什么 / 谁 / 哪儿 / 几
Question words: 什么, 谁, 哪儿, 几
Chinese question words stay right in the slot where the answer would go — no moving them to the front like English. 什么 (what) — 你叫什么名字? (What's your name?). 谁 (who) — 那是谁? (Who is that?). 哪儿 (where) — 你在哪儿? (Where are you?). 几 (how many, for small expected numbers, usually under ~10, and always followed by a measure word) — 你家有几个人? (How many people are in your family?). No question mark word is needed together with 吗 — a sentence with 什么/谁/哪儿/几 already is a question by itself.
Examples
- 你喜欢什么运动？nǐ xǐ huan shén me yùn dòng
What sport do you like?
- 他是谁？tā shì shéi
Who is he?
- 洗手间在哪儿？xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎr
Where is the bathroom?
Common mistake
✗ Wrong: 什么你喜欢吃？
✓ Right: 你喜欢吃什么？
Question words fill the position the answer would occupy — 什么 goes where 'it' (the thing eaten) would go, at the end near the verb, not moved to the front of the sentence.
Practice this pattern
Fill in the missing character:
你喜欢＿么运动？
What sport do you like?