Asking questions is a crucial part of conversing in Chinese.
In this lesson you'll learn the most useful Chinese question words along with sample questions that you can start asking right away!
⤷ Review & practice the questions from this video with a free downloadable ebook (including audio).
Essential Question Words & Common Questions in Mandarin Chinese
Chinese Question Word #1: shén me 什么 (What)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "shén me 什么 (What)" |
|---|---|
1 | nǐ jiào shén me míng zi？ 你叫什么名字？ What's your name? |
2 | nǐ xìng shén me？ 你姓什么？ What's your last name? |
3 | nǐ xǐ huan chī shén me？ 你喜欢吃什么？ What do you like to eat? |
4 | nǐ xǐ huan hē shén me？ 你喜欢喝什么？ What do you like to drink? |
5 | nǐ zuò shén me gōng zuò？ 你做什么工作？ What do you do? |
Chinese Question Word #2: shén me shí hou 什么时候 (When)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "shén me shí hou 什么时候 (When)" |
|---|---|
6 | nǐ de shēng rì shì shén me shí hou？ 你的生日是什么时候？ When is your birthday? |
7 | diàn yǐng shén me shí hou kāi shǐ？ 电影什么时候开始？ When does the movie start? |
8 | nǐ shén me shí hou huí jiā？ 你什么时候回家？ When are you coming home? |
9 | nǐ shén me shí hou bān jiā？ 你什么时候搬家？ When are you moving? |
10 | nǐ de fēi jī shén me shí hou dào dá？ 你的飞机什么时候到达？ When does your flight arrive? |
Chinese Question Word #3: jǐ diǎn 几点 (What time)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "jǐ diǎn 几点 (What time)" |
|---|---|
11 | nǐ jīn tiān zǎo shang jǐ diǎn qǐ chuáng？ 你今天早上几点起床？ What time did you get up this morning? |
12 | nǐ tōng cháng jǐ diǎn shuì jiào？ 你通常几点睡觉？ What time do you usually go to bed? |
13 | nǐ jǐ diǎn shàng zhōng wén kè？ 你几点上中文课？ What time is your Chinese class? |
14 | wǒ men jǐ diǎn kāi huì？ 我们几点开会？ What time is our meeting? |
15 | nǐ jǐ diǎn xià bān？ 你几点下班？ What time do you get off work? |
⤷ Review & practice the questions from this video with a free downloadable ebook (including audio).
Chinese Question Word #4: wèi shén me 为什么 (Why)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "wèi shén me 为什么 (Why)" |
|---|---|
16 | nǐ wèi shén me xué zhōng wén？ 你为什么学中文？ Why are you learning Chinese? |
17 | nǐ wèi shén me bù xǐ huan hē chá？ 你为什么不喜欢喝茶？ Why don't you like to drink tea? |
18 | nǐ wèi shén me chí dào？ 你为什么迟到？ Why are you late? |
19 | nǐ wèi shén me bù jiē wǒ diàn huà？ 你为什么不接我电话？ Why didn't you answer my call? |
20 | nǐ wèi shén me qǐng jià？ 你为什么请假？ Why did you ask for leave? |
Chinese Question Word #5: "shéi 谁" or "shuí 谁 " (Who)
Note: "shéi 谁" is more commonly used in Daily Spoken Chinese.
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "shéi 谁 (Who)" |
|---|---|
21 | tā shì shéi？ 他是谁？ Who is he? |
22 | shéi zài qiāo mén？ 谁在敲门？ Who is knocking on the door? |
23 | shéi ná le wǒ de bǐ？ 谁拿了我的笔？ Who took my pen? |
24 | zhè gè bāo guǒ yīng gāi gěi shéi？ 这个包裹应该给谁？ Who should this package be given to? |
Chinese Question Word #6: shéi de 谁的 (Whose)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "shéi de 谁的 (Whose)" |
|---|---|
25 | zhè shì shéi de yào shi? 这是谁的钥匙？ Whose key is this? |
26 | zhè shì shéi de bēi zi? 这是谁的杯子？ Whose cup is this? |
27 | shéi de zuò yè méi yǒu wán chéng? 谁的作业没有完成？ Whose homework is not done? |
28 | shéi de qián bāo diū le? 谁的钱包丢了？ Whose wallet is lost? |
Chinese Question Word #7: "nǎ lǐ 哪里" or "nǎr 哪儿"(Where)
Note: "nǎr 哪儿" is more commonly used in northern China.
