Chinese Question Words
Chinese does not move the question word to the front of the sentence. That one difference explains most beginner mistakes.
English asks “Where do you live?” Chinese asks 你住在哪儿？ — literally “you live at where?”
The rule that changes everything
In English, forming a question moves the question word to the front and usually rearranges the verb. Chinese does neither. The question word sits exactly where the answer would sit.
Answer: 我住在北京 — I live in Beijing. Question: 你住在哪儿？ — you live in where? Everything stays put; only the unknown slot is replaced.
Once you internalise this, Chinese questions become much easier than English ones — there is no word order to learn, because nothing moves.
The words
Add a question particle 吗 to any statement and it becomes a yes/no question — no word order change at all.
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 谁 | shéi | who | HSK 1 |
| 什么 | shénme | what | HSK 1 |
| 哪 | nǎ | which | HSK 1 |
| 哪儿 | nǎr | where | HSK 1 |
| 怎么 | zěnme | how | HSK 1 |
| 怎么样 | zěnmeyàng | how about, how is it | HSK 1 |
| 多少 | duōshao | how many, how much | HSK 1 |
| 几 | jǐ | how many (small) | HSK 1 |
几 or 多少?
Both mean “how many,” but 几 jǐ expects a small number — under ten, roughly — and always needs a measure word: 几个人？ 多少 duōshao works for any quantity and can stand alone: 多少钱？
Common mistakes
- 哪儿你去？ — Word order is copied from English. It should be 你去哪儿？ — the question word stays in the answer’s position.
- 什么你说？ — Same error. 你说什么？
- Using 几 with 多少’s job — 几 with a large or unknown quantity sounds off. For “how much money” it is always 多少钱, never 几钱.
In a sentence
- 你叫什么名字？ Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
What’s your name? - 你是哪国人？ Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?
Which country are you from? - 这个字怎么读？ Zhège zì zěnme dú?
How do you read this character?