the question. For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u5979\u662f\u5c0f\u4e91\u3002<\/strong><em> (t\u0101 sh\u00ec xi<\/em><em>\u01ce<\/em><em>o y\u00fan.)<\/em> \u2014 She is Xiao Yun.<\/p>\n<p>Hearing this basic question-and-answer sentence structure in use will help you to learn it better. For example, you can use an immersion program like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/chinese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU<\/a> to see how native Chinese speakers ask (and answer) questions. <span data-sheets-root=\"1\"><p><strong>FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<p>You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/fluentu-learn-language-videos\/id917892175\">the iOS app<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.fluentflix.fluentu&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US\">Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><i><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/NativeAd-Chinese.jpg\" alt=\"FluentU Ad\" \/>\r\n  <p style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n    <button class=\"btn-blue\" style=\"border: none;font-size: 18px;text-align: center;padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;cursor: pointer\">\r\n      Try FluentU for FREE!\r\n    <\/button>\r\n  <\/p>\r\n<\/a>\r\n<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>2. \u4ec0\u4e48 <em>(<\/em><em>sh\u00e9n me)<\/em> \u2014 What<\/h2>\n<p>\u4ec0\u4e48 follows this formula:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Subject + Verb + \u4ec0\u4e48 (+ Object)?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This word can be used for objects, abstract words, actions, etc.<\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u8fd9\u662f\u4ec0\u4e48\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(zh\u00e8 sh\u00ec sh\u00e9n me?) <\/em>\u2014\u00a0What is this?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u559c\u6b22\u5403\u4ec0\u4e48\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(n\u01d0 x\u01d0 hu\u0101n ch\u012b sh\u00e9n me?)<\/em> \u2014 What do you like to eat?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u5f00\u4ec0\u4e48\u8f66\uff1f<\/strong><em> (n\u01d0 k\u0101i sh\u00e9n me ch\u0113?)<\/em> \u2014 What car do you drive?<\/p>\n<h2>3. \u54ea\u91cc <em>(<\/em><em>n\u01ce l<\/em><em>\u01d0<\/em><em>)<\/em> \/ \u54ea\u513f <em>(n\u01cer) <\/em>\u2014 Where<\/h2>\n<p>To ask where something is, follow this structure:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Subject + \u5728 + \u54ea\u91cc \/ \u54ea\u513f\uff1f<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The difference between the two variations is that \u54ea\u513f is used in northern China, especially Beijing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u5728\u54ea\u513f\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(n\u01d0 z\u00e0i <\/em><em>n\u01cer?)<\/em><em>\u00a0<\/em>\u2014\u00a0Where are you?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u7684\u54e5\u54e5\u5728\u54ea\u91cc\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(n\u01d0 de g\u0113 ge z\u00e0i n\u01ce l\u01d0?)<\/em> \u2014 Where is your older brother?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u628a\u6211\u7684\u624b\u673a\u653e\u5728\u54ea\u513f\u4e86\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(n\u01d0 b\u01ce w\u01d2 de sh\u01d2u j\u012b f\u00e0ng z\u00e0i n\u01cer le?)<\/em> \u2014 Where did you put my phone?<\/p>\n<h2>4. \u54ea\u4e2a <em>(n\u01ce ge) <\/em>\u2014 Which<\/h2>\n<p>This is the question word that you&#8217;ll hear a lot when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/useful-mandarin-chinese-phrases-shopping-vocabulary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shopping in China<\/a>, to which you&#8217;ll commonly answer with &#8220;\u8fd9\u4e2a <em>(zh\u00e8 ge)<\/em> \u2014 this&#8221; or &#8220;\u90a3\u4e2a <em>(n\u00e0 g\u00e8)<\/em> \u2014 that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The typical topic structure is:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Subject + Verb\uff0b\u54ea\u4e2a (+ Object)?