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "nǎ lǐ 哪里" or "nǎr 哪儿"(Where) |
|---|---|
29 | nǐ shì nǎ lǐ rén？ 你是哪里人？ Where are you from? |
30 | nǐ zài nǎ lǐ？ 你在哪里？ Where are you? |
31 | xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎr？ 洗手间在哪儿？ Where is the washroom? |
32 | nǐ de lǎo jiā zài nǎr？ 你的老家在哪儿？ Where is your hometown? |
Chinese Question Word #8: "nǎ 哪" + Measure Word (Which)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "nǎ 哪" + Measure Word (Which) |
|---|---|
33 | nǐ yào nǎ gè？ 你要哪个？ Which one do you want? |
34 | nǐ xǐ huan nǎ zhǒng bīng qí lín？ 你喜欢哪种冰淇淋？ What kind of ice cream do you like? |
35 | nǐ jué de nǎ jiàn yī fú shì hé wǒ？ 你觉得哪件衣服适合我？ Which outfit do you think suits me? |
36 | nǎ tái shǒu jī zuì hǎo？ 哪台手机最好？ Which phone is the best? |
⤷ Review & practice the questions from this video with a free downloadable ebook (including audio).
Chinese Question Word #9: shén me yàng de…? 什么样的…？(What kind/What type...?)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "shén me yàng de…? 什么样的…？"(What kind/What type...?) |
|---|---|
37 | nǐ xǐ huan kàn shén me yàng de diàn yǐng？ 你喜欢看什么样的电影？ What kind of movies do you like to watch? |
38 | nǐ xǐ huan kàn shén me yàng de nán shēng？ 你喜欢看什么样的男生？ What kind of man do you like? |
39 | nǐ xǐ huan kàn shén me yàng de nǚ shēng？ 你喜欢看什么样的女生？ What kind of woman do you like? |
40 | nǐ yào mǎi shén me yàng de chē？ 你要买什么样的车？ What kind of car are you going to buy? |
41 | nǐ yào mǎi shén me yàng de fáng zi？ 你要买什么样的房子？ What kind of house are you going to buy? |
42 | nǐ xǐ huan hē shén me yàng de yǐn liào？ 你喜欢喝什么样的饮料？ What kind of drink do you like to drink? |
Chinese Question Word #10: jǐ 几 (How many)
Note: "jǐ 几 " is usually used when asking for any number below 10
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "jǐ 几" (How many) |
|---|---|
43 | nǐ yǒu jǐ tái shǒu jī？ 你有几台手机？ How many cell phones do you have? |
44 | nǐ yī tiān hē jǐ bēi kā fēi？ 你一天喝几杯咖啡？ How many cups of coffee do you drink a day? |
45 | nǐ yī zhōu jiàn shēn jǐ cì？ 你一周健身几次？ How many times a week do you work out? |
46 | nǐ yǒu jǐ gè xiōng dì jiě mèi？ 你有几个兄弟姐妹？ How many siblings do you have? |
47 | nǐ yǒu jǐ gè xiǎo hái？ 你有几个小孩？ How many children do you have? |
Chinese Question Word #11: jǐ suì 几岁 (How old)
Note："jǐ suì 几岁 " is usually used when asking for the age of a child.
