The golden rule: Chinese question words stay in place — put them exactly where the answer would go. “You are who?” 你是谁？ is a perfect question; no word-order gymnastics like English. Core set: 什么 (what), 谁 (who), 哪儿 (where), 什么时候 (when), 为什么 (why), 怎么 (how). Yes/no questions just add 吗.
English makes you rearrange the whole sentence to ask a question (“You are eating what?” → “What are you eating?”). Chinese doesn’t. Keep the sentence exactly as it is and drop the question word into the slot you’re asking about. Once that clicks, you can ask about anything you can say — which makes question words the highest-leverage grammar at the beginner level.
The golden rule in action
| Statement | Question | English |
|---|---|---|
| 他是我朋友。 | 他是谁？ | Who is he? |
| 我吃面条。 | 你吃什么？ | What are you eating? |
| 我去北京。 | 你去哪儿？ | Where are you going? |
| 我明天来。 | 你什么时候来？ | When are you coming? |
Answering is just as clean: replace the question word with your answer and hand the sentence back. This symmetry is why Chinese beginners can hold real Q&A exchanges weeks into study.
The core question words
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 什么 | shénme | what | 这是什么？ What’s this? |
| 谁 | shéi | who | 谁来了？ Who came? |
| 哪儿 / 哪里 | nǎr / nǎlǐ | where | 你在哪儿？ Where are you? |
| 哪 | nǎ | which | 你要哪个？ Which one do you want? |
| 什么时候 | shénme shíhou | when | 你什么时候上班？ When do you start work? |
| 为什么 | wèishénme | why | 你为什么学中文？ Why do you study Chinese? |
| 怎么 | zěnme | how / how come | 怎么去机场？ How do I get to the airport? |
| 怎么样 | zěnmeyàng | how is it / how about | 这个怎么样？ How about this one? |
Regional note: 哪儿 (with the northern -r ending) and 哪里 are interchangeable — Beijing says 哪儿, the south and Taiwan prefer 哪里. Use either.
几 vs 多少: the two “how many”s
| 几 | 多少 | |
|---|---|---|
| Expected amount | small (< ~10) | any |
| Measure word | required: 几个人？ | optional: 多少（个）人？ |
| Typical uses | time (几点？), small counts, kids’ ages | prices (多少钱？), big counts, phone numbers |
The two you’ll say most: 现在几点？ (what time is it? — see telling time) and 多少钱？ (how much is it?). Both were in your first 300 words for a reason.
吗 and 呢: the question particles
吗 (ma) converts any statement into a yes/no question: 你是学生 → 你是学生吗？ The critical rule: never combine 吗 with a question word — 你去哪儿？ is already a question; adding 吗 breaks it. This is the single most common beginner error, and now it’s yours to skip.
呢 (ne) is the “and…?” particle — it bounces a question back: 我很好，你呢？ “I’m fine — and you?” It also asks where something is, casually: 我的手机呢？ “Where’s my phone?”
Bonus: the A-not-A question
Chinese has a third question form worth recognizing: verb + 不 + verb. 你去不去？ (“go-not-go?” = Are you going?), 好不好？ (OK?). It means the same as the 吗 version and natives use both constantly. Pick whichever comes out first — just don’t stack it with 吗 either.
Chinese questions in three rules
- Question words stay in place — put them where the answer goes.
- 吗 makes yes/no questions — and never combines with question words.
- 几 for small counted amounts (with measure word), 多少 for everything else.
Practice asking, not just reading
Question patterns become reflexes through repetition. Hanzijo drills every pattern inside real example sentences with native audio and color-coded tones, scheduled by its SRS engine across the full HSK 1–9 path — so 多少钱？ comes out before you think about it.
Learn Chinese with Hanzijo — FreeFrequently asked questions
Is 谁 pronounced shéi or shuí?
Both are correct; shéi is what you’ll hear in everyday speech, shuí is the older reading that survives in formal recitation. Say shéi.
How do I ask “whose”?
谁的 (shéi de): 这是谁的书？ — “Whose book is this?” The 的 is the same possessive from 我的, so it comes free.
What’s the difference between 怎么 and 怎么样?
怎么 asks about method or surprise (“how / how come”) and sits before a verb; 怎么样 asks for an evaluation and stands alone at the end: 怎么走？ (how do I walk there?) vs 味道怎么样？ (how’s the taste?).
Where do these appear on the HSK?
什么, 谁, 哪儿, 几, 多少, 怎么, 怎么样 are HSK 1; 为什么 arrives at HSK 2 alongside the rest of the HSK 2 list. Master this one page and you’ve covered every question on both exams.