哪

• Pinyin: nǎ
• Hanzi breakdown: 哪 = 口 (mouth) + 那 (phonetic component)

Meaning

Which; what. An interrogative pronoun used to ask about a specific item from a group.

A fundamental question word in Chinese. Used before measure words and nouns to ask 'which one.' Different from 那 (nà, that) only in tone. Very commonly used in everyday questions.

Examples

1. 你是哪国人？ Which country are you from?
2. 你住在哪个城市？ Which city do you live in?
3. 你要哪一个？ Which one do you want?

Usage Guide

Context: question, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你在哪个学校上学？(Which school do you go to?)
• 哪天方便？(Which day is convenient?)

Don't Say

• 哪人来了？(Wrong — 哪 needs a measure word; say 哪个人来了？ with the measure word 个)

Origin & History

The character combines 口 (mouth) and 那 (phonetic component). Originally a variant of 那 that evolved to specifically carry the interrogative meaning.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal