How to Say How in Chinese?

How in Chinese is 怎么 Zěnme, 怎样 Zěnyàng / 怎么样 Zěnme Yàng and 如何 Rúhé. The first three terms have a secondary meaning of Why and What in Mandarin.

To use What or How in Chinese depends on how you want to translate into English sentences. Eg. “What to do?” and “How to Do?” Arguably, there are some differences between “What to do?” and “How to Do?” if you want to go into detail.

“What to do?” seeks opinions and suggestions to a matter whereas “How to Do?” is the method used to get things done. In the Chinese language, we also have two ways to say it as precisely as the English questions using the same Chinese phrase 怎么 Zěnme.

*In this post, you might see cross-references of using the other Chinese Interrogative terms, What and Why in English for the Chinese phrases above.

How to … in Chinese? 怎么 Zěnme + Verb

One great way of asking how to do something in Mandarin is to use the formula below. Then, you can already form many short questions with it. The possibilities are endless with as many Chinese Verbs as you know.

Developing Longer How in Chinese Questions

However, just by using three or four Chinese words like 怎么做 Zěn me zuò may not sound too polite at times when posing a question to someone that you do not know. You can use the short 3-word sentence to your friends or someone with whom you know well. Let’s expand some sentence above to a more standard Chinese phrase that we can use in any circumstances.

Polite Way of Asking How in Chinese

请问 Qǐngwèn / 请问您 Qǐngwèn nín or 请问你 Qǐngwèn nǐ is a polite way of asking someone a question which means “May I ask you something?”

You – 您 Nín is a formal address of 你 Nǐ in the Chinese Pronouns. Always place 请问 / 请问您 at the start of a question. Learning to use How in Chinese is also particularly useful when Asking for Directions in Chinese.

When Why Becomes How in Chinese – 怎么 + 的 / 了

One noteworthy point from chinese.stackexchange.com when using 怎么 Zěnme with 的 De and 了 Le placed at the end of the sentences, they change the meaning in English from How to Why. Don’t believe? Read the examples below in pair.

• How: Method
• Why: Reason

Note that the English tenses used above are all in the past. 的 De and 了 Le at the end of the interrogative statements in such contexts suggest that the events have taken place.

How in Chinese – Present/Future Tense:

To use the same Chinese sentences in the present or future tense, we can add 要 Yào (want), 想 Xiǎng (think) or 想要 Xiǎng yào (wish/want) in a question and remove 的 De. Between the three, 要 Yào is the most assertive whereas 想 Xiǎng expresses the mellowest version of “want”.

Why in Chinese – Present/Future Tense:

Unfortunately, 怎么 Zěnme cannot fit into the contextual sentence of present or future with the examples above with why in Chinese. Use 为什么 Wèishéme instead.

Bear in mind that such a sentence construction with 为什么 can now mean past, present or future, depending on the timeline of the event during the conversation when 了 Le is omitted in the sentence. You can add a 呢 Ne at the end of the sentence to affirm the interrogation but not mandatory.

How + Able to … in Chinese? 怎么能够 Zěnme Nénggòu

怎么能够 Zěnme nénggòu means “How to be able to” in Chinese. 能够 nénggòu refers to the ability to perform a task. 够 Gòu means “qualified” or “enough”.

The equivalent phrase to 怎么能够 is 怎么可以 Zěnme kěyǐ. 可以 kěyǐ means “can”. 能够 possesses a stronger ability than 可以. When you can do something (可以) does not imply that you are qualified (能够) or able to do something well.

Personally, I feel that many Chinese sentences contain underlying meaning and are not as explicit as the English sentences. The first two sentences below are not seeking a solution or method to a question. Instead, it may hint at the lack of ability to perform a task.

How Can/Could … in Chinese? 怎么能 Zěnme Néng

When expressing some forms of emotions or disapproval, one can use 怎么能 Zěnme néng which means How can/could + Subject Pronoun in Chinese.

How in Chinese – 怎样 Zěnyàng / 怎么样 Zěnme Yàng

怎样 Zěnyàng is the short form of 怎么样 Zěnme yàng. 怎样 / 怎么样 has some similarities with 怎么 Zěnme when making How in Chinese sentences.

When seeking an opinion on a subject, 怎样 / 怎么样 is a more suitable phrase to use and commonly placed at the beginning of the sentence.

