If we don’t count question particles, Chinese has nine question words: what, when, where, how, who, which, why, and two different ways to say “how many”. In this first part of the series, we’ll focus on 什麼什么 shénme (what), 誰谁 shéi (who), and 什麼時候 shénme shíhòu什么时候 shénme shíhou (when).

1The Golden Rule: Put It Where the Answer Goes

In English, question words jump to the front of the sentence, and we often have to add “do” or flip the word order. Chinese doesn’t do any of that. The question word simply sits in the exact spot where the answer will go — the rest of the sentence stays the same.

2What — 什麼什么 shénme

什麼什么 shénme means “what”. It usually comes after the verb, in the object position. Put a noun right after it to ask “what kind of…” or “which…” — for example 什麼書什么书 shénme shū (what book).

3Who — 誰谁 shéi

誰谁 shéi means “who”. It is a little special because it can sit in two different positions: in the object spot (after the verb), or in the subject spot (at the beginning). Either way, the answer goes in the same place.

4When — 什麼時候 shénme shíhòu什么时候 shénme shíhou

This word literally means 什麼什么 shénme (what) + 時候 shíhòu时候 shíhou (time) — “what time”. Like other time words in Chinese, it goes before the verb, usually right after the subject — not at the end of the sentence like “when” in an English answer.

📕 Not sure why the time word isn’t at the end of the sentence? Read about Chinese sentence structure here.

5Common Mistakes

6Practice

How would you say these in Chinese? Tap each card to check your answer.