pron.
A question word asking about a person's identity. Also used to mean anyone, someone, or whoever in general statements. A bird (隹) with a speech bubble (讠) asking, "Who?
谁
Common Usage & Traps
- 谁啊？ — Who is it? / Who's there?
- 你是谁？ — Who are you?
- 这是谁的书？ — Whose book is this?
- 你看见谁了？ — Who did you see?
- 谁看见我的猫？ — Who saw my cat? / If anyone saw my cat...
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谁电话谁的电话Whose needs 的 before the noun. 谁电话 sounds like a missing piece.
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谁你看见了？你看见谁了？Do not front 谁 like English. Chinese keeps the question word in the object slot.
Does 谁 always ask a direct question?
No. 谁 often means 'anyone' in statements like 谁看见我的猫.
谁 is not only for direct questions. It can also mean 'anyone' or 'whoever' in a general statement. In a lost-cat notice, 谁看见... means 'if anyone sees...', not 'who saw...'.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 谁看见我的猫 = if anyone sees my cat | 谁看见我的猫 = only direct 'Who saw my cat?' |
| Notice style | 谁看见...，请打电话... | Treating it as a face-to-face direct question |
How do you say 'whose phone' — is it 谁电话 or 谁的电话?
Always say 谁的电话. Dropping 的 sounds broken: 谁电话.
When 谁 means 'whose', it must take 的 before a noun. 谁的电话 is the normal HSK 1 pattern. Without 的, native ears hear a missing piece.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Whose phone | 这是谁的电话？ | 这是谁电话？ |
| Pattern | 谁的 + noun | 谁 + noun |
Can you move 谁 to the front for 'Who did you see?
Keep 谁 in the object slot: 你看见谁了？
Chinese does not front the question word the way English does. You say 你看见谁了？, not 谁你看见了？. The same slot rule applies to 你找谁？.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Object question | 你看见谁了？ | 谁你看见了？ |
| Short question | 你找谁？ | 谁你找？ |
Should I pronounce 谁 as shéi or shuí?
Say shéi in daily speech; shuí sounds like a textbook read-aloud.
Both are listed, but normal conversation runs on shéi. You still hear shuí in old songs, news, or careful readings. If you say shuí at a noodle shop, you sound stiff, not wrong.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Daily speech | shéi | shuí (textbooky/stiff) |
Appears in Stories 3 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
This playful rhyme helps you learn family words in Chinese. Practice saying who's who with simple questions and answers!
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小朋友，我问问你，这个小朋友，他是 谁 ？
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那个小孩子，他是 谁 ？
Before you read, think about the questions you ask every day. This simple poem shows you how to ask age, price, time, and more in friendly Chinese.
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看电视，他是 谁 ？
A young man helps an old man look for his cat. But the real surprise is why the old man wanted to find the cat. Read on to learn about kindness and friendship.
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谁 看见我的大白猫大白，请打电话给三号房间。”
Questions & Discussion 0 questions
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