Meaning of 哪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- how
- which
- (emphatic sentence-final particle, used instead of 啊[a5] after a word ending in "n")
- which? (interrogative, followed by classifier or numeral-classifier)
- used in 哪吒[Ne2 zha1]
- Taiwan pr. [nuo2]
How to use 哪
哪 asks "which" and is usually followed by a classifier or a number plus classifier, as in 哪个 (nǎge) or 哪本书. It also builds the common question words 哪里 (nǎlǐ) and 哪儿 (nǎr) for "where". Example: 你是哪国人？(Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?) Which country are you from?
哪 (nǎ) is 口 (mouth) plus 那 (nà, that). Picture a mouth pointing at 那 "that" and asking "which one?", so the question word is built from the word for "that" with a mouth added.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 哪 (nǎ, which) with 那 (nà, that), since they look alike and differ only in the 口 and the tone. Remember that the question word has the mouth and the third tone, so 哪个 means "which one" while 那个 means "that one".
哪 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
哪 nǎ · how · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 哪.
Questions about 哪
What does 哪 mean?
哪 (nǎ) means "how; which" and is used as a pronoun and auxiliary verb.
How do you write 哪?
哪 is made of 1 character: 哪 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 哪 an HSK word?
Yes. 哪 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why do some people say něi instead of nǎ?
Before a classifier or a number plus classifier, many speakers say něi, as in 哪个 (něige). It is a common spoken variant with the same meaning, and nǎ is also correct.
Can 哪里 be used to reply to a compliment?
Yes. Saying 哪里哪里 (nǎlǐ nǎlǐ) is a modest way to brush off praise, roughly "not at all". It does not ask about a place in this use.