Ni shuo shenme? (你说什么？): What did you say?

你说什么？

nǐ shuō shénme?

What did you say?

Character breakdown

你

you

nǐ

说

say

shuō

什么

what

shénme

Grammar and structure

你 (you) + 说 (say) + 什么 (what). Literally 'you say what?' The question word 什么 asks for the content of what was said.

Variations and politeness

您说什么？

nín shuō shénme?

What did you say? (polite) — More polite because it uses 您 (nín), the formal 'you'.

你刚才说什么？

nǐ gāngcái shuō shénme?

What did you just say? — Adds 刚才 (gāngcái) to specify 'just now'.

Mini dialogue

你说什么？

nǐ shuō shénme?

What did you say?

我说我很忙。

wǒ shuō wǒ hěn máng.

I said I'm very busy.

When to use it

Appropriate

When you didn't hear what someone said and need them to repeat it.
When you are surprised or shocked by what someone said and want confirmation.
In casual conversations with friends or peers.

Avoid when

In formal situations or with superiors, where a more polite phrase like 您说什么？ is expected.
When you want to soften the tone; adding 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) before it or using a more polite form is better.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'What did you say?' in Chinese?

You can say '你说什么？' (nǐ shuō shénme?). For a more polite version, use '您说什么？' (nín shuō shénme?).

How do you pronounce '你说什么？'?

It is pronounced 'nǐ shuō shénme?'. The tones are: nǐ (3rd tone), shuō (1st tone), shén (2nd tone), me (neutral).

When do you use '你说什么？'?

Use it when you didn't hear or understand what someone said, or when you are surprised by their words. It is direct and best used with people you know well.