How to Ask Questions in Chinese - Free PDF and Flashcards

Questions are the match that lights up a real conversation. In Chinese, you don’t need to memorise a hundred grammar rules-just a pocketful of question words and a couple of simple patterns, and you’re suddenly talking to people instead of just nodding along.

We’ve rounded up roughly 30 go-to Chinese question words and sentence patterns-the everyday stuff like 什么, 谁, and 怎么, plus a few handy question endings. Each entry gives you a plain-English meaning and a realistic example sentence, so you can see exactly how the question behaves in a real conversation. Tap the play button to hear the pronunciation-your ears will thank you.

Ready to get curious in Chinese? Scroll to the bottom of the article for the free printable how to ask questions in Chinese vocabulary list PDF and the free downloadable printable how to ask questions in Chinese flashcards, so you can practice asking and answering with confidence.

Want more than one list? Browse our Chinese section for more Yak Yacker study pages, printable lists, and quiz-friendly review material.

Quick Quiz

Think you can match a Chinese question word to its English meaning without peeking? The quick quiz below is a friendly way to test your memory-focus on the ones you miss, then come back to the table.

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Browse the Full List

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	Example Pinyin	Translation
有……没有……		你有没有时间？
有没有	yǒu méi yǒu	have or not have	nǐ yǒu méi yǒu qián?	Do you have money?
能不能	néng bu néng	can or cannot	nǐ néng bu néng lái?	Can you come?
谁	shéi	who	shéi huì shuō Fǎyǔ?	Who can speak French?
谁 shéi	who	谁来了？	Who came?

Free How to Ask Questions in Chinese PDF and Flashcards

Grab the purple vocab-list button for the how to ask questions in Chinese vocabulary list and the teal flashcards button for the how to ask questions in Chinese flashcards. Both are 100% free, with no signup needed.