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u8981\u54ea\u4e2a\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(n\u01d0 y\u00e0o n\u01ce ge?)<\/em> \u2014 Which do you want?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u4f4f\u5728\u4e2d\u56fd\u7684\u54ea\u4e2a\u57ce\u5e02?<\/strong> <em>(n\u01d0 zh\u00f9 z\u00e0i zh\u014dng gu\u00f3 de n\u01ce ge ch\u00e9ng sh\u00ec?)<\/em> \u2014 Which Chinese city do you live in?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u6700\u559c\u6b22\u54ea\u4e2a\u5b63\u8282\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(n\u01d0 zu\u00ec x\u01d0 hu\u0101n n\u01ce ge j\u00ec ji\u00e9?)<\/em> \u2014 Which season is your favorite?<\/p>\n<h2>5. \u4ec0\u4e48\u65f6\u5019 <em>(sh<\/em><em>\u00e9<\/em><em>n me sh\u00ed h\u00f2u) <\/em>\u2014 When<\/h2>\n<p>The basic structure for using \u4ec0\u4e48\u65f6\u5019 is as follows:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong> Subject + \u4ec0\u4e48\u65f6\u5019 + Verb?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u4ec0\u4e48\u65f6\u5019\u56de\u5bb6\uff1f<\/strong><em> (n\u01d0 sh\u00e9n me sh\u00ed h\u00f2u hu\u00ed ji\u0101?)<\/em> \u2014 When are you coming home?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4ed6\u4ec0\u4e48\u65f6\u5019\u4f1a\u8bf4\u5b8c\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(t\u0101 sh\u00e9n me sh\u00ed h\u00f2u hu\u00ec shu\u014d w\u00e1n?)<\/em> \u2014 When will he stop talking?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u5979\u4ec0\u4e48\u65f6\u5019\u4f1a\u56de\u7f8e\u56fd\uff1f<\/strong><em> (t\u0101 sh\u00e9n me sh\u00ed h\u00f2u hu\u00ec hu\u00ed m\u011bi gu\u00f3?)<\/em> \u2014 When will she come back to America?<\/p>\n<h2>6. \u4e3a\u4ec0\u4e48<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><em>(w\u00e8i sh<\/em><em>\u00e9<\/em><em>n me)<\/em> \u2014 Why<\/h2>\n<p>This question word can be used on its own to create the simple question &#8220;why&#8221; or used in a more complex structure like:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Subject + \u4e3a\u4ec0\u4e48 + Verb?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u4e3a stands for the word &#8220;for,&#8221; and in this combination, the English equivalent of &#8220;what for?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u4e3a\u4ec0\u4e48\u5438\u70df\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(n\u01d0 w\u00e8i sh\u00e9n me x\u012b y\u0101n?)<\/em> \u2014 Why do you smoke?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u4e3a\u4ec0\u4e48\u5b66\u4e2d\u6587\uff1f<\/strong><em> (n\u01d0 w\u00e8i sh\u00e9n me xu\u00e9 zh\u014dng w\u00e9n?)<\/em> \u2014 Why do you study Chinese?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4ed6\u4e3a\u4ec0\u4e48\u642c\u5bb6\u4e86\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(t\u0101 w\u00e8i sh\u00e9 me b\u0101n ji\u0101 le?)<\/em> \u2014 Why did he move away?<\/p>\n<h2>7. \u600e\u4e48 <em>(z\u011bn me)<\/em> \u2014 How<\/h2>\n<p>This question word expresses a surprise in the face of an event or situation, and can also express disagreement.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><strong>Subject + \u600e\u4e48 + Verb + Object?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u600e\u4e48\u4e0d\u53bb\u4e0a\u8bfe\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(n\u01d0 z\u011bn me b\u00fa q\u00f9 sh\u00e0ng k\u00e8?)<\/em> \u2014 How can you not go to class?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u662f\u600e\u4e48\u5b66\u4e2d\u6587\u7684\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(n\u01d0 sh\u00ec z\u011bn me xu\u00e9 zh\u014dng w\u00e9n de?)<\/em> \u2014 How do you learn Chinese?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u6211\u5e94\u8be5\u600e\u4e48\u505a\u8fd9\u4e2a\u4f5c\u4e1a\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(w\u01d2\u00a0 y\u012bng g\u0101i z\u011bn me zu\u00f2 zh\u00e8 ge zu\u00f2 y\u00e8?)