English–Chinese

“why” in Chinese

Chinese

Also为何 (wèi hé) · 干吗 (gàn má) · 干嘛 (gàn má)

Pronunciation

Pinyinwèi shén me

Example

为什么她不来？wèi shén me tā bù lái

Why isn't she coming?

Illustration for 为什么 (why)

How to say “why” in Chinese

“Why” in Chinese is 为什么 (wèi shén me).

A question that traces an action or event back to its reason.

Full entry for 为什么: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with 为什么

孩子们不知道为什么笑。hái zi men bù zhī dào wèi shén me xiào

The children do not know why they are laughing.

Tips for using 为什么

  • Unlike English, Chinese keeps normal statement order after this question word, so the subject and verb do not switch places.

Other Chinese words for “why”

你为何不来？nǐ wèi hé bù lái

Why aren't you coming?

你干吗这样？nǐ gàn má zhè yàng

Why are you doing this?

你干嘛这样？nǐ gàn má zhè yàng

Why are you doing that?

“why” in other languages