为什么？
wèishénme?
Why?
How to say "Who?" in Chinese
谁？
shéi?
Who?
Character breakdown
Grammar and structure
谁 (shéi) is a single-character question word meaning "who". It can stand alone as a question or be placed in a sentence to ask about the subject or object.
Variations and politeness
你是谁？
nǐ shì shéi?
Who are you? — A more polite variant with clarification.
谁啊？
shéi a?
Who is it? — A colloquial variant with an added particle.
Mini dialogue
A
你是谁？
nǐ shì shéi?
Who are you?
B
我是李明。
wǒ shì lǐ míng.
I am Li Ming.
A
哦，李明！
ó, lǐ míng!
Oh, Li Ming!
When to use it
Appropriate
- When you want to ask about a person's identity.
- When you hear a knock at the door and want to know who is there.
- When you are surprised or curious about someone's presence.
Avoid when
- When asking about a thing or animal, use 什么 (shénme) instead.
- When asking about a choice among people, use 哪 (nǎ) instead.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'who' in Chinese?
You say 谁 (shéi). It is a single-character question word meaning 'who'.
How do you pronounce 谁?
It is pronounced 'shéi', with the 'sh' sound as in 'she' and a rising tone. The vowel sound is similar to the 'ay' in 'say', but without the final 'y' glide.
When do you use 谁?
Use 谁 to ask about a person's identity, like 'who' in English. It can stand alone or be placed in a sentence, such as 你是谁？ (nǐ shì shéi?) for 'Who are you?'.
More phrases for this situation
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