<\/em> \u2014 How should I do this homework\/assignment?<\/p>\n<h2>8. \u591a\u5c11 <em>(du\u014d sh\u01ceo)<\/em> \u2014 How many (&gt;10)<\/h2>\n<p>This question word is used when asking about a certain amount higher than ten.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u591a\u5c11 + Object?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u591a\u5c11\u94b1\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(du\u014d sh\u01ceo qi\u00e1n?)<\/em> \u2014 How much money? \/ How much does it cost?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u8fd9\u4e2a\u623f\u95f4\u6709\u591a\u5c11\u4eba\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(z<\/em><em>h\u00e8 ge f\u00e1ng ji\u0101n y\u01d2u du\u014d sh\u01ceo r\u00e9n?) <\/em>\u2014\u00a0How many people are there in this room?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u4f4f\u5728\u8fd9\u91cc\u4f4f\u4e86\u591a\u5c11\u5e74\u4e86\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(n\u01d0 zh\u00f9 z\u00e0i zh\u00e8 l\u01d0 zh\u00f9 le du\u014d sh\u01ceo ni\u00e1n le?)<\/em> \u2014 How many years have you been living here?<\/p>\n<h2>9. \u51e0 <em>(j\u01d0)<\/em> \u2014 How many (&lt;10)<\/h2>\n<p>This question word is used only for a small number of objects under ten.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u51e0 + Measure Word + Object?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you want to ask a question about a bigger amount of items, you&#8217;ll use \u591a\u5c11.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u4f1a\u8bf4\u51e0\u95e8\u8bed\u8a00\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(n\u01d0 hu\u00ec shu\u014d j\u01d0 m\u00e9n y\u01d4 y\u00e1n?)<\/em> \u2014 How many languages can you speak?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u53bb\u8fc7\u51e0\u4e2a\u56fd\u5bb6\uff1f<\/strong><em> (n\u01d0 q\u00f9 gu\u00f2 j\u01d0 g\u00e8 gu\u00f3 ji\u0101?)<\/em> \u2014 How many countries have you been to?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u5bb6\u91cc\u6709\u51e0\u4e2a\u4eba\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(n\u01d0 ji\u0101 li y\u01d2u j\u01d0 g\u00e8 r\u00e9n?)<\/em> \u2014 How many people are in your family?<\/p>\n<h2>10. \u8c01\u7684 <em>(sh\u00e9i de)<\/em> \u2014 Whose<\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u7684<\/strong> is the particle that expresses possession, so adding it after <strong>\u8c01<\/strong>\u2014which we learned means &#8220;who&#8221;\u2014turns it into <strong>\u8c01\u7684<\/strong> (whose).<\/p>\n<p>When asking whose of something, \u8c01\u7684 usually comes before the noun. When there&#8217;s no specific noun\u2014such as in the question &#8220;Whose is this?&#8221;\u2014it comes at the end of the sentence. So the formula would be:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u8c01\u7684 + Noun\/Object<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u8fd9\u662f\u8c01\u7684\uff1f<\/strong><em> (zh\u00e8 sh\u00ec sh\u00e9i de?)<\/em> \u2014 Whose is this?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u8fd9\u662f\u8c01\u7684\u4e66\uff1f<\/strong><em> (zh\u00e8 sh\u00ec sh\u00e9i de sh\u016b?)<\/em> \u2014 Whose book is this?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u90a3\u662f\u8c01\u7684\u624b\u673a\u5728\u684c\u5b50\u4e0a\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(n\u00e0 sh\u00ec sh\u00e9i de sh\u01d2u j\u012b z\u00e0i zhu\u014d zi sh\u00e0ng?)<\/em> \u2014 Whose phone is on the table?<\/p>\n<h2>11. \u591a\u4e45<em>\u00a0(du\u014d ji\u01d4)<\/em> \u2014 How long (for short time periods)<\/h2>\n<p>\u591a\u4e45 is used to ask how long something has been happening for, but is normally only used when the answer is expected to be relatively short. &#8220;Short&#8221; will depend on the context of the question, but it&#8217;s generally when someone expects that it hasn&#8217;t been going on very long.