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?
Disclaimer: All resources provided are partly from the Internet. If there is any infringement of your copyright or other rights and interests, please explain the detailed reasons and provide proof of copyright or rights and interests and then send it to the email: [email protected] We will handle it for you as soon as possible.
Copyright© 2022 湘ICP备2022001581号-3