How to say "where?" in Chinese

哪里 is a compound of 哪 (nǎ) "which" and 里 (lǐ) "inside," but together it simply means "where." It's a fixed question word.

Use 哪里 to ask about a place or location. It's neutral in formality and widely used. For example, 你住在哪里? (nǐ zhù zài nǎlǐ?) means "Where do you live?" Note that 哪里 can also be a polite response to compliments, meaning "not at all," but in this context it's just "where."