<\/p>\n<p>The formula is:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Subject + Verb + (\u4e86 if in past tense) + \u591a\u4e45\uff1f<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If the action is still happening, you&#8217;d add another \u4e86 at the end of \u591a\u4e45:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Subject + Verb + \u4e86 + \u591a\u4e45 + \u4e86\uff1f<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u7b49\u4e86\u591a\u4e45\uff1f<\/strong><em> (n\u01d0 d\u011bng le du\u014d ji\u01d4?)<\/em> \u2014 How long did you wait?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u5b66\u4e2d\u6587\u5b66\u4e86\u591a\u4e45\u4e86\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(n\u01d0 xu\u00e9 zh\u014dng w\u00e9n xu\u00e9 le du\u014d ji\u01d4 le?)<\/em> \u2014 How long have you been studying Chinese?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u6253\u7b97\u5728\u4e2d\u56fd\u751f\u6d3b\u591a\u4e45\uff1f<\/strong><em> (n\u01d0 d\u01ce su\u00e0n z\u00e0i zh\u014dng gu\u00f3 sh\u0113ng hu\u00f3 du\u014d ji\u01d4?)<\/em> \u2014 How long do you plan to live in China?<\/p>\n<h2>12. \u591a\u957f\u65f6\u95f4 <em>(du\u014d ch\u00e1ng sh\u00ed ji\u0101n)\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 How long (for long time periods)<\/h2>\n<p>\u591a\u957f\u65f6\u95f4 also means &#8220;how long&#8221; but is used when the answer is expected to be a longer time. The formulas are the same as with \u591a\u4e45:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Subject + Verb + (\u4e86 if in past tense) + \u591a\u957f\u65f6\u95f4\uff1f<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Subject + Verb + \u4e86 + \u591a\u957f\u65f6\u95f4 + \u4e86\uff1f<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u5230\u5317\u4eac\u9700\u8981\u591a\u957f\u65f6\u95f4\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(d\u00e0o b\u011bi j\u012bng x\u016b y\u00e0o du\u014d ch\u00e1ng sh\u00ed ji\u0101n?)<\/em> \u2014 How long does it take to get to Beijing?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u5728\u7f8e\u56fd\u4f4f\u4e86\u591a\u957f\u65f6\u95f4\u4e86\uff1f<\/strong><em> (n\u01d0 z\u00e0i m\u011bi gu\u00f3 zh\u00f9 le du\u014d ch\u00e1ng sh\u00ed ji\u0101n le?)<\/em> \u2014 How long have you lived in the United States?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u7684\u822a\u73ed\u98de\u4e86\u591a\u957f\u65f6\u95f4\uff1f<\/strong><em> (n\u01d0 de h\u00e1ng b\u0101n f\u0113i le du\u014d ch\u00e1ng sh\u00ed ji\u0101n?)<\/em> \u2014 How long was your flight?<\/p>\n<h2>13. \u51e0\u70b9 <em>(j\u01d0 di\u01cen)<\/em> \u2014 What time is it?<\/h2>\n<p>\u51e0\u70b9 is used to ask for a specific time. The formula is:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Subject + \u51e0\u70b9\u00a0<\/strong><strong>+ Verb?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u51e0\u70b9\u8d77\u5e8a\uff1f<\/strong><em> (n\u01d0 j\u01d0 di\u01cen q\u01d0 chu\u00e1ng?)<\/em> \u2014 What time do you get up?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u706b\u8f66\u51e0\u70b9\u5230\uff1f<\/strong><em> (hu\u01d2 ch\u0113 j\u01d0 di\u01cen d\u00e0o?)<\/em> \u2014 What time does the train arrive?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f1a\u8bae\u51e0\u70b9\u5f00\u59cb\uff1f<\/strong><em> (hu\u00ec y\u00ec j\u01d0 di\u01cen k\u0101i sh\u01d0?)<\/em> \u2014 What time does the meeting start?<\/p>\n<p>If you want to ask what time it is right now, you can just say:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u51e0\u70b9\u4e86\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(j\u01d0 di\u01cen le?) <\/em>\u2014 What time is it?<\/p>\n<h2>14. \u4ec0\u4e48\u6837\u7684<em>\u00a0(sh\u00e9n me y\u00e0ng de)<\/em> \u2014 What kind of<\/h2>\n<p>\u4ec0\u4e48\u6837\u7684 is used to ask about the type or kind of something. The formula used is:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Subject + Verb + \u4ec0\u4e48\u6837\u7684 + Noun?