It is also common to add 才 Cái after 怎么, 怎样 / 怎么样 to further emphasise on the question asked, especially the combination 怎样才能 +Information.

How to Show Care and Concern in Chinese? 怎样 / 怎么样

One difference is that 怎么 Zěnme cannot replace 怎样 / 怎么样 when you ask someone about a situation or when showing care and concern.

How Should I … in Chinese? 应该 + 怎么 / 怎样 / 怎么样

Questions with “How should I” in Chinese is prevailing when consulting advice. We use 应该 Yīnggāi which denotes “should” and will come before 怎么, 怎样 / 怎么样 and 如何.

Formal How in Chinese – 如何 Rúhé

如何 Rúhé is a formal way of saying How in Chinese and can replace most 怎么, 怎样, 怎么样 in a grammatical sense. You will see 如何 Rúhé frequently on a title of a book, on the newspaper, on the internet heading, poster etc.

Since the word appears so regularly, it makes sense to understand this term better and how to use it, though not used as frequently in casual conversation compared to all the above.

Check out the other six W Chinese Interrogative Pronouns.

How to Say Why in Chinese?

Three Ways to Express Why in Chinese

Why in Chinese has three ways to express it – 为什么 Wèi shén me, 为何 Wèihé and 何必 Hébì. The more common one frequently heard is 为什么 Wèishéme. 什 can be pronounced as shé here instead of the typical 什么 shénme spelt with an “n”.

为何 Wèihé is a traditional and literary way of asking Why in Mandarin. Moreover, it is also more formal (for writing), so it is not used often in conversation.

Having said that, personally, I do use this term 为何 Wèihé rather frequently. I feel it is less invasive and sound more polite as compared to 为什么 Wèi shén me when asking someone why in Mandarin.

何必 Hébì also means Why in Chinese. However, we do not say it the same way as 为什么 Wèi shén me and 为何 Wèihé since it has a different connotation. We use this to contrast a statement that the other person makes as an expression to imply a lack of necessity in having a particular emotion, thought or action.

Why in Chinese – 为什么 Wèishéme

The below illustrations have two sentences with the same question and Chinese words. I rephrase the Chinese word order so that you can read for yourself that it is flexible to construct Chinese Interrogative Questions. 

*为什么 Wèi Shén Me Placement: Either at the start of a sentence or after a Subject Pronoun (I, he, she, we, they)

Negative Interrogative Sentences: Why Not? 为什么不 Wèishéme Bù

Common Why Negation Questions

Here is a table of some of the more common way of saying “Why not?” in Chinese. 不 Bù means “not” here and suggests a negative expression relating to verbs and adjectives.

If you remove the 不 Bù in the Chinese phrases below, it will become a positive statement that goes something like “Why is it ok? / Why can?”

But when people ask a Why in Chinese question, they want to know the reason for a negative remark, which makes sense why it is essential to learn how to ask “Why not + Verb/Adjective” questions.

Below are some sentences between two people. One would give a reason. The other party would reply with a negative question – Why not …? 为什么不 …？Wèishéme bù …?

One tip for choosing your interrogative reply is to respond according to the verb used where possible.

Why Not 为什么不 / 不能 / 不可以 + VERB (+ 呢 Ne)

We will use other Chinese Verbs here to form negative questions.

呢 Ne is an affirmative word placed at the end of the sentence to reinforce the question asked. At the same time, it might sound more gentle and subtle when someone asks a Why in Chinese question with 呢 Ne. It is also correct if you do not have 呢 Ne at the end of the sentences in this post.

Generally, 呢 Ne sounds less authoritarian when asking Why questions. On the other hand, it might not always be the case as depending on the type of tone used when asking a question.

*Underlined words = Verbs

Why Not 为什么不 + ADJECTIVE (+ 呢 Ne)

Now, we form negative questions with adjectives with a two-person conversation as above.

*Underlined words = Adjectives

Why 为什么 + NEGATIVE ADJECTIVE (+ 呢 Ne)

How about some questions without 不 Bù to affirm the questions asked. Usually, they are negative adjectives which prompt one to ask for a reason.

*Underlined words = Adjectives

Negative Interrogative Sentences: Why Did Not? / Why No? 为什么没 Wèishéme Méi

Why Did Not / Have Not 为什么没 + VERB (+ 呢 Ne)

The second form of interrogative negation is 没 Méi. It means “did not” or “have not” when goes with a verb. Often, it refers to an event that is over and action not done yet.

