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How do you say what in Chinese? 什么 Chinese pronunciation, 什么 Chinese learning

Published on 2024-08-05
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什么

Learning Chinese: How to Say "What" in Chinese

Chinese Characters: 什么
Pinyin: shén me
Pronunciation: shen2 me
English Translation: What

Usage:

"什么 (shén me)" is the most common way to say "what" in Chinese. It can be used in a variety of contexts, including:

Asking questions: 什么意思?(Shén me yìsi?) - What does it mean?
Expressing surprise or disbelief: 什么?(Shén me?) - What?
Asking for clarification: 你说什么?(Nǐ shuō shén me?) - What did you say?

Example:

Chinese: 这是什么?
Pinyin: Zhè shì shén me?
English: What is this?

Variations:

There are a few variations of "什么 (shén me)" that you may hear:

啥 (sha): A more informal way to say "what", similar to "huh?" in English.
什么东西 (shén me dōngxi): Literally means "what thing", but can be used to ask "what" in a more general sense.
Tips for Learning:

Practice saying "什么 (shén me)" out loud to improve your pronunciation.
Listen to native Chinese speakers saying "what" to get a sense of the natural rhythm and intonation.
Use "什么 (shén me)" in your daily conversations to practice using it in context.

Additional Notes:

"什么 (shén me)" is typically placed at the beginning of a question.
When asking a question using "什么 (shén me)", the question word is usually followed by a noun or verb.
For example:
Chinese: 你叫什么名字?(Nǐ jiào shén me míngzi?) - What is your name?
Chinese: 你在做什么?(Nǐ zài zuò shén me?) - What are you doing?

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