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u559c\u6b22\u4ec0\u4e48\u6837\u7684\u97f3\u4e50\uff1f<\/strong><em> (n\u01d0 x\u01d0 hu\u0101n sh\u00e9n me y\u00e0ng de y\u012bn yu\u00e8?)<\/em> \u2014 What kind of music do you like?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u60f3\u5403\u4ec0\u4e48\u6837\u7684\u83dc\uff1f<\/strong><em> (n\u01d0 xi\u01ceng ch\u012b sh\u00e9n me y\u00e0ng de c\u00e0i?)<\/em> \u2014 What kind of food do you want to eat?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4ed6\u662f\u4ec0\u4e48\u6837\u7684\u4eba\uff1f<\/strong><em> (t\u0101 sh\u00ec sh\u00e9n me y\u00e0ng de r\u00e9n?)<\/em> \u2014 What kind of person is he?<\/p>\n<h2>15. \u600e\u4e48\u6837 <em>(z\u011bn me y\u00e0ng)<\/em> \u2014 How about<\/h2>\n<p>\u600e\u4e48\u6837 comes at the end of questions asking about the condition or state of something or when asking for someone&#8217;s opinion. It&#8217;s commonly used when making suggestions. The formula is:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Subject + Verb + Object + \u600e\u4e48\u6837?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u8fd9\u672c\u4e66\u600e\u4e48\u6837\uff1f<\/strong><em> (zh\u00e8 b\u011bn sh\u016b z\u011bn me y\u00e0ng?)<\/em> \u2014 How is this book? \/ What do you think of this book?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u6628\u5929\u8003\u8bd5\u600e\u4e48\u6837\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(n\u01d0 zu\u00f3 ti\u0101n k\u01ceo sh\u00ec z\u011bn me y\u00e0ng?)<\/em> \u2014 How was your exam yesterday?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u660e\u5929\u600e\u4e48\u6837\uff1f<\/strong><em> (m\u00edng ti\u0101n z\u011bn me y\u00e0ng?)<\/em> \u2014 How about tomorrow?<\/p>\n<h2>16. \u8fd8\u662f<em>\u00a0(h\u00e1i sh\u00ec)<\/em> \u2014 Or<\/h2>\n<p>\u8fd8\u662f is a connective word that means &#8220;or.&#8221; It gives the option between two or more choices. But it&#8217;s important to know that \u8fd8\u662f can&#8217;t be used in statements (such as &#8220;I&#8217;ll go on Friday\u00a0<strong>or<\/strong> Saturday&#8221;)\u2014for those we use \u6216\u8005 <em>(hu\u00f2 zh\u011b)<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the formula for using \u8fd8\u662f:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Option 1 + \u8fd8\u662f + Option 2?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4ed6\u662f\u5b66\u751f\u8fd8\u662f\u8001\u5e08\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(t\u0101 sh\u00ec xu\u00e9 sh\u0113ng h\u00e1i sh\u00ec l\u01ceo sh\u012b?)<\/em> \u2014 Is he a student or a teacher?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u4f60\u8981\u8336\u8fd8\u662f\u5496\u5561\uff1f<\/strong> <em>(n\u01d0 y\u00e0o ch\u00e1 h\u00e1i sh\u00ec k\u0101 f\u0113i?)<\/em> \u2014 Do you want tea or coffee?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>\u6211\u4eec\u4eca\u5929\u53bb\uff0c\u8fd8\u662f\u660e\u5929\u53bb\uff1f<\/strong><em> (w\u01d2 men j\u012bn ti\u0101n q\u00f9, h\u00e1i sh\u00ec m\u00edng ti\u0101n q\u00f9?)<\/em> \u2014 Should we go today or tomorrow?<\/p>\n<h2>Chinese Question Words Practice Quiz<\/h2>\n<p>Fill in the blanks with the correct Chinese question word, then check your answers below.<\/p>\n<p>1. <strong>\u4ed6\u7684\u5973\u670b\u53cb\u662f___\uff1f<\/strong><em>(t\u0101 de n\u01da p\u00e9ng y\u01d2u sh\u00ec ___?)<\/em> \u2014 Who is his girlfriend?<\/p>\n<p>2. <strong>\u4f60\u5728\u627e___\u4e1c\u897f\uff1f<\/strong><em>(n\u01d0 z\u00e0i zh\u01ceo ___ d\u014dng x\u012b?)<\/em> \u2014 What are you looking for?<\/p>\n<p>3. <strong>\u4ed6\u4eec\u4f4f\u5728___\uff1f<\/strong><em>(t\u0101 men zh\u00f9 z\u00e0i ___?)<\/em> \u2014 Where do they live?<\/p>\n<p>4. <strong>\u4f60\u60f3\u4e70___\u624b\u673a\uff1f<\/strong><em>(n\u01d0 xi\u01ceng m\u01cei ___ sh\u01d2u j\u012b?)<\/em> \u2014 Which phone do you want to buy?<\/p>\n<p>5. <strong>\u4f60___\u53bb\u4e0a\u73ed\uff1f<\/strong><em>(n\u01d0 ___ q\u00f9 sh\u00e0ng b\u0101n?)<\/em> \u2014 When do you go to work?<\/p>\n<p>6. <strong>\u4f60___\u8fdf\u5230\u4e86\uff1f<\/strong><em>(n\u01d0 ___ ch\u00ed d\u00e0o le?)