How to Use shenme 什么 and ma 吗 to Ask Questions in Chinese (HSK 1)

In Chinese, shenme 什么 and ma 吗 are both question words. However, as question words, shenme 什么 and ma 吗 cannot be used together in the same sentence.

Let’s look at shenme 什么 and ma 吗 one at a time.

Ma 吗 is a particle with no direct meaning on its own, but when added to the end of a sentence, indicates a question being asked. (Think of ma 吗 as a question mark that you pronounce.) In other words, the particle ma 吗 is used to turn a statement into a yes-no question.

Here are a few examples:

All of these sentences are correct without ma 吗, but they are just statements instead of questions. All you need to do to turn a statement into a question in Chinese is to add ma 吗 to the end. Super simple!

Shenme 什么 means “what” in Chinese and is used to ask open-ended questions. In Chinese, shenme 什么 can be placed at the end of the sentence, or before the object of the sentence. For example:

你喜欢吃什么？
Nǐ xǐhuān chī shénme?
What do you like to eat?

你叫什么名字？
Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?
What is your name?

那是什么颜色？
Nà shì shénme yánsè?
What color is that?

Besides its use as a question word, shenme 什么 can also be a pronoun meaning “something”, “anything”, or “any”, so you may see sentences such as:

你想喝点什么吗？
Nǐ xiǎng hē diǎn shénme ma?
Do you want something to drink?

您有什么不明白的吗？
Nín yǒu shénme bù míngbái de ma?
Do you have any questions?

In these sentences, shenme 什么 is no longer a question word, which is why shenme 什么 and ma 吗 can appear together.

However, when using shenme 什么 as a question word in Chinese, remember: shenme 什么 and ma 吗 cannot be used together!

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About the Author

Eden has been learning Chinese since 2008. She fell in love with the language, food, and culture and never looked back! Eden lived in China for six years, including in Harbin, Beijing, and Dali.