*Underlined words = Verbs

Why (Not) 为什么没 + ADJECTIVE (+ 呢 Ne)

Some adjectives are used with 不 Bù whereas some go with 没 Méi. Most adjectives will go with 不 and 没 goes with nouns.

*Underlined words = Adjectives

Why No 为什么没 + NOUN (+ 呢 Ne)

With a noun added to the Why in Chinese phrase with 没 Méi, you get “Why no + Noun?” Another big difference between the two is that 不 Bù can never go with a noun such as 不时间 (No time) whereas only 没 Méi can go with it.

*Underlined words = Nouns

Why in Chinese – 为何 Wèihé

Although 为何 Wèihé is used in Chinese literature and rarely heard in conversation nowadays, I have to say I use quite a fair bit of it when talking to my friends when asking Why in Chinese.

It still seems natural for me to use 为何 Wèihé to replace 为什么 Wèi shén me especially when I ask about feeling-related topics or have a literary sense on a subject.

Why in Chinese – 何必 Hébì

Why waste money? Why waste your resource and energy when doing something that is is not necessary? 何必 Hébì is commonly used when consoling or advising someone and conveys a bit more emotion in this aspect.

That is how we use Why in Chinese 何必 Hébì for such sentences when you feel it is not worthwhile or necessary to do something.

The last Interrogative Word for the Chinese Interrogation Questions is the one and only Husband – How to Say “How” in Chinese? Continue learning!

How to Say When in Chinese?

When in Mandarin is 什么时候 Shénme shíhou. Another secondary word for When in Chinese is 几时 Jǐshí which both the words can replace each other.

什么时候 Shénme shíhou is more widely used and understood by everyone. 几时 Jǐshí is deemed to be a more formal traditional word adopted in Chinese literature.

Furthermore, the southern part of China uses 几时 Jǐshí more than the northern territory of China. The Cantonese people use this word to express When in Chinese too.

The Northern Chinese may not understand the meaning if you use 几时 Jǐshí. Therefore, it is better to stick to the standard phrase 什么时候 Shénme shíhou for asking When in Mandarin questions so everyone would understand.

The other formal word is 何时 Hé shí which expresses When in Mandarin too. We do not use this word often in conversation as it has a literary sense. Therefore, I would not provide examples with 何时 in this post.

Frequently Used Prepositions and Verbs

We can also combine When in Mandarin 什么时候 shénme shíhou and 几时 Jǐshí with some of these frequently used Chinese prepositions and verbs in a sentence – 在，从，到，走，去，来，回.

These words can also be seen in the previous post – Where in Chinese on locational related sentences.

Below is a simple table that will make you a pro when constructing your interrogative sentences – When in Mandarin. We will form some Chinese phrases using the formula below.

Confusing? Which When in Chinese to Use?

Many of the verbs in the table are also interchangeable because the correct words used are dependent on the perspective of the person and the actual circumstance that happens. For instance:-

1. When are you going to my house?
    你什么时候去我家？
    Nǐ shén me shí hòu qù wǒ jiā?

2. When are you coming to my house?
    你什么时候来我家？
    Nǐ shén me shí hòu lái wǒ jiā?

Both sentences are grammatically correct in English or Chinese, but which one to use depends on the circumstance and the location of origin that happen.

The last part of the Chinese conversation at the end of this post will give you a better idea of the differences when a scenario, place and country of origin is presented.

The conclusion is that no matter which sentence you select above, you are likely going to be correct anyway and get away with it unless the other party is a grammar freak.

When in Mandarin – 什么时候 / 几时

The table above is just a guide. There are endless possibilities combining with other Chinese verbs to describe various situations.

At When in Mandarin – 在什么时候 / 在几时

When a subject of interest has been mentioned and placed at the beginning of the sentence, we will put 在 Zài before 什么时候 / 几时.

Since When in Mandarin – 从什么时候 / 从几时

从什么时候 / 从几时 + Start 开始 Kāishǐ often come together as a phrase to mean “When did you start …? or Since when …?”. 从 Cóng means “from”.

