Key Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 吗 | ma | question particle for yes/no |
| 呢 | ne | used for return questions |
| 什么 | shén me | what |
| 谁 | shuí/shéi | who |
| 哪 | nǎ | which |
| 几 | jǐ | how many |
| 多少 | duō shǎo | how many / how much |
| 哪里 | nǎ lǐ | where |
Asking Yes/No Questions with 吗
In Chinese, you can turn a statement into a yes/no question by adding 吗 (ma) at the end.
Structure:
[Statement] + 吗？
Examples:
- 你是学生吗？
(Nǐ shì xué shēng ma?) → Are you a student? - 他在家吗？
(Tā zài jiā ma?) → Is he at home? - 你喜欢中文吗？
(Nǐ xǐ huān zhōng wén ma?) → Do you like Chinese?
Using 呢 for Return Questions
The particle 呢 (ne) is often used to bounce back a question (like saying “How about…?” in English).
Structure:
[Topic] + 呢？
Examples:
- 我是学生。你呢？
(Wǒ shì xué shēng. Nǐ ne?) → I am a student. How about you? - 他在家。她呢？
(Tā zài jiā. Tā ne?) → He is at home. What about her?
Wh-Questions in Chinese
Use Wh-words to ask for specific information. The word order in Chinese does not change when forming a question — it stays the same as a statement.
Common Wh-words:
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 什么 | shén me | what |
| 谁 | shuí/shéi | who |
| 哪里 | nǎ lǐ | where |
| 哪 | nǎ | which |
| 几 | jǐ | how many (small numbers) |
| 多少 | duō shǎo | how many/much (large or unknown numbers) |
Examples:
- 你吃什么？
(Nǐ chī shén me?) → What are you eating? - 他是谁？
(Tā shì shuí/shéi?) → Who is he? - 你家在哪里？
(Nǐ jiā zài nǎ lǐ?) → Where is your home? - 你有几个苹果？
(Nǐ yǒu jǐ gè píng guǒ?) → How many apples do you have?
Notes
- Chinese question words do not move to the front of the sentence like in English.
- 吗 turns a statement into a yes/no question — super easy to use!
- 呢 allows for smooth back-and-forth conversation and avoids repetition.
- Use 几 when the expected number is small (e.g., people in a family). Use 多少 when it could be any number (e.g., money, general quantity).