Question Words in Mandarin Chinese

In Brief

Mandarin question words normally stay in the same position as the information they ask for: 你吃什么？ literally follows the pattern “You eat what?”, not the English order “What do you eat?” Use 什么 for “what,” 谁 for “who,” 哪里/哪儿 for “where,” 什么时候 for “when,” 怎么 for “how,” 为什么 for “why,” and 几/多少 for quantities. Do not add 吗 to an ordinary question-word question.

Overview

Question words let you ask for a missing person, thing, place, time, reason, method, or quantity. They are among the most useful A1 tools in Mandarin: with a small set of words, you can ask what something is, where somebody is going, when an event starts, or how much an item costs.

The central difference from English is word order. English often moves a question word to the front and may add an auxiliary verb: “What do you want?” Mandarin usually does neither. Begin with the normal statement pattern, then replace the unknown information with a question word. 你想喝茶 means “You want to drink tea”; replacing 茶 with 什么 gives 你想喝什么？ “What do you want to drink?”

This is often called an in-situ question: in situ simply means “in its original place.” The sentence keeps ordinary Mandarin word order. Context and the question word show that it is a question; in speech, intonation may help, but you do not need to force a dramatic English-style rise.

How It Works

The replacement rule

Build a question by imagining a possible answer and replacing only the unknown part:

Statement or answer	Replace this information	Question
他是王老师。 “He is Teacher Wang.”	a person → 谁	他是谁？ “Who is he?”
我买苹果。 “I buy apples.”	a thing → 什么	你买什么？ “What are you buying?”
她住在北京。 “She lives in Beijing.”	a place → 哪里/哪儿	她住在哪里/哪儿？ “Where does she live?”
课九点开始。 “Class starts at nine.”	a time → 什么时候	课什么时候开始？ “When does class start?”

A subject is the person or thing the sentence is about; an object is the person or thing affected by the action. A question word can fill either role. Compare 谁来了？ “Who came?” where 谁 is the subject, with 你看见谁了？ “Who did you see?” where it is the object. It stays where that missing person belongs.

The core question words

Question word	Pinyin	Main meaning	Typical position or pattern
什么	shénme	what; what kind of	verb + 什么; 什么 + noun
谁	shéi / shuí	who; whom	wherever the person would appear
哪里 / 哪儿	nǎlǐ / nǎr	where	after 在, 到, 去, 来, or another place-related verb
什么时候	shénme shíhou	when	in the normal time position, often after the subject
怎么	zěnme	how; by what method	usually before the verb
为什么	wèishénme	why	usually before the verb phrase, often after the subject
几	jǐ	how many; what number	几 + measure word + noun
多少	duōshao	how many; how much	多少 (+ measure word) + noun
哪	nǎ	which	哪 + measure word + noun

什么: “what” and “what kind of”

Put 什么 where the unknown thing would go:

• 这是什么？ — What is this?
• 你喝什么？ — What do you drink / What are you drinking?
• 你喜欢什么音乐？ — What kind of music do you like?

Before a noun, 什么 usually attaches directly to it: 什么书 “what book,” not 什么本书. This differs from 哪, which normally needs a measure word: 哪本书 “which book?” A measure word is a counting word placed between a number or demonstrative and a noun, such as 本 for books or 杯 for cups.

谁: “who” or “whom”

Mandarin uses the same word whether the person acts or receives the action:

• 谁是李老师？ — Who is Teacher Li?
• 李老师找谁？ — Who is Teacher Li looking for?
• 你跟谁去？ — Who are you going with?

Both shéi and shuí are accepted pronunciations. Shéi is especially common in everyday speech; dictionary forms and careful reading may use shuí.

哪里 and 哪儿: “where”

哪里 and 哪儿 generally mean the same thing. Use them in the place occupied by the answer:

• 你住在哪儿？ — Where do you live?
• 洗手间在哪里？ — Where is the restroom?
• 你去哪里？ — Where are you going?

With 在, English learners sometimes put “where” first. Mandarin keeps 在 + place together: 你在哪里工作？, literally “You at where work?”

什么时候: “when”

Time expressions in Mandarin commonly come before the main verb, so 什么时候 usually does too:

• 你什么时候回家？ — When are you going home?
• 电影什么时候开始？ — When does the movie start?

Do not copy English fronting unless you have a special discourse reason. The neutral beginner pattern is subject + 什么时候 + verb.

怎么 and 为什么: method versus reason

Use 怎么 to ask about a method, manner, or route:

• 这个字怎么读？ — How is this character pronounced?
• 去车站怎么走？ — How do I get to the station?
• 你怎么来？ — How are you coming?

Use 为什么 to ask for a reason:

• 你为什么学中文？ — Why are you learning Chinese?
• 他为什么没来？ — Why didn’t he come?

In some contexts 怎么 can express surprise and be close to “how come,” but beginners should first keep the distinction clear: 怎么 asks “by what method?” and 为什么 asks “for what reason?”

几 and 多少: asking about quantity

Use 几 before a measure word when the expected number is fairly small or belongs to a limited range:

• 你有几个孩子？ — How many children do you have?
• 今天几号？ — What date is it today?
• 现在几点？ — What time is it?

Use 多少 when the range is open or the quantity may be larger. A measure word can follow it, but is often omitted when the meaning is clear:

• 这个多少钱？ — How much is this?
• 学校有多少（个）学生？ — How many students does the school have?
• 你要多少杯茶？ — How many cups of tea do you want?

For a specific choice, use 哪 + measure word + noun, not 几 or 多少: 你要哪杯茶？ “Which cup of tea do you want?”

Do not add 吗

吗 turns a statement into a yes/no question—one answered with “yes” or “no.” A question word already marks the missing information, so standard question-word questions do not take 吗:

• 你喜欢咖啡吗？ — Do you like coffee? (yes/no)
• 你喜欢什么？ — What do you like? (information question)

Examples in Context

Mandarin	Pinyin	English	Note
这是什么？	Zhè shì shénme?	What is this?	什么 replaces the unknown identity.
你想吃什么？	Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?	What do you want to eat?	The object remains after the verb.
他是谁？	Tā shì shéi?	Who is he?	谁 follows 是, like the answer would.
谁给你打电话了？	Shéi gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà le?	Who called you?	谁 is the subject, so it comes first.
你跟谁一起去？	Nǐ gēn shéi yìqǐ qù?	Who are you going with?	谁 stays after 跟 “with.”
你去哪儿？	Nǐ qù nǎr?	Where are you going?	哪儿 is the destination of 去.
你的手机在哪里？	Nǐ de shǒujī zài nǎlǐ?	Where is your phone?	在哪里 asks for a location.
我们什么时候见面？	Wǒmen shénme shíhou jiànmiàn?	When shall we meet?	The time phrase comes before the verb.
这个字怎么写？	Zhège zì zěnme xiě?	How do you write this character?	怎么 asks about method.
去地铁站怎么走？	Qù dìtiězhàn zěnme zǒu?	How do I get to the subway station?	A common way to ask for directions.
你为什么学习汉语？	Nǐ wèishénme xuéxí Hànyǔ?	Why are you studying Chinese?	为什么 asks for a reason.
你有几个兄弟姐妹？	Nǐ yǒu jǐ ge xiōngdì jiěmèi?	How many siblings do you have?	几 is followed by the measure word 个.
这本书多少钱？	Zhè běn shū duōshao qián?	How much is this book?	多少钱 asks for a price.
你喜欢哪本书？	Nǐ xǐhuan nǎ běn shū?	Which book do you like?	哪 requires the measure word 本 here.

Common Mistakes

Moving the question word to the front

• Wrong: 什么你想吃？
• Right: 你想吃什么？
• Why: English fronts “what,” but Mandarin puts 什么 in the object position after 吃.

Adding 吗 to an information question

• Wrong: 你去哪儿吗？
• Right: 你去哪儿？
• Why: 吗 asks for a yes/no answer. 哪儿 already asks for the missing destination.

