Every conversation in Chinese starts with one thing: a question. “Who are you?”, “Where’s the bathroom?”, “Why is my bubble tea salty?”—questions are how you actually use the language instead of just memorizing it.
In this Yak Yacker guide, you’ll learn how to ask the most common kinds of questions in Traditional Mandarin—the kind that let you find people, places, prices, and answers without sounding like a confused tourist holding a phrasebook upside down. We’ll break down the question words, easy sentence patterns, and a few sneaky grammar tricks native speakers use every day.
By the end, you’ll be able to ask what something is, where it is, when it happens, why it’s happening, and how to survive it—all while sounding natural, polite, and slightly more confident than a yak lost in a noodle shop.
The Three Engines Of Questions
Mandarin builds questions with three compact frames. Master these and most everyday queries click into place.
Yes–No With 嗎（ma）
把陳述句放前面，句尾加「嗎」。
今天有課嗎？ Jīntiān yǒu kè ma? — Class today?
Yes–No With A-不-A
把動詞或形容詞夾「不」。
忙不忙？ Máng bù máng? — Busy or not?
好不好？ Hǎo bù hǎo? — Good or not?
Choice With 還是（háishì）
在兩個選項中做選擇。
要咖啡還是茶？ Yào kāfēi háishì chá? — Coffee or tea?
Core Question Words That Do The Heavy Lifting
| Meaning | Traditional | Pinyin | Example |
| Who | 誰 | shéi | 他是誰？ Tā shì shéi? — Who is he? |
| What | 什麼 | shénme | 這是什麼？ Zhè shì shénme? — What is this? |
| Where | 哪裡 | nǎlǐ | 洗手間在哪裡？ Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ? — Where is the restroom? |
| When | 什麼時候 | shénme shíhòu | 你什麼時候到？ Nǐ shénme shíhòu dào? — When will you arrive? |
| Why | 為什麼 | wèishénme | 為什麼遲到？ Wèishénme chídào? — Why late? |
| How (method) | 怎麼 | zěnme | 怎麼去？ Zěnme qù? — How to get there? |
| How (state) | 怎麼樣 | zěnmeyàng | 今天怎麼樣？ Jīntiān zěnmeyàng? — How was today? |
| Which | 哪個／哪一個 | nǎge / nǎ yí ge | 你要哪個？ Nǐ yào nǎge? — Which one? |
| How many (small known range) | 幾 | jǐ | 幾點？ Jǐ diǎn? — What time? |
| How much / how many | 多少 | duōshǎo | 多少錢？ Duōshǎo qián? — How much money? |
The Placement Rule That Makes Questions Click
疑問詞通常待在「該資訊本來的位置」。把未知的部分換成疑問詞，其他順序不變。
在教室見面。 Zài jiàoshì jiànmiàn. — Meet in the classroom.
哪裡見面？ Nǎlǐ jiànmiàn? — Where meet?
我們明天見面。 Wǒmen míngtiān jiànmiàn. — We meet tomorrow.
什麼時候見面？ Shénme shíhòu jiànmiàn? — When meet?
Yes–No: 嗎 或 A-不-A
嗎（ma） 輕鬆、禮貌、萬用。
你是學生嗎？ Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma? — Are you a student?
A-不-A 口語利落，像開關。
熱不熱？ Rè bú rè? — Hot or not?
想不想吃？ Xiǎng bù xiǎng chī? — Want to eat or not?
兩者都自然；場合偏正式時，用「嗎」更穩當；快問快答時，A-不-A更俐落。
Choice Questions: 用 還是，不用 或者
問句裡選擇用「還是（háishì）」。
你要內用還是外帶？ Nǐ yào nèiyòng háishì wàidài? — Dine in or takeout?
陳述句裡用「或／或者」。
我明天坐公車或捷運。 Wǒ míngtiān zuò gōngchē huò jiéyùn. — I’ll take bus or MRT tomorrow.
幾 vs 多少：時間小、金額大
幾（jǐ） 小範圍、已知上限：
幾點？ Jǐ diǎn? — What time?
你家有幾個人？ Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ ge rén? — How many in the family?
多少（duōshǎo） 不確定或較大數量：
多少錢？ Duōshǎo qián? — How much money?
