Question Words: 谁, 什么, 哪, 哪儿, 几, 多少, 怎么, 为什么, 怎么样

These are the "wh-" words of Chinese: who, what, where, when, why, how. The wonderful thing about them is the rule for using them, which is the exact opposite of English and far easier. You don't move the question word to the front. You leave it sitting right where the answer would go. Learn that one principle and all of these fall into place.

The golden rule: the question word stays put

In English, you flip the sentence around: "You're eating what?" becomes "What are you eating?" Chinese doesn't do that. You keep the normal word order and just drop the question word into the slot you're asking about.

• 你吃什么? (You're eating what? = What are you eating?)
• 他是谁? (He is who? = Who is he?)

See how 什么 sits in the object spot, exactly where the food would go in the answer? That's the whole trick. Put the question word where the answer belongs. No reordering, and no 吗 at the end (you don't need it, the question word already makes it a question).

Now let's meet each word.

谁 (shéi) — who

Goes wherever a person would go.

• 谁是你的老师? (Who is your teacher?)
• 你找谁? (Who are you looking for?)
• 这是谁的书? (Whose book is this?) — with 的 it means "whose."

什么 (shénme) — what

The all-purpose "what." Sits in the thing/object slot.

• 这是什么? (What is this?)
• 你想吃什么? (What do you want to eat?)
• 你叫什么名字? (What's your name? — literally "you're called what name?")

Stick it in front of a noun and it means "what kind of": 什么时候 (what time = when), 什么地方 (what place = where).

哪 (nǎ) — which

Used to pick from options. It almost always pairs with a measure word.

• 你喜欢哪个? (Which one do you like?)
• 哪本书是你的? (Which book is yours?)

So 哪 + measure word + noun = "which [noun]."

哪儿 / 哪里 (nǎr / nǎlǐ) — where

Goes in the place slot. 哪儿 is more northern/casual, 哪里 a touch more formal, but they're interchangeable.

• 你去哪儿? (Where are you going?)
• 他在哪里? (Where is he?)
• 洗手间在哪儿? (Where's the restroom?)

几 (jǐ) and 多少 (duōshao) — how many / how much

Both ask about quantity, but they split by size.

几 is for small numbers (roughly under ten) and always takes a measure word:

• 你有几个孩子? (How many kids do you have?)
• 现在几点? (What time is it? — literally "now how many o'clock")

多少 is for larger or open-ended amounts, and it doesn't need a measure word:

• 这个多少钱? (How much is this?)
• 你们班有多少学生? (How many students are in your class?)

Quick guide: expecting a small countable number, use 几; expecting something big or unknown, use 多少.

怎么 (zěnme) — how / why-ish

Mainly "how" (in what way), placed before the verb.

• 这个字怎么写? (How do you write this character?)
• 你怎么去学校? (How do you get to school?)

It can also mean "how come" with a note of surprise: 你怎么不吃? (How come you're not eating?).

为什么 (wèishénme) — why

Asks for a reason. Usually goes after the subject, before the verb.

• 你为什么学中文? (Why are you studying Chinese?)
• 他为什么没来? (Why didn't he come?)

The typical answer pairs with 因为 (because): 因为我喜欢。 (Because I like it.)

怎么样 (zěnmeyàng) — how about / how is it

Asks for an opinion or assessment, often sitting at the end.

• 这个怎么样? (How about this one? / What do you think of this?)
• 你最近怎么样? (How have you been lately?)
• 我们去看电影,怎么样? (Let's go see a movie, how about it?)

It's a friendly, all-purpose way to ask "how is it?" or float a suggestion.

Answering: swap the answer in for the question word

Because the question word sits where the answer goes, replying is dead simple. You take the question and swap the question word for the real information, keeping everything else the same.

• 你吃什么? → 我吃面条。 (I'm eating noodles.)
• 他是谁? → 他是我哥哥。 (He's my older brother.)
• 你去哪儿? → 我去学校。 (I'm going to school.)

The question and answer are mirror images. That symmetry is the payoff of leaving the question word in place.

Quick recap

• Don't move the question word to the front. Leave it where the answer goes.
• Don't add 吗; the question word already asks the question.
• 谁 who, 什么 what, 哪 which (+ measure word), 哪儿/哪里 where.
• 几 how many (small, + measure word) vs 多少 how much/many (large or open).
• 怎么 how, 为什么 why, 怎么样 how-about/how-is-it.

One rule, nine words. Master the "keep it in place" idea and Chinese questions become genuinely easy.