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "jǐ suì 几岁" (How old) |
|---|---|
48 | nǐ de mèi mei jǐ suì le？ 你的妹妹几岁了？ How old is your younger sister? |
49 | nǐ de dì di jǐ suì le？ 你的弟弟几岁了？ How old is your younger brother? |
50 | nǐ de xiǎo hái jǐ suì le？ 你的小孩几岁了？ How old is your child? |
51 | nǐ de biǎo dì jǐ suì le？ 你的表弟几岁了？ How old is your younger male cousin？ |
Chinese Question Word #12: duō dà 多大 (How old / How big / What size)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "duō dà 多大" (How old / How big / What size) |
|---|---|
52 | nǐ duō dà le？ 你多大了？ How old are you? |
53 | nǐ de fáng zi duō dà？ 你的房子多大？ How big is your house? |
54 | nǐ yào mǎi duō dà de shā fā？ 你要买多大的沙发？ What size sofa do you want to buy? |
55 | nǐ yào zū duō dà de gōng yù？ 你要租多大的公寓？ What size apartment do you want to rent? |
Chinese Question Word #13: duō shao 多少 (How much? / How many? / What number?)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "duō shao 多少" (How much? / How many? / What number?) |
|---|---|
56 | nǐ men bān yǒu duō shao gè rén？ 你们班有多少个人？ How many people are there in your class? |
57 | nǐ men gōng sī yǒu duō shao gè huì yì shì？ 你们公司有多少个会议室？ How many meeting rooms does your company have? |
58 | kuài dì dān hào shì duō shao？ 快递单号是多少？ What is the tracking number? |
59 | nǐ de diàn huà hào mǎ shì duō shao？ 你的电话号码是多少？ What is your phone number? |
60 | nǐ de shēn fèn zhèng hào mǎ shì duō shao？ 你的身份证号码是多少？ What is your ID number? |
⤷ Review & practice the questions from this video with a free downloadable ebook (including audio).
Chinese Question Word #14: duō shao qián 多少钱 How much? (Money)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "duō shao qián 多少钱" How much? (Money) |
|---|---|
61 | zhè gè duō shao qián？ 这个多少钱？ How much is this? |
62 | píng guǒ duō shao qián yī gōng jīn？ 苹果多少钱一公斤？ How much are the apples per kilo? |
63 | nǐ de shǒu jī duō shao qián？ 你的手机多少钱？ How much is your phone? |
64 | nǐ shàng zhōu huā le duō shao qián？ 你上周花了多少钱？ How much did you spend last week? |
Chinese Question Word #15: duō shao cì 多少次 (How many times? )
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "duō shao cì 多少次" (How many times?) |
|---|---|
65 | nǐ qù guò zhōng guó duō shao cì？ 你去过中国多少次？ How many times have you been to China? |
66 | nǐ měi tiān kàn shǒu jī duō shao cì？ 你每天看手机多少次？ How many times a day do you check on your phone? |
67 | nǐ yī zhōu diǎn duō shao cì mǎi wài？ 你一周点多少次外卖？ How many times a week do you order takeout? |
68 | nǐ yī fēn zhōng néng zuò duō shao cì yǎng wò qǐ zuò？ 你一分钟能做多少次仰卧起坐？ How many sit-ups can you do in a minute? |
Chinese Question Word #16: "duō jiǔ 多久" or "duō cháng shí jiān 多长时间" How long (time)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "duō jiǔ 多久" or "duō cháng shí jiān 多长时间" How long (time) |
|---|---|
69 | nǐ xué xí zhōng wén duō jiǔ le？ 你学习中文多久了？ How long have you been studying Chinese? |
70 | nǐ men jié hūn duō jiǔ le？ 你们结婚多久了？ How long have you been married? |
71 | cóng nǐ jiā dào gōng sī yào duō cháng shí jiān？ 从你家到公司要多长时间？ How long does it take to get from your home to the company? |
72 | cóng zhè lǐ dào fēi jī chǎng yào duō cháng shí jiān？ 从这里到飞机场要多长时间？ How long does it take to get from here to the airport? |
