谁？
shéi?
Who?
How to say "which one?" in Chinese
哪个？
nǎge?
Which one?
Character breakdown
Grammar and structure
哪 (nǎ) is a question word meaning "which," and 个 (gè) is a measure word for general objects. Together, 哪个 means "which one?"
Variations and politeness
哪个人？
nǎge rén?
Which person? — Specifies that the question is about a person.
哪一个？
nǎ yī gè?
Which one? — More formal version.
Mini dialogue
A
你想要哪个？
Nǐ xiǎng yào nǎge?
Which one do you want?
B
我想要那个。
Wǒ xiǎng yào nàge.
I want that one.
When to use it
Appropriate
- When you need to choose from a set of items.
- When you want to ask 'which one?' in an informal setting.
Avoid when
- When referring to people; use 哪位 (nǎ wèi) for politeness.
- When you need a more formal tone; use 哪一个 (nǎ yī gè).
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'which one?' in Chinese?
You say 哪个 (nǎge?). It is used to ask which one from a set of items.
How do you pronounce 哪个?
It is pronounced 'nǎge?' with a falling-rising tone on 'nǎ' and a neutral tone on 'ge'.
When do you use 哪个 instead of 哪一个?
哪个 is more colloquial and common in everyday speech, while 哪一个 is slightly more formal.
More phrases for this situation
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