Until When in Mandarin – 到什么时候 / 到几时

到什么时候 / 到几时 – Note that the word 到 Dào which comes before the two terms means “until” in this context. The meaning of the Chinese phrase is “When is it going to end?” be it a date or a situation.

When… Arrive… – 什么时候到 / 几时到

什么时候到 / 几时到 – Now the word 到 Dào comes after the two terms. It means “arrive”. 到 Dào indicates one who is going to arrive on the spot or has already reached the place.

1. When are you arriving home? (Present Tense)
    你什么时候到家？
    Nǐ shén me shí hòu dào jiā?

2. When did you arrive home?  (Past Tense)
    你什么时候到家(的)？
    Nǐ shén me shí hòu dào jiā (de)?

* The addition of 的 de confirms that a person has already reached home. In a real conversation, the 的 de may be omitted out when speaking.

Although the two Chinese sentence constructions have all the same words and may seem confusing at this point, when applying it in an actual circumstance, the context would be understood.

When… Go… – 什么时候去 / 几时去

什么时候去 / 几时去 is a straightforward Chinese sentence construction like how you would translate from English sentence. 去 Qù is “go”. You can go far with the phrase “When are you going to…?”

When… Leave… – 什么时候走 / 几时走

什么时候走 / 几时走 simply means “When are you leaving?” 走 Zǒu means “leave” in the examples below and placed at the end of the sentences.

Another meaning of 走 Zǒu is “walk”, but you also have to add other verbs to form a proper sentence – 什么时候 + 走去／走来／走回／走到. The meaning will also change from “leaving” to “walking“.

For the examples below, you have to imagine yourself in at the mentioned (current) location talking and calling a colleague so you can visualise the situation.

    (Your current location: Office)
1. When are we walking over to the restaurant?
    我们什么时候走去餐馆？
    Wǒ men shén me shí hòu zǒu qù cān guǎn?

    (Your current location: Restaurant)
2. When are you coming over to the restaurant (by foot)?
    你什么时候走来餐馆？
    Nǐ shén me shí hòu zǒu lái cān guǎn?

    (Your current location: Restaurant)
3. When are we walking back to the office?
    我们什么时候走回公司？
    Wǒ men shén me shí hòu zǒu huí gōng sī?

    (Your current location: Home)
4. When will you reach my house (by foot)?
    你什么时候走到我家？
    Nǐ shén me shí hòu zǒu dào wǒ jiā?

When… Come… – 什么时候来 / 几时来

什么时候来 / 几时来 is “When are you coming?” 来 Lái means “come”. Use this phrase when you visualise someone coming over to you while you are in a stationary position.

When… Return… – 什么时候回 / 几时回

什么时候回 / 几时回, when used alone means “When are you returning?” 回 Huí signifies “return”. It may have another verb that goes with it such as 什么时候 + 回去 / 回来 / 回到.

They all have almost the same meaning – “returning or coming back”. Similar to the explanation above, it depends on the situation and the angle where you stand to use a more appropriate word.

1. When are you returning?
    什么时候回？
    Shén me shí hòu huí?

2. When are you going back? 
    什么时候回去？
    Shén me shí hòu huí qù?

3. When are you coming back? 
    什么时候回来？
    Shén me shí hòu huí lái?

4. When are you returning to + *LOCATION? 
    When did you return to + *LOCATION? 
    什么时候回到 + *地点？
    Shén me shí hòu huí dào + *Dì Diǎn?

* A place is needed to complete the sentence here – 回到.

5. 什么时候回走? No such sentence construction! No such term – 回走!

Check out the Chinese Conversation below making use of some of these words to enhance your understanding.

Chinese Conversation – When in Mandarin

John is an American who lives in China presently with his girlfriend, Jane. First, he would go to England for a business trip and then return to his hometown in America. A conversation took place between them using a variation of When in Mandarin.

The purpose is to help you understand better which phrase that we learn today is more suitable to use based on the context.

Hope that you have a better idea now on using When in Mandarin. The last W family member in the Chinese Interrogation Series is Why in Mandarin. For an inquisitive person, How to Say Why in Mandarin is the way to go!

How to Say Where in Chinese?

Where in Mandarin is 哪里 Nǎlǐ or 哪儿 Nǎr in Chinese. As it is a locational related question, the preposition 在 Zài which means “at/in/on” in English may precede before the two terms – 在哪里 Zài Nǎlǐ and 在哪儿 Zài Nǎr.

