なん; なに

what

JLPT N5

Character Breakdown

Usage of (hé)

The character is a versatile interrogative pronoun used to ask questions about things, reasons, places, or methods. It can mean "what," "why," "where," "which," or "how" depending on context.

Common Collocations

  • (hé shí): when — used to ask about time.
  • (hé dì): where — a formal way to ask location.
  • (hé gù): why — more literary or formal.
  • (hé rén): who — often in classical or formal contexts.

Notes

In modern spoken Chinese, is less common in casual questions, often replaced by 什么 (shénme) or 为什么 (wèishénme). However, appears frequently in formal, literary, or fixed expressions. It is also used in classical Chinese and idioms.

Avoid confusing with (nǎ), which also means "which" but is used differently, often with nouns directly following it.

Understanding helps in reading formal texts, classical literature, and recognizing question words in various contexts.

Example Sentences

What questions do you have?

Why was he late?

Where is the library?