Grammar Point:
If we exclude particle question words, there are 9 question words in Chinese: what, when, where, how, who, which, why, and 2 variations of “how many”. However, unlike in English, these question words stay in the same position in the answer sentence, without the need to reverse the order or add an extra adverb.
For example:
Question | 她 Tā | 喜欢 xǐhuan | 什么 shénme? |
She | likes | what? | |
Answer | 她 Tā | 喜欢 xǐhuan | 狗 gǒu |
She | likes | dogs |
Question | 老师 Lǎoshī | 在 zài | 哪里 nǎlǐ? |
Teacher | at | where? | |
Answer | 老师 Lǎoshī | 在 zài | 家 jiā |
Teacher | at | home |
The answer and question usually have the same sentence structure, except for the question word “why”.
What – 什麼/什么 shénme
- Subject + Verb + Shénme (+ Object) ?
Q:你想吃什麼?你想吃什么?
A:What do you want to eat?
A:我想吃火鍋我想吃火锅
A:I want to eat Hotpot.
Q:你在看什麼書?你在看什么书?
A:What book are you reading?
A:我在看哈利波特我在看哈利波特
A:I am reading Harry Potter.
When – 什麼時候/什么时候 shénme shíhòu/shénme shíhou
This word literally means 什么 shénme (what) + 时候 shíhou (when)
- Subject + Shénme shíhou + Verb?
Q:你什麼時候來台灣?你什么时候来台湾?
A:When are you coming to Taiwan?
A:我明年5月去台灣我明年5月去台湾
A:I am going to Taiwan next May.
Q:我們什麼時候開始上課?我们什么时候开始上课?
A:When do we start class?
A:我們9點開始上課我们9点开始上课
A:We start class at 9:00.
📕 Don’t know why the time word is not in the end of sentence?
Why – 為什麼/为什么 wèishénme
This word literally means 为 wèi (for) + 什么 shénme (what.) And this is the only one exception that the answer and the question word are in the different positions.
- Subject + Wèishénme + Verb?
- Wèishénme + Subject + Verb?
Q:你為什麼來台灣?你为什么来台湾?
A:Why do you come to Taiwan?
A:我來台灣學中文我来台湾学中文
A:I came to Taiwan to learn Chinese.
Q:她為什麼不愛我?她为什么不爱我?
A:Why doesn’t she love me?
A:因為你不會中文因为你不会中文
A:Because you don’t know the Chinese language.
Who – 誰/谁 shéi
shéi is the special one, there are 2 positions you can place shéi in a Chinese sentence.
- Subject + Verb + Shéi?
- Shéi + Verb?
Q:你找誰?你找谁?
A:Who are you looking for?
A:我找林老師我找林老师
A:I am looking for teacher Lin.
Q:那個人是誰?那个人是谁?
A:Who is that person?
A:那個人是我哥哥那个人是我哥哥
A:That is my elder brother.
Q:誰要喝咖啡?谁要喝咖啡?
A:Who wants to drink coffee?
A:我要喝咖啡我要喝咖啡:
A:I want to drink coffee.
Where – 哪裡/哪里 nǎlǐ
The question word “where” can be expressed through the Chinese words 哪里 nǎlǐ or 哪儿 nǎr, which have the same meaning. 哪里 nǎlǐ is generally used in Taiwan and southern China, while 哪儿 nǎr is more common in northern China. It is also okay to simply use 哪 nǎ.
- Subject + Zài/Qù + Nǎ?
- Nǎ + Verb + Object?
Q:你在哪裡?你在哪里?
A:Where are you?
A:我在你心裡我在你心里
A:I am in your heart.
Q:你想去哪兒?你想去哪儿?
A:Where do you want to go?
A:我想去你心裡我想去你心里
A:I want to go into your heart.
Q:哪裡有書店?哪里有书店?
A:Is there a bookstore?
A:咖啡店旁邊有書店咖啡店旁边有书店
A:There is a bookstore next to the coffee shop.
Which – 哪 nǎ (+ Nu) + MW
- Subject + Verb+Nǎ (+ Number) + Measure Word (+ Object)?
Q:你要買哪本書?你要买哪本书?
A:Which book do you want to buy?
A:我要買這本書我要买这本书
A:I want to buy this book.
Q:狗和貓,你喜歡哪一個?狗和猫,你喜欢哪一个?
A:Which one do you like, dogs or cats?
A:我喜歡狗我喜欢狗
A:I like dogs.
How 1 – 怎么 zěnme and 怎么样 zěnme yàng
Depending on the context, 怎么 zěnme can be translated as “how” or “what”. It is used to indicate the manner or method of doing something, or to ask about the way in which something is done. However, when 怎么 zěnme is used in a negated question, it means “how come”.
- Subject + Zěnme + Verb (+ Object)?
- Statement + Zěnmeyàng?
Q:你的名字怎麼寫?你的名字怎么写?
A:How to write your name?
A:我的名字這樣寫我的名字这样写
A:My name is written like this.
Q:你的中文課怎麼樣?你的中文课怎么样?
A:How was your Chinese lesson?
A:我的中文課很好我的中文课很好
A:My Chinese lesson is great.
Q:他怎麼沒來上班?他怎么没来上班?
A:How come he did not come to work?
A:他生病了他生病了
A:He’s sick.
How 2 – 多 duō + SV
- Subject + Duō + SV
Q:你多高?你多高?
A:How tall are you?
A:我168公分我168公分
A:I am 168 cm.
Q:從你家到學校多遠?从你家到学校多远?
A:How far is it from your home to school?
A:(從我家到學校从我家到学校) 走路10分鐘走路10分钟
A:10 mins walk.
How many/ How much I – 多少 duōshǎo
In Chinese, there is no distinction between countable and uncountable nouns. This question word is typically used when you are expecting an answer that is bigger than ten.
- Subject + Verb + Duōshǎo + Noun
Q:你有多少錢?你有多少钱?
A:How much money do you have?
A:我有120塊錢我有120块钱
A:I have $120
Q:你會寫多少中文字?你会写多少中文字?
A:How many Chinese characters can you write?
A:我會寫581個中文字我会写581个中文字
A:I can write 581 Chinese characters.
FYI
Great news! Recognizing just 581 of the most commonly used characters can help you understand 80% of written media content. This means that you don’t need to know every single character to be proficient in Chinese – you can start by focusing on the most frequently used ones and build from there. Even if you learn just one character a day, you can understand 80% of written media in less than 2 years. So don’t let the thought of learning Chinese character scare you, embrace the challenge and get started!
How many/ How much II – 幾/几 jǐ
Again, there is no distinction between countable and uncountable nouns in Chinese. This question word is typically used when you are expecting an answer that is less than ten. However, there are some certain situations, we always use 几 jǐ, doesn’t matter the answer we expected is less than ten or not. For example, dates and time.
- Subject + Verb + Jǐ + Measure Word (+ Noun)
Q:你有幾塊錢?你有几块钱?
A:How much money do you have?
A:我有2塊錢我有2块钱
A:I have $2.
Q:她有幾隻狗?她有几只狗?
A:How many dogs does she have?
A:她有3隻狗她有3只狗
A:He has 3 dogs.
Q:現在幾點?现在几点?
A:What time is it now?
A:現在11點现在11点
A:It’s 11 o’clock.
Q:今天幾號?今天几号?
A:What date is today?
A:(lit. How many day is today?)
A:今天25號今天25号
A:Today is 25th.