There are a few ways to ask Where in Mandarin by changing some of the words that accompany with 哪里 Nǎlǐ or 哪儿 Nǎr. Some Chinese terms are interchangeable because the Chinese language is quite flexible. For now, just try and understand the concept and idea of these phrases so you can deploy them more accurately.

How to Pronounce 哪儿 in Chinese Pinyin –  Nar or Na’Er?

Based on the Chinese character alone, the Pinyin for 哪儿 is Nǎ’er. However, 哪儿 Nǎr has a unique intonation where the character 儿 Er is not read out in a full sound Er (neutral tone).

The 儿 Er pronunciation should sound like an extension of 哪 Nǎ, a soft sound produced with a rolled tongue. There should not be a break of sound between 哪 and 儿.

In another word, the pronunciation should be smooth. Due to the peculiarity in uttering the 儿 sound in this word, it ends up with a Pinyin of Nǎr instead. Hence, it is the correct way to pronounce 哪儿 Nǎr.

Below are four sounds to help you listen to the difference between 哪，哪儿 and 儿 (default Pinyin – standalone intonation). You can make a comparison when hearing them in their own Pinyin.

Getting the Chinese Character 哪儿 Nar or Na’er on a Chinese Pinyin Keyboard

If you are using Pinyin to type Chinese characters on the laptop or mobile, by typing “Nar”, you would not be able to get the Mandarin word 哪儿 on your screen as “r” is not the default Pinyin spelling for 儿. Instead, input in “naer” or “nae” to get 哪儿.

Difference between 哪 and 那 | Na

Where in Mandarin 哪里 Nǎlǐ is one of the Interrogative Pronouns or Adverbs for asking questions. However, it is often written wrongly – 在那里 Zài nàlǐ which means “over there”. 那 Nà also means “that” in English in Chinese Demonstrative Pronouns.

You know now that the meaning is the not the same anymore if you write or say out wrongly, when in fact, what you wanted to express is “Where 在哪里 Zài Nǎlǐ” and not “在那里 Zài nàlǐ over there”.

Another difference is that both 哪 Nǎ and 那 Nà have different Pinyin intonation which you can hear and compare them in another Interrogative Pronoun – Which in Chinese. On a side note, Which in Mandarin 哪个 Nǎge is also using the same word 哪 Nǎ.

Simple Question Construction for Where in Mandarin

Where is the Place? 地方在哪里 / 哪儿？

地方在哪里 / 哪儿？Dìfāng zài nǎlǐ / nǎ’er? If Asking Questions in Chinese is one of the many reasons for learning Mandarin to use during travelling in Chinese-speaking countries like China and Taiwan, replace the POINT OF INTEREST to your desired location below. Voila! You have already learnt some questions on asking for directions in Chinese.

To sound more polite when asking questions in Mandarin, you can add in the word “May I know 请问 Qǐngwèn” at the start of the question.

1. Where is the + POINT OF INTEREST?

2. Where can I find the + POINT OF INTEREST?

Where is My Thing? 我的东西在哪里 / 哪儿？

我的东西在哪里 / 哪儿？Wǒ de dōngxī zài nǎlǐ / nǎ’er? Use the Chinese Possession Determiner – 的 De when you want to ask someone about your belonging.

3. Where is my + NOUN？

Interrogative Adverb – Where in Mandarin

Where in Chinese is an Interrogative Adverb if there is no other location or place specified.

Personal Pronouns + Where in Mandarin – 在哪里 / 在哪儿 

Chinese Interrogation sentence structure is not the same as English where most sentences can start with Interrogative Pronouns. When Subject Pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) is in a Chinese interrogative question, place them at the beginning of the sentence or immediately after 在哪里 / 在哪儿 Zài nǎlǐ / Zài nǎ’er. 

Note that in Mandarin, the Subject Pronouns uses the same Chinese words as the Object Pronouns (me, him, her, her, us, them). Naturally, the Object Pronouns in a Chinese sentence would usually be placed after the Subject Pronouns. Read more in Personal Pronouns (I vs Me).

Go Where in Mandarin – 去哪里 / 去哪儿

去哪里 / 去哪儿 Qù nǎlǐ / Qù nǎr literally means Go Where in Mandarin. 去 means go. Especially when a subject moves from Point A to Point B, you can use 去哪里 / 去哪儿 to ask for the location in Point B.