<\/em> \u2014 Why are you late?<\/p>\n<p>7. <strong>\u4f60___\u5230\u5b66\u6821\u7684\uff1f<\/strong><em>(n\u01d0 ___ d\u00e0o xu\u00e9 xi\u00e0o de?)<\/em> \u2014 How did you get to school?<\/p>\n<p>8. <strong>\u8fd9\u4ef6\u8863\u670d___\u94b1\uff1f<\/strong><em>(zh\u00e8 ji\u00e0n y\u012b fu ___ qi\u00e1n?)<\/em> \u2014 How much is this clothing?<\/p>\n<p>9. <strong>\u4f60\u6709___\u4e2a\u5144\u5f1f\u59d0\u59b9\uff1f<\/strong><em>(n\u01d0 y\u01d2u ___ g\u00e8 xi\u014dng d\u00ec ji\u011b m\u00e8i?)<\/em> \u2014 How many siblings do you have?<\/p>\n<p>10. <strong>\u8fd9\u662f___\u94b1\u5305\uff1f<\/strong><em>(zh\u00e8 sh\u00ec ___ qi\u00e1n b\u0101o?)<\/em> \u2014 Whose wallet is this?<\/p>\n<p>11. <strong>\u4f60\u5728\u4e2d\u56fd\u5f85\u4e86___\uff1f<\/strong><em>(n\u01d0 z\u00e0i zh\u014dng gu\u00f3 d\u0101i le ___?)<\/em> \u2014 How long did you stay in China?<\/p>\n<p>12. <strong>\u8fd9\u573a\u4f1a\u8bae\u4f1a\u6301\u7eed___\uff1f<\/strong><em>(zh\u00e8 ch\u01ceng hu\u00ec y\u00ec hu\u00ec ch\u00ed x\u00f9 ___?)<\/em> \u2014 How long will this meeting last?<\/p>\n<p>13. <strong>\u73b0\u5728___\u4e86\uff1f<\/strong><em>(xi\u00e0n z\u00e0i ___ le?)<\/em> \u2014 What time is it now?<\/p>\n<p>14. <strong>\u4f60\u60f3\u8981___\u793c\u7269\uff1f<\/strong><em>(n\u01d0 xi\u01ceng y\u00e0o ___ l\u01d0 w\u00f9?)<\/em> \u2014 What kind of gift do you want?<\/p>\n<p>15. <strong>\u4eca\u5929\u5929\u6c14___\uff1f<\/strong><em>(j\u012bn ti\u0101n ti\u0101n q\u00ec ___?)<\/em> \u2014 How\u2019s the weather today?<\/p>\n<p>16. <strong>\u4f60\u60f3\u559d\u8336___\u5496\u5561\uff1f<\/strong><em>(n\u01d0 xi\u01ceng h\u0113 ch\u00e1 ___ k\u0101 f\u0113i?)<\/em> \u2014 Do you want tea or coffee?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Answer key:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1. <strong>\u8c01<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>2. <strong>\u4ec0\u4e48<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>3. <strong>\u54ea\u91cc<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>4. <strong>\u54ea\u4e2a<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>5. <strong>\u4ec0\u4e48\u65f6\u5019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>6. <strong>\u4e3a\u4ec0\u4e48<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>7. <strong>\u600e\u4e48<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>8. <strong>\u591a\u5c11<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>9. <strong>\u51e0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>10. <strong>\u8c01\u7684<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>11. <strong>\u591a\u957f\u65f6\u95f4<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>12. <strong>\u591a\u4e45<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>13. <strong>\u51e0\u70b9<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>14. <strong>\u4ec0\u4e48\u6837\u7684<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>15. <strong>\u600e\u4e48\u6837<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>16. <strong>\u8fd8\u662f<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Learning this unique language is not as hard as it might seem. Always remember that we Chinese learners are in this together. When unsure about something, ask, ask, ask away!<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span data-sheets-root=\"1\"><h2>And One More Thing...<\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\nIf you want to continue learning Chinese with interactive and authentic Chinese content, <a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">then you'll love FluentU<\/a>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU naturally eases you into learning Chinese language. Native Chinese content comes within reach, and you'll learn Chinese as it's spoken in real life.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU has a wide range of contemporary videos\u2014like dramas, TV shows, commercials and music videos.