LEARN + CHINESE / 7 of 300 HSK 1
Who, What, and Where 谁
You’re looking for a friend at a busy station. Ask 谁 when the person is missing, 什么 when you need the thing, and 哪儿 or 哪里 when the place is unclear. Keep the question word in the spot where the answer would go; Chinese doesn’t move it to the front.
Asking Where
你住在哪里？
Nǐ zhù zài nǎlǐ?
Where do you live?
学校在哪儿？
Xuéxiào zài nǎr?
Where is the school?
哪儿 and 哪里 both mean “where.” 在 identifies a location; it can appear before a place in a question or a statement.
Asking Who and What
谁在教室里？
Shéi zài jiàoshì lǐ?
Who is in the classroom?
这是什么？
Zhè shì shénme?
What is this?
你想喝什么？
Nǐ xiǎng hē shénme?
What would you like to drink?
Saying Where Something Is
Position words such as 上、下、里、外、前、后、左、右 usually follow the place or object they describe. Add 边 or 面 to make many of them into location phrases.
书在桌子上。
Shū zài zhuōzi shàng.
The book is on the table.
猫在椅子下面。
Māo zài yǐzi xiàmiàn.
The cat is under the chair.
商店在学校左边。
Shāngdiàn zài xuéxiào zuǒbian.
The shop is to the left of the school.
Hint · 힌트
Keep the question word in the answer slot: 你住在哪里？ asks “You live where?” in the same order as the statement 你住在北京. A question word does not need 吗.
In Real Life
In everyday Mandarin, 哪儿 is especially common in northern speech, while 哪里 is used broadly and often preferred in writing or in regions where 儿化 is less common. You can use either to ask “where”; choose the form that matches the variety you are learning.
Vocabulary
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
shéi | who |
shénme | what |
nǎr | where (colloquial) |
nǎlǐ | where |
zài | to be at; in |
zhù | to live; to reside |
xuéxiào | school |
jiàoshì | classroom |
shū | book |
zhuōzi | table; desk |
māo | cat |
yǐzi | chair |
shāngdiàn | shop; store |
zhè | this |
nà | that |
shàng | above; on |
xià | below; under |
lǐmiàn | inside |
zuǒbian | left side |
yòubian | right side |
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