去 Qù will also replace the word 在 Zài before 哪里 and 哪儿.

From Where in Mandarin – 从哪里 / 从哪儿

从 Cóng asks for the source of origin. 从哪里 / 从哪儿 Cóng nǎlǐ / Cóng nǎr asks for the location of the person from where he comes. Usually, the term comes after the Subject.

Arrive Where in Mandarin – 到哪里 / 到哪儿

到哪里 / 到哪儿 Dào nǎlǐ / Dào nǎr is another way of asking Where in Mandarin. It has a connotation of destination or designated point for the content here because 到 Dào means “arrive” or “reach”.

It also has other meanings not related to a physical location. One example is “Until where have you read? 你读到哪里了？”

Used with a date such as yesterday which indicates the past, it would mean “went/have been to a place”. Combine with the word 了 Le suggests that the event is over.

We can also replace many sentences with 在哪里 / 哪儿 or 去哪里 / 哪儿 instead of 到哪里 / 到哪儿. Don’t be too concerned which is the correct one. If you use the wrong term, your Chinese speaking friend will correct you. At least, you have a variety of Mandarin phrases to use for Where in Mandarin.

Without Locational Preposition – 哪里 / 哪儿

Not all Where in Chinese sentences have to use 在, 去, 从, 到 + 哪里 / 哪儿 as a 3-word term like the quoted examples above. If the 4 locational preposition 在, 去, 从, 到 precedes another named location, then 哪里 / 哪儿 Nǎlǐ / Nǎr will be a standalone word in the sentence.

哪里 / 哪儿 Nǎlǐ / Nǎr has a close relationship with 在, 去, 从, 到. It makes sense that all these words are used at the same time so you do not repeat the same word in a sentence since they are interchangeable.

Where in Chinese – 什么地方 Shenme Difang

Another frequently used word for Where in Mandarin is 在什么地方 Zài shénme dìfāng, translated as “Which place”. 什么地方 Shénme dìfāng can almost replace all the words 哪里 / 哪儿 Nǎlǐ / Nǎr above if the question is referring to a physical location while retaining the four Chinese prepositions – 在, 去, 从, 到.

Receiving Compliment – 哪里哪里

When you receive a compliment from someone, other than the word Thank you 谢谢 Xiè xiè, you can say instead 哪里哪里 Nǎlǐ nǎlǐ. It may not make any sense to you for repeating “where where” two times in this context because it has no equivalent direct English meaning.

The term is more of a Chinese slang where you want to show your modesty by not feeling too proud about a compliment showered to you and has several English meanings. The person replying with 哪里哪里 Nǎlǐ nǎlǐ may feel an element of shyness, yet flattered.

If you want to speak like a native Chinese, this Mandarin phrase is one of those that you can use next time someone pays you a compliment.

After Where would come When. Check out the next article – How to Say When in Chinese?

How to Say Which in Chinese?

Which in Chinese 哪 | Nǎ can be an Interrogative Pronoun or an Interrogative Determiner in a Chinese sentence construction. It is used to ask questions specifying a person, thing or a group from a defined category, taking a preference when asked to choose between two or more objects.

Do Not Confuse Between 哪 and 那 | Na

Take note that the character for Which in Chinese 哪 Nǎ is written differently from 那 Nà which means “That (as in this and that)” in English. 哪 has a “mouth 口 Kǒu” on the left side of the Chinese character. Both have different Hanyu Pinyin pronunciation too. 哪 Nǎ is the third Pinyin sound whereas 那 Nà has the fourth.

We can also pronounce both 哪 Něi and 那 Nèi as the third and fourth Pinyin tone respectively. The Chinese audio below is for comparison purpose on the four Pinyin pronunciation so you can hear the difference more clearly.

Pinyin 哪 and 那 Na or Nei on Mobile?

Whether you key in “na” or “nei” on your Chinese Pinyin keyboard on your phone or computer, you would be able to get both the Chinese characters to appear.

Interrogative Pronoun: Which in Chinese – 哪个 Nage in Mandarin

Which in Chinese – 哪个 Nǎge, in its simplest form of an Interrogative Pronoun when there is no Subject or noun.

哪些 Nǎxiē and 哪几个 Nǎ jǐ gè are both plural forms of Which in Chinese. They both mean few, some or several.

