Languages 1001

title: Asking Questions in Chinese: Interrogative Pronouns description: Learn to ask basic questions in Chinese using "how many, which, where, what, who, how," and more—all with our lovable cast! level: HSK1 language: chinese type: fill

Welcome to today’s grammar adventure! Do you ever find yourself wanting to ask how many dumplings are left, where your friend went, or who finished the tea? Interrogative pronouns make it possible to get all the juicy details. In Chinese, learning these is as essential as knowing where the bathroom is—and trust us, you’ll want both! Let’s introduce the all-star team of Chinese question words:

• 多 (duō): how, how much, how (big/old/etc.)
• 多少 (duōshao): how many, how much
• 几 (jǐ): how many (for small numbers, up to 10)
• 哪 (nǎ): which
• 哪儿 / 哪里 (nǎr / nǎlǐ): where (both are common, 哪儿 more in northern China, 哪里 more in the south)
• 哪些 (nǎxiē): which ones
• 什么 (shénme): what
• 谁 (shéi): who
• 怎么 (zěnme): how (in what way)

Let’s spy on our favorite characters to see interrogative pronouns in action:

中文句子 (Chinese)	Translation
你哥哥多大？	How old is your brother?
车上有多少个人？	How many people are on the bus?
你家有几口人？	How many people are in your family?
她是哪国人？	Which country is she from?
我们在哪儿见面？	Where shall we meet?
你去哪里了？	Where did you go?
你看了哪些书？	Which books did you read?
你星期天做什么？	What do you do on Sunday?
谁要喝茶？	Who wants to drink tea?
这个字怎么读？	How do you read this character?

Tips & Tones:

• "几" is for small numbers (usually < 10). For big numbers, use "多少".
• 哪, 哪儿/哪里, 哪些 all relate to "which/where" but have different uses, just like their English cousins.
• “怎么” is your Swiss army knife for “how?”, not (alas) for asking “why?” (that’s "为什么", see you HSK2!).

Productivity hack: If you ever forget which word to use, remember: just like in English, the answer is usually in the question!

Complete the sentences with the correct Chinese question word! (Type your answer in pinyin or characters—bonus points for both!)

1. Lili meets Zhiqiang, who is reading three different books. She asks: 你看了 书？ (Which books did you read?)

2. Haoran wonders about his pocket money. He asks his dad: 我有 ？ (How much money do I have?)

3. Grandma Xiulan arrives at Lili’s house and asks: 你家有 口人？ (How many people are in your family?)

4. Lili & Jianguo are planning a meeting. Lili asks: 我们 见面？ (Where shall we meet?)

5. Xiaotong hears a strange noise. She asks: 声音？ (What’s that sound?)

6. Jianguo sees a nice car in the lot. He wants to know: 这是谁的车？ ( - Whose car is this?)

7. Lili sees Haoran doing his homework very quickly, and asks: 你作业 做得这么快？ (How did you do your homework so quickly?)

8. Lili wants to know where Jianguo went: 你去 了？ (Where did you go?)

9. Xiaotong points to an unfamiliar character in her textbook: 这个字 读？ (How do you read this character?)

10. Haoran is confused at a family party and asks: 她是 国人？ (Which country is she from?)

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Fun Fact: In a pinch, "什么" can sometimes save you from awkward silence—just raise your eyebrows, point, and say “什么?” Don’t use on your boss unless you’re feeling adventurous!