那是什么？

Learning Chinese: How to Ask "What is That?" in Chinese

Chinese Characters: 那是什么？
Pinyin: Nà shì shén me?
Pronunciation: na4 shi4 shen2 me5
English Translation: What is that?

Usage:

"那是什么？(Nà shì shén me?)" is a common question used to ask about something that you don't know or understand. It can be used in a variety of situations, both formal and informal.

Example:

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

Variations:

There are a few variations of "那是什么？(Nà shì shén me?)" that you may hear:

这是什么？(Zhè shì shén me?): This variation is used when asking about something that is close to you.
那是什 么？(Nà shì shén me?): This variation is used when asking about something that is farther away from you.
Tips for Learning:

Practice saying "那是什么？(Nà shì shén me?)" out loud to improve your pronunciation.
Listen to native Chinese speakers asking "what is that?" to get a sense of the natural rhythm and intonation.
Use "那是什么？(Nà shì shén me?)" in your daily conversations to practice using it in context.
Additional Notes:

"那是什么？(Nà shì shén me?)" can also be used to ask about the meaning of a word or phrase.
To ask about the name of something, you can say "那叫什么？(Nà jiào shén me?)", which means "what is that called?"
In some regions of China, people may also use "啥 (sha)" instead of "什么 (shén me)" in this question. For example, "那是什么？(Nà shì shén me?)" can be shortened to "那是啥？(Nà shì sha?)".