Grammar Point:
In Chinese grammar, 吗 ma and 呢 ne are both sentence-ending particles used to ask questions and seek information or clarification, but they serve different purposes:
Final Particles 嗎/吗 ma
This is a question marker that is added to the end of a statement to turn it into a yes-no question. It is used to ask whether something is true or not.
The question that you really don’t know the answer to
你是日本人嗎?你是日本人吗?
Are you Japanese?
你喜歡貓嗎?你喜欢猫吗?
Do you like cats?
Final Particles 呢 ne
This particle is used to seek information or ask about the continuation of an action or a situation. It’s often used to follow up on a previous question or statement.
Bounce back question (How about..? What about..?)
我是日本人,你呢?我是日本人,你呢?
I am Japanese, how about you?
你喜歡貓,他呢?你喜欢猫,他呢?
You like cats, how about him?
你今天很忙,明天呢?你今天很忙,明天呢?
You are busy today, how about tomorrow?
Where – Noun + 呢 ne
狗呢?狗呢?
Where’s the dog?
我的錢呢?我的钱呢?
Where’s my money?
Soft your tones when you ask question (a little bit casual)
The main difference between 呢 ne and 吗 ma is that 吗 ma is used exclusively for yes-no questions, while 呢 is used for questions that contain question words (such as where, what, why, etc.).
你要吃什麼呢?你要吃什么呢?
What do you want to eat?
Toby為什麼喜歡貓呢?Toby为什么喜欢猫呢?
Why does Toby like cats?
Try to convince people
It usually goes with 吧 ba to provide a suggestion.
還早呢,再喝一杯酒吧!还早呢,再喝一杯酒吧!
It’s still quite early, let’s have another cup of drinks.
中文很簡單呢,你就試試吧!中文很简单呢,你就试试吧!
Mandarin Chinese is easy, you should have a try!
Continuation of an action or state (usually go with 在 zài )
我在吃飯呢!我在吃饭呢!
I am eating now!
媽媽在生氣呢!妈妈在生气呢!
Mom is angry now!
Practice
- Final particles 1: 吗 ma, 吧 ba, and 呢 ne (HSK 1)
- Final particles 2: 啊 a, 呀 ya, 哇 wa, 哪 na, and 啦 la (HSK 2)
- Final particles 3: 喔 o, 喽 lou, 耶 ye, and 嘛 ma (HSK 3)