谁 meaning and stroke order
Who; also pr. [shui2]
How to write 谁, stroke by stroke
10 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 谁
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- who
- also pr. [shui2]
How 谁 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Speech.
讠 gives the meaning and 隹 hints at the sound.
Radical: 讠 (words), shared by 144 characters on this site.
How to remember 谁
谁 combines 讠 (speech) with 隹 (zhuī, a short-tailed bird), which gives the sound. Picture hearing a voice behind a bird and asking out loud, "Who said that?"
谁 is the basic question word for "who" and sits where the person would be in the answer, so the word order does not change. Example: 你是谁？(Nǐ shì shéi?) Who are you? In phrases like 谁知道 (shéi zhīdào) it can also mean "who knows" or "who would have thought."
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 住 (zhù) or confuse 谁 with 难 (nán), which shares 隹 but has 又 on the left. Another trap is adding 吗 (ma) to a 谁 question. 谁 already makes it a question, so 他是谁吗 is wrong.
Common words with 谁
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
谁 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 谁
How many strokes are in 谁?
谁 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 谁 mean?
谁 (shéi) means who; also pr. [shui2]. A common word with it is 谁知道 (shéi zhīdào), meaning "God knows...; Who would have imagined...?".
How do you pronounce 谁?
谁 has more than one reading: shéi and shuí. The most common is shéi, said in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 谁?
The radical of 谁 is 讠, which carries the idea of "words". Dictionaries list 谁 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 谁?
The traditional form of 谁 is 誰. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 谁 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 谁 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 谁 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Should I say shéi or shuí?
Both are correct. Shéi is far more common in everyday spoken Mandarin, especially in mainland China. Shuí sounds more formal and is heard in careful reading or some regional speech.
How do I say "whose" or "anyone" with 谁?
For "whose," add 的: 这是谁的书？(Zhè shì shéi de shū?) Whose book is this? For "anyone" or "everyone," use 谁 with 都 or 也: 谁都知道 (shéi dōu zhīdào) means everyone knows.