你叫什么名字？
nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
What's your name?
How to ask "Where are you from?" in Chinese
你是哪国人？
nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?
Where are you from?
Character breakdown
Grammar and structure
你 (you) + 是 (are) + 哪 (which) + 国 (country) + 人 (person). Literally 'you are which country person?' The structure asks for nationality.
Variations and politeness
您是哪国人？
nín shì nǎ guó rén?
Where are you from? (polite) — More polite because it uses 您 (nín), the respectful 'you'.
你是哪里人？
nǐ shì nǎ lǐ rén?
Where are you from? (casual) — More casual and colloquial, asking about hometown or region rather than country.
Mini dialogue
A
你好！你是哪国人？
nǐ hǎo! nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?
Hello! Where are you from?
B
我是俄罗斯人。你呢？
wǒ shì èluósī rén. nǐ ne?
I'm Russian. And you?
When to use it
Appropriate
- When you meet someone new and want to know their nationality or home country.
- As an icebreaker in social situations, especially when meeting foreigners.
Avoid when
- When you already know the person's nationality; it would sound redundant or odd.
- In formal settings where you should use the polite form 您是哪国人？ instead of 你.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'Where are you from?' in Chinese?
You say '你是哪国人？' (nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?). It literally means 'You are which country person?' and is the standard way to ask someone's nationality.
How do you pronounce '你是哪国人？'?
It is pronounced 'nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?' with the third tone on nǐ, fourth on shì, third on nǎ, second on guó, and second on rén.
When do you use '你是哪国人？'?
Use it when you meet someone new and want to know their home country. It's common in casual conversations, but for formal situations, switch to the polite form '您是哪国人？'.
More phrases for this situation
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