Using English “do” as if Mandarin needed an auxiliary

• Wrong idea: searching for a Mandarin equivalent of “do” in “What do you want?”
• Right: 你想要什么？
• Why: English uses auxiliary “do” to build many questions. Mandarin keeps the ordinary verb phrase and simply inserts the question word.

Confusing 哪 with 哪里

• Wrong: 你住在哪本？
• Right: 你住在哪里？
• Why: 哪里/哪儿 means “where.” 哪 means “which” and normally introduces a choice such as 哪本书 “which book.”

Dropping the measure word after 几 or 哪

• Wrong: 你有几书？ / 你要哪茶？
• Right: 你有几本书？ / 你要哪杯茶？
• Why: 几 and 哪 normally need the appropriate measure word before a noun.

Putting 什么时候 after the verb by default

• Wrong: 你回家什么时候？
• Right: 你什么时候回家？
• Why: Neutral Mandarin usually places a time expression before the main verb.

Usage Notes

哪里 is widely used across Mandarin-speaking regions. 哪儿 contains the -r ending associated especially with northern speech and is very common in Beijing-influenced Mandarin. Both are standard; choose the one that fits the variety you hear and be ready to recognize both.

Mandarin question-word questions do not depend on one fixed “question intonation.” Natural pitch varies with emotion and context, while the lexical tones of the words still matter. A final question mark is used in writing, but grammar—not punctuation alone—makes the sentence a question.

Some short questions omit information that is obvious from context. 你呢？ means “And you?” or “What about you?” and 我的手机呢？ can mean “Where is my phone?” These 呢 questions are useful, but they are not a reason to add 呢 to every full question-word sentence. 你去哪儿？ is already complete and natural.

Beyond the Basics

You do not need to master the following points at A1, but you will encounter them often.

Question words can have non-question meanings

In more advanced patterns, the same words can mean “any-,” “some-,” or “whoever/whatever,” depending on the construction:

• 我什么都吃。 — I eat anything / I eat everything.
• 谁都可以来。 — Anyone can come.
• 你想去哪儿就去哪儿。 — Go wherever you want.

These sentences contain question words but are not questions. Words such as 都 “all” and the repeated …就… pattern determine the meaning.

怎么 can challenge an unexpected situation

Besides asking about method, 怎么 can express surprise or disagreement:

• 你怎么还没睡？ — How come you still haven’t gone to sleep?
• 他怎么不来？ — How come he isn’t coming?

Here the speaker is reacting to something unexpected rather than literally asking for instructions. Tone and context are important. 为什么 is usually the more neutral choice for a straightforward request for a reason.

怎么样 asks for an assessment

怎么样 (zěnmeyàng) often means “how is it?” or “what do you think?” rather than “by what method?”

• 这家饭店怎么样？ — How is this restaurant?
• 我们坐地铁去，怎么样？ — How about going by subway?

Compare 你怎么去？ “How will you get there?” with 那个地方怎么样？ “What is that place like?”

Front position can mark the whole question as a topic

You may hear 为什么他没来？ as well as the more neutral 他为什么没来？ Putting 为什么 first can give the reason question broader scope or extra emphasis. This does not overturn the beginner rule: for ordinary production, place the question word where the corresponding information naturally belongs. Later, exposure will teach you when speakers deliberately reshape a sentence for emphasis or discourse flow.

Practice Tips

1. Turn answers into questions. Start with 我星期五去上海 “I’m going to Shanghai on Friday.” Replace one part at a time: 谁星期五去上海？, 你什么时候去上海？, 你星期五去哪里？ This directly trains in-situ word order.
2. Learn question words in sentence frames. Practise 这是什么？, 你跟谁…？, 你什么时候…？, and …怎么走？ as complete patterns instead of memorizing isolated vocabulary.
3. Sort quantity questions. When you see an object, say its measure word and build both a number and a choice question: 三本书 → 几本书？→ 哪本书？ Add 多少 for open quantities: 有多少（本）书？

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Yes/No Questions with 吗 — contrasts questions answered with yes or no with questions asking for specific information.