這裡多少人？ Zhèlǐ duōshǎo rén? — How many people here?
Polite Boosters That Open Doors
請問… Qǐngwèn… — May I ask…
方便嗎？ Fāngbiàn ma? — Is it convenient?
麻煩你… Máfan nǐ… — Could you please…
你呢？ Nǐ ne? — And you?（回問、把話題丟回去）
Regional Note
哪裡（nǎlǐ）在台灣與書面體常見；哪兒（nǎr）在北方口語常見。意思相同。選一種保持一致即可。
Mini Dialogues（Traditional • Pinyin • English）
在餐廳點餐
A：請問要內用還是外帶？
A: Qǐngwèn yào nèiyòng háishì wàidài?
A: Dine in or takeout?
B：內用。這個多少錢？
B: Nèiyòng. Zhè ge duōshǎo qián?
B: Dine in. How much is this?
A：一百二。需要加辣嗎？
A: Yìbǎi èr. Xūyào jiā là ma?
A: 120. Add spice?
B：不用，謝謝。
B: Bú yòng, xièxie.
B: No, thanks.
問路到捷運
A：捷運站在哪裡？
A: Jiéyùn zhàn zài nǎlǐ?
A: Where is the MRT station?
B：前面左轉就到了。
B: Qiánmiàn zuǒ zhuǎn jiù dào le.
B: Turn left ahead and you’re there.
A：走路幾分鐘？
A: Zǒulù jǐ fēnzhōng?
A: How many minutes on foot?
B：五分鐘。
B: Wǔ fēnzhōng.
B: Five minutes.
工作安排
A：會議幾點開始？
A: Huìyì jǐ diǎn kāishǐ?
A: What time does the meeting start?
B：三點。線上還是現場？
B: Sān diǎn. Xiànshàng háishì xiànchǎng?
B: Three. Online or in person?
A：線上，可以嗎？
A: Xiànshàng, kěyǐ ma?
A: Online, okay?
B：可以。
B: Kěyǐ.
B: Okay.
關心朋友
A：你最近怎麼樣？
A: Nǐ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?
A: How have things been lately?
B：還行，就是有點累。你呢？
B: Hái xíng, jiùshì yǒudiǎn lèi. Nǐ ne?
B: Okay, just a bit tired. And you?
A：忙不忙？
A: Máng bù máng?
A: Busy or not?
B：有一點。
B: Yǒu yìdiǎn.
B: A little.
Copy-Ready Patterns（Swap The Blank）
這是什麼？ Zhè shì shénme? — What is this?
＿＿在哪裡？ ______ zài nǎlǐ? — Where is ______?
你什麼時候到？ Nǐ shénme shíhòu dào? — When will you arrive?
為什麼＿＿？ Wèishénme ______? — Why ______?
要＿＿還是＿＿？ Yào ______ háishì ______? — ______ or ______?
＿＿多少錢？ ______ duōshǎo qián? — How much is ______?
幾點見？ Jǐ diǎn jiàn? — Meet at what time?
怎麼去＿＿？ Zěnme qù ______? — How to get to ______?
Quick Reference Table（One-Line Answers Included）
| Question | Pinyin | Natural Short Answer |
| 現在幾點？ | Xiànzài jǐ diǎn? | 三點半。 Sān diǎn bàn. — Three-thirty. |
| 這個多少錢？ | Zhè ge duōshǎo qián? | 一百。 Yìbǎi. — One hundred. |
| 洗手間在哪裡？ | Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ? | 二樓。 Èr lóu. — Second floor. |
| 你是台灣人嗎？ | Nǐ shì Táiwān rén ma? | 不是／是。 Bú shì / shì. |
| 要辣嗎？ | Yào là ma? | 要／不要。 Yào / bú yào. |
| 哪個比較便宜？ | Nǎge bǐjiào piányí? | 這個。 Zhè ge. — This one. |
Yak-Style Closing Nudge
Questions are pocket tools: 嗎 for polite toggles, A-不-A for quick checks, 還是 for clean choices, plus the core who-what-where-when-why-how set. Keep the word order steady, swap in the right疑問詞, and conversations start moving like a well-oiled scooter—small engine, surprising distance.