哪

哪

nǎ

interrogative pronoun

Structure

Basic form

The interrogative pronoun nǎ 哪 ‘which’ is used with numeral, measure word, and noun to form a phrase. If the numeral is yī 一 ‘one’, it can be omitted.

It can be also used with the measure word xiē 些 ‘some’.  In such case, it forms a phrase nǎxiē 哪些 ‘which ones’, which is used without a numeral.

Question

The interrogative pronoun nǎ 哪 ‘which’ is normally placed at the point where the required information would be provided in the corresponding statement.

A phrase with nǎ 哪 ‘which’ can be used as a subject.

A phrase with nǎ 哪 ‘which’ can be used as an object.

A phrase with nǎ 哪 ‘which’ can be used as an attributive.

Functions

1. Nǎ 哪 asking about things

Nǎ 哪 ‘which’ is used to ask questions about things. It often puts emphasis on the choice between different options.

If the object referred to is obvious from the context, the noun can be omitted.

Nǎ 哪 ‘which’ can also be pronounced as něi, especially in colloquial speech.

There are some nouns related to time, which do not require measure words before them. In such cases, no additional measure word is added.

See Measure words for additional information.

2. Nǎ 哪 asking about nationality

Nǎ 哪 ‘which’ can be used in questions about nationality. It forms the phrase nǎ guó rén 哪国人 literally ‘person from which country’.

The question about nationality can also be asked using a phrase with nǎ 哪 ‘which’ as an attributive. It is more colloquial.