• Which few 哪些 Nǎxiē:  Countable and uncountable nouns
• Which few 哪几个 Nǎ jǐ gè: Only for countable nouns

You can read more about 些 Xiē from the Demonstrative Pronouns (this/that/these/those) in singular and plural form.

With Subject Pronoun

When you want to include a Subject Pronoun (I, He, She, We) in the sentence, place it at the start of the sentence as a guideline which is entirely different from English which the Interrogative words would start first.

Interrogative Determiner: Which in Chinese – 哪 Na in Mandarin

When there is a noun placed after Which in Chinese – 哪 Nǎ, it would then become an Interrogative Determiner that modifies the noun. Usually, a Measure Word/Classifier is inserted between them. For plural – 哪些 Nǎxiē, do not use any Measure Word.

Which in Chinese + Quantity

If you want to specify a quantity in a Which in Chinese question, the Chinese Number will come before the measure word. When the number is one, it is possible not to state it in the sentence, especially for speaking Mandarin.

Which is the Date?

When the inquiry occurs together for a date – year, month and day | 哪年哪月哪日 | Nǎ nián nǎ yuè nǎ rì, this particular group of words has no measure word. You can also write in the number one as 哪一年，哪一月，哪一日 to emphasise the date. Sometimes, we omit the number one 一 Yī when speaking Mandarin. When a question is asking for a specific year, month or day, you can include the number one 一 Yī.

Measure Word for Date

1. Which Year: 哪年，哪一年，哪个年，哪(一)个年份
2. Which Month: 哪月，哪一月，哪(一)个月，哪(一)个月份
3. Which Day: 哪日/天，哪一日/天，X 哪一个日/天，XX 哪一个日/天份
   • X – Do not use any measure word.
   • XX – Incorrect. No such phrase.

Which Day? Difference Between 日 Ri and 天 Tian

• Which day? Use 哪日 Nǎ rì when you want to specify the day of the month.
• Which day? Use 哪天 Nǎ tiān in a general sense of any day.

See also the article for more information on How to Say Date – Year, Month and Year in Chinese? You will also learn other Chinese phrases to ask about date-related questions. The next two W Chinese Interrogative Terms in line are Where and When in Mandarin.

How to Say What in Chinese?

What in Chinese is more commonly known as 什么 Shénme and is one of the Chinese Interrogative Pronouns used when constructing a Chinese question. Another word is 怎么 Zěnme with limited use for What in Mandarin as it is mostly referred to How in Chinese.

When there are mentions of Demonstrative Pronouns (this, that, these, those) or Subject Pronouns (I, He, She, We, They) in a sentence, place them at the beginning of a phrase before What in Chinese – 什么 Shénme.

In English: What is this?
In Chinese: This is what? 这是什么？

Such a Mandarin question structure is different from English because the Interrogative Pronouns would usually be the first word of an English sentence. Whereas in the Chinese language, we do not necessarily and more likely not use them as the first word if you look at the illustrations below.

What in Chinese as Interrogative Pronoun – 什么 Shénme

Here are some frequently used simple questions with What in Chinese with no Demonstrative Pronouns or Personal Pronouns. In most instances, What in Chinese will become a Subject Interrogative Pronoun.

With Demonstrative Pronoun + What in Chinese 什么 Shénme

If you have a question with English Demonstrative Pronouns (this, that, these, those) and no Personal Pronoun, place the Chinese Demonstrative Pronouns (这, 那, 这些, 那些 | Zhè, Nà, Zhèxiē, Nàxiē) at the start of the sentence.

With Subject Pronoun + What in Chinese 什么 Shénme

When a Chinese sentence contains a Subject Pronoun (I, He, She, We), move it to the beginning. What in Chinese – 什么 Shénme will then become an Object Interrogative Pronoun.

*The last two examples below on the usage of 了 Le after a Chinese Verb which converted the sentence to past tense in English = The event is over.

With Object Pronoun + What in Chinese 什么 Shénme

An Object Pronoun (him, her, us) would usually not be at the start of the sentence. The Subject Interrogative Pronoun (什么 + Noun) will be placed first.

With Both Subject & Object Pronouns + What in Chinese 什么 Shénme

Both the Subject Pronouns and the Object Pronouns share the same Chinese words – 我，你，他，她，我们，你们. Hence, it might be somewhat confusing when both groups of pronouns appear together. See Personal Pronouns (I vs Me) to clarify the difference.

Flexible Chinese Word Order Construction – What in Mandarin

For new Chinese learners, it makes sense to try and place the Subject Pronoun first where possible. However, the Chinese language is flexible.

If you have a stronger Mandarin foundation and a deeper understanding of how Chinese grammar works after some time, you should be able to move around the Chinese word order construction without difficulty. Look at the two sets of examples below.

Example 1

Example 2

What Type / Kind / Sort – 什么样 Shénme Yàng / 什么类型 Shénme Lèixíng

“What type / kind / sort of + Noun” is a question which you ask someone about their preferences in a category. We use either 什么样 Shénme yàng or 什么类型 Shénme lèixíng.

What in Chinese – 怎么 Zěnme

Other than 什么 Shénme, we also have 怎么 Zěnme to express What in Chinese. 怎么 is not an explicit representation of What in Chinese. Or rather, it has a more definite association with How in Chinese.

Sometimes, when translating 怎么 Zěnme from Chinese to English or vice versa, the final version depends on whether a person wants to use How or What as a term for expressing an English question.

Moving on, we will discuss How to Say Which in Chinese in the next post.

How to Say Who, Whom, Whose in Chinese?

谁 | Shuí or Shéi For All Three Terms

Who in Chinese – 谁 | Shuí or Shéi is one of the Chinese Interrogation words. Whom and whose also share the same word 谁 Shuí / Shéi in a different placement. In another word, 谁 Shuí or Shéi can be either one the followings in a sentence.

① Subject Pronoun (Who)
② Object Pronoun (Whom)
③ Possessive Pronoun/Adjective (Whose)

There are two Chinese Pinyin to pronounce 谁 – Shuí / Shéi. You can enunciate in any sound you want as both are correct. “Shuí” is more common in Chinese literature reading. Click on the link to hear both pronunciations.

If you are using Google Translate to listen to the Chinese pronunciation, you will hear the “Shuí” intonation, but the written Chinese Pinyin is “Shéi”.

On a Chinese keyboard using Pinyin on a mobile phone, you can get the Chinese character 谁 by either the spelling of “shui” or “shei”.

How to Say “Who Are You” in Chinese?

How to say Who Are You in Chinese? If you lost your mind (insane), you can also learn to say Who am I in Mandarin.

How to Say Who in Chinese?

谁 Shuí or Shéi is an Interrogative Pronoun which you ask Who in Chinese questions to identify the other person in the background.

A post shared by How to Say in Chinese (@howtosayinchinese) on Nov 9, 2017 at 2:55am PST

When No Subject Pronoun or Person is Mentioned

谁 Shuí / Shéi is the most typical Chinese word to represent Who in Chinese. When no Subject Pronoun (eg. I, He, She) or another person is mentioned in a sentence, Who in Chinese 谁 acts as a Subject Pronoun. Usually, we place the word at the beginning of simple sentence construction.

When Subject Pronoun or Person is Mentioned

When a Subject Pronoun or a person is mentioned in a sentence, we place them first preceding Who in Chinese – 谁 Shuí / Shéi. The position is different from English which starts with Who first.

How to Say Whom in Chinese?

Whom is an Object Pronoun that can be replaced by me, him and her. Nowadays, people are not using much Whom in spoken English because it is formal. They rather replace it with Who.

Whether to use Whom or Who correctly is an English grammar issue, but it does not affect the use of Whom in Chinese – 谁 Shuí / Shéi as an Object Pronoun here.

How to Say Whose in Chinese?

Whose signifies possession belonging to people. We use it either as a Possessive Pronoun or a Possessive Determiner/Adjective. Whose in Chinese – 谁 Shuí or Shéi together with the word 的 De associate ownership between a person and the property.

1. The first example below is an illustration of 谁 Shuí / Shéi as a Possessive Pronoun because there is no noun.
2. The rest of the sentences are instances where 谁 Shuí / Shéi is a Possessive Adjective/Determiner with 的 De + Noun.

Summary of 谁 Shuí / Shéi

Here is a mini table to help you summarise the position of 谁 Shuí / Shéi in general. If the Chinese question construction gets complicated, the table may not always apply.

Continue to the next post on Chinese Interrogation – How to Say What in Chinese?