Meaning
A question word asking about a person.
Cultural Background
Directly asking 'Who are you?' can be rude. Use '哪位' on the phone. Similar to the mainland, politeness is highly valued in introductions. Often mixed with English, but the usage of {谁|shéi} remains the same. Cantonese speakers use '邊個' (bin1 go3) for who, but understand {谁|shéi} perfectly.
Keep it simple
Don't overthink the grammar. Just replace the person with {谁|shéi}.
Be polite
Use {哪位|nǎwèi} when you don't know the person well.
Meaning
A question word asking about a person.
Keep it simple
Don't overthink the grammar. Just replace the person with {谁|shéi}.
Be polite
Use {哪位|nǎwèi} when you don't know the person well.
Test Yourself
Fill in the blank with the correct question word.
___ {是|shì} {你|nǐ} {的|de} {老师|lǎoshī}?
We are asking about a person (teacher), so we use {谁|shéi}.
Choose the correct sentence.
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Chinese question words follow the statement structure.
🎉 Score: /2
Visual Learning Aids
Practice Bank
2 exercises___ {是|shì} {你|nǐ} {的|de} {老师|lǎoshī}?
We are asking about a person (teacher), so we use {谁|shéi}.
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Chinese question words follow the statement structure.
🎉 Score: /2
Frequently Asked Questions
2 questionsBoth are correct. {shéi} is more common in modern speech.
No, use {什么|shénme} for objects.
Related Phrases
{哪位|nǎwèi}
specialized formWhich person (polite)
{谁的|shéide}
builds onWhose
{任何人|rènhérén}
similarAnyone
