Meanings of 誰
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About 誰
Podcast: 誰
Podcast: 誰
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AI Study Notes for 誰
谁 (shéi) vs 何 (hé) — use 谁 (shuí) for asking about specific individuals, while 何 (hé) is more abstract or formal, often used in literary contexts.
Be careful not to confuse 誰 with other similar interrogative pronouns like 什么 (shénme, 'what') or 哪 (nǎ, 'which'). 誰 is typically used in questions, so ensure your sentence structure reflects this, such as using it at the beginning of a question.
While 誰 is not explicitly categorized under a specific HSK level, it is essential for beginner learners to grasp basic interrogative words. Focus on using 誰 in simple questions to build confidence in conversational Mandarin.
Learners often mistakenly use 誰 in affirmative statements instead of questions, such as saying '我知道誰' (Wǒ zhīdào shuí, 'I know who') in contexts where a question is expected. Always use 誰 in an interrogative form.
Pronunciation of 誰
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Etymology of 誰
Phonosemantic compound. 讠 represents the meaning and 隹 represents the sound.
speech
Jason Etymology Detective
Case file: 誰
Phonosemantic compound. 讠 represents the meaning and 隹 represents the sound.
- 1The meaning half言 carries the sense.
- 2The sound half隹 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
- 3The giveawayspeech
- 4On the record aspictophonetic.
Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.
Want the full history of 誰? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.
Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.Character Formation Type
What type of character formation is 誰?
Decomposition of 誰
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How to say who? whom? whose? anyone? in Chinese
“who? whom? whose? anyone?” in Chinese is誰
誰 (shuí) is a pronoun used to ask questions about identity, meaning 'who?' or 'whom?'. It is commonly used in both formal and informal contexts, such as when inquiring about a person's name or role in a conversation.
When to use 誰
Be careful not to confuse 誰 with other similar interrogative pronouns like 什么 (shénme, 'what') or 哪 (nǎ, 'which'). 誰 is typically used in questions, so ensure your sentence structure reflects this, such as using it at the beginning of a question.
誰 or something close to it
谁 (shéi) vs 何 (hé) — use 谁 (shuí) for asking about specific individuals, while 何 (hé) is more abstract or formal, often used in literary contexts.
What learners get wrong
Learners often mistakenly use 誰 in affirmative statements instead of questions, such as saying '我知道誰' (Wǒ zhīdào shuí, 'I know who') in contexts where a question is expected. Always use 誰 in an interrogative form.
Write 誰
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Practice writing 誰 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
Word Family of 誰
Compound Meaning
What does 谁 mean?
Frequently Asked Questions about 誰
You can use 誰 at the beginning of a question, such as '誰是你的朋友?' (Shuí shì nǐ de péngyǒu?), which means 'Who is your friend?'.
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