Meaning of 哪儿
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- where?
- wherever; anywhere; somewhere
- (used in rhetorical questions) how can ...?; how could ...?
How to use 哪儿
Use 哪儿 to ask where something or someone is, usually after 在 (zài) or a verb of motion like 去 (qù). It is common in northern and everyday spoken Chinese. Example: 你去哪儿？(Nǐ qù nǎr?) Where are you going?
哪儿 is 哪 (nǎ, which) plus the 儿 (r) ending, so it literally asks "which place". The mouth radical 口 on the left of 哪 marks it as the question word, while 那 (nà) without the mouth means "that".
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 哪儿 (nǎr, where, third tone, with 口) and 那儿 (nàr, there, fourth tone, no 口). Mixing up the tone or dropping the 口 turns your question into a statement.
哪儿 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
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
儿 ér · son · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 哪儿.
| 哪里 | nǎlǐ | where?; somewhere |
| 这儿 | zhèr | here |
| 儿子 | érzi | son |
| 女儿 | nǚ'ér | daughter |
| 那儿 | nàr | there |
| 一会儿 | yīhuìr | a moment; a while |
| 哪些 | nǎxiē | which ones?; who? |
| 没事儿 | méishìr | to have spare time; free from work |
| 一点儿 | yīdiǎnr | erhua variant of 一點|一点[yi1 dian3] |
| 女孩儿 | nǚháir | erhua form of 女孩[nu : 3 hai2] |
| 一块儿 | yīkuàir | erhua variant of 一塊|一块[yi1 kuai4] |
| 玩儿 | wánr | to play; to have fun |
Questions about 哪儿
What does 哪儿 mean?
哪儿 (nǎr) means "where?; wherever; anywhere; somewhere" and is used as a pronoun.
How do you write 哪儿?
哪儿 is made of 2 characters: 哪 (9 strokes), 儿 (2 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 哪儿 an HSK word?
Yes. 哪儿 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 哪儿 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 哪儿 is written 哪兒.
What is the difference between 哪儿 and 哪里?
Both mean "where". 哪儿 sounds more northern and casual, while 哪里 (nǎlǐ) is more common in southern China, Taiwan, and writing. 哪里 is also used as a modest reply to compliments, which 哪儿 usually is not.
Can 哪儿 mean "anywhere" or "nowhere"?
Yes. With 都 or 也 it means everywhere or anywhere, as in 我哪儿都不去 (Wǒ nǎr dōu bú qù), I am not going anywhere. In rhetorical questions it can also mean "how could", as in 我哪儿知道？(Wǒ nǎr zhīdào?), How would I know?