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_12840\" style=\"width: 330px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12840\" class=\" wp-image-12840 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chinese-5.png\" alt=\"learn-mandarin-chinese-with-videos\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-12840\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/chinese\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU App Browse Screen<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>\r\n<strong>FluentU brings these native Chinese videos within reach via interactive captions.<\/strong> You can tap on any word to instantly look it up. All words have carefully written definitions and examples that will help you understand how a word is used. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_12843\" style=\"width: 330px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12843\" class=\"wp-image-12843 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chinese-6.png\" alt=\"learn-mandarin-chinese-with-subtitled-song-and-music-videos\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-12843\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/chinese\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Interactive Transcripts on FluentU<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU's <strong>Learn Mode<\/strong> turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you're learning.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_12844\" style=\"width: 330px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12844\" class=\"wp-image-12844 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chinese-7.png\" alt=\"practice-mandarin-chinese-with-adaptive-quizzes\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-12844\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/chinese\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU Has Quizzes for Every Video<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>\r\nThe best part is that FluentU always keeps track of your vocabulary. It customizes quizzes to focus on areas that need attention and reminds you when it\u2019s time to review what you\u2019ve learned. <strong> You have a 100% personalized experience. <\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nStart using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. <a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p> <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You probably already know that if you want to ask yes-no questions in Chinese, you can add \u5417 (ma) to the end of your sentences. But there are more question&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":792,"featured_media":252274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"16 Chinese Question Words You Need to Know | FluentU Chinese Blog","description":"Chinese question words are essential to know. Click here to learn how to ask questions in Chinese using useful words like \u4ec0\u4e48, \u591a\u5c11, \u600e\u4e48\u6837 and more. Get plenty of practice with tons of example sentences and hear native audio pronunciations. Plus, read helpful usage notes so you understand their grammar rules."},"footnotes":""},"categories":[724,725],"tags":[],"coauthors":[828],"class_list":["post-182201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chinese","category-chinese-vocabulary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/792"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=182201"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":246334,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182201\/revisions\/246334"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/252274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=182201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=182201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=182201"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=182201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}