Chinese Question Word #17: duō jiǔ... yī cì？多久...一次？How often (frequency)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "duō jiǔ... yī cì？多久...一次?" How often (frequency) |
|---|---|
73 | nǐ duō jiǔ jiàn shēn yī cì？ 你多久健身一次？ How often do you work out? |
74 | nǐ duō jiǔ jiàn fù mǔ yī cì？ 你多久见父母一次？ How often do you see your parents? |
75 | nǐ duō jiǔ kàn diàn yǐng yī cì？ 你多久看电影一次？ How often do you watch movies? |
76 | nǐ duō jiǔ qù tú shū guǎn yī cì？ 你多久去图书馆一次？ How often do you go to the library? |
Chinese Question Word #18: duō yuǎn 多远 (How far)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "duō yuǎn 多远" (How far) |
|---|---|
77 | nǐ jiā lí gōng sī duō yuǎn？ 你家离公司多远？ How far is it from your home to the company? |
78 | zhè lǐ lí dì tiě zhàn duō yuǎn？ 这里离地铁站多远？ How far is it from here to the metro station? |
79 | nǐ jiā dào chāo shì yǒu duō yuǎn？ 你家到超市有多远？ How far is it from your home to the supermarket? |
80 | dà lǐ dào lì jiāng yǒu duō yuǎn？ 大理到丽江有多远？ How far is it from Dali to Lijiang? |
Chinese Question Word #19: duō cháng 多长 How long (length)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "duō cháng 多长" How long (length) |
|---|---|
81 | zhè zhāng shā fā duō cháng？ 这张沙发多长？ How long is this sofa? |
82 | zhè zhāng zhuō zi duō cháng？ 这张桌子多长？ How long is this table? |
83 | nǐ de tóu fa duō cháng？ 你的头发多长？ How long is your hair? |
84 | nǐ de jiǎo duō cháng？ 你的脚多长？ How long are your feet? |
Chinese Question Word #20: duō gāo 多高 (How tall)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "duō gāo 多高" (How tall) |
|---|---|
85 | nǐ duō gāo？ 你多高？ How tall are you? |
86 | nǐ bà ba duō gāo？ 你爸爸多高？ How tall is your dad? |
87 | zhè gè jià zi duō gāo？ 这个架子多高？ How tall is this shelf? |
88 | zhè zuò shān duō gāo？ 这座山多高？ How tall is this mountain? |
Chinese Question Word #21: duō zhòng 多重 (How heavy)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "duō zhòng 多重" (How heavy) |
|---|---|
89 | zhè gè bāo guǒ duō zhòng？ 这个包裹多重？ How heavy is this package? |
90 | zhè tái xiāng jī duō zhòng？ 这台相机多重？ How heavy is this camera? |
91 | nǐ duō zhòng？ 你多重？ How heavy are you? |
92 | nǐ de xíng lǐ duō zhòng？ 你的行李多重？ How heavy is your luggage? |
Chinese Question Word #22: zěn me 怎么 (How)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "zěn me 怎么" (How) |
|---|---|
93 | nǐ měi tiān zěn me qù shàng bān？ 你每天怎么去上班？ How do you go to work every day? |
94 | nǐ zěn me xué zhōng wén？ 你怎么学中文？ How do you learn Chinese? |
95 | nǐ míng tiān zěn me qù xué xiào？ 你明天怎么去学校？ How are you going to school tomorrow? |
96 | nǐ men shì zěn me rèn shi de？ 你们是怎么认识的？ How did you guys meet? |
Chinese Question Word #23: zěn me yàng 怎么样 (How about / What about / How)
No. | Common Chinese Questions with "zěn me 怎么" (How) |
|---|---|
97 | nǐ zuì jìn zěn me yàng？ 你最近怎么样？ How have you been recently? |
98 | nǐ de zhōng wén zěn me yàng？ 你的中文怎么样？ How is your Chinese? |
99 | yé ye de shēn tǐ zěn me yàng？ 爷爷的身体怎么样？ How is your grandpa's health? |
100 | zhè lǐ de kā fēi zěn me yàng？ 这里的咖啡怎么样？ How is the coffee here? |
⤷ Review & practice the questions from this video with a free downloadable ebook (including audio).