这是什么？

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

Chinese Characters: 这是什么？
Pinyin: Zhè shì shén me?
Pronunciation: zhe4 shi4 shen2 me5
English Translation: What is this?

Usage:

"这是什么？(Zhè shì shén me?)" is a common question used to ask "What is this?" in Chinese. It can be used in a variety of situations, such as when you are trying to identify an object, a person, or a place.

Example:

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

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

这是什么东西？(Zhè shì shén me dōngxi?): Literally means "What is this thing?", and is used to ask about specific objects.
这是什么人？(Zhè shì shén me rén?): Literally means "What is this person?", and is used to ask about people.
这是什么地方？(Zhè shì shén me dìfāng?): Literally means "What is this place?", and is used to ask about places.
Tips for Learning:

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

"这是什么？(Zhè shì shén me?)" is a versatile question that can be used in many different situations.
To ask "What is this?" about a specific object, you can add a demonstrative pronoun, such as "这个 (zhè ge)" or "那个 (nà ge)" before "这是什么？(Zhè shì shén me?)". For example, "这是什么？(Zhè shì shén me?)" means "What is this?", while "这是什么？(Zhè ge shì shén me?)" means "What is this (specific object)?"
You can also use "这是什么？(Zhè shì shén me?)" to ask about abstract concepts, such as "这是什么意思？(Zhè shì shén me yìsi?)", which means "What does this mean?"