Chinese word

哪里

Pronunciation

Pinyinnǎ lǐ

Meaning

  • pronounwhere

Example

请问哪里有厕所？qǐng wèn ná lǐ yǒu cè suǒ

Excuse me, where is the bathroom?

Illustration for 哪里 (where)

More examples

你家在哪里？nǐ jiā zài ná lǐ

Where is your house?

Core concept

An open space on the mental map that a question asks someone to identify.

Common phrases

  • 在哪里zài ná lǐ

    whereabouts

  • 哪里有ná lǐ yǒu

    where is

  • 从哪里来cóng ná lǐ lái

    where one comes from

Similar words

哪儿nǎr: Asks for the place where a person or thing is located in casual spoken Chinese.

Definition in Chinese

用来询问事物或人所在的地点或去向，常用于问“在哪里”或“到哪里”。yòng lái xún wèn shì wù huò rén suǒ zài de dì diǎn huò qù xiàng cháng yòng yú wèn zài ná lǐ huò dào ná lǐ

Word origin

哪 (nǎ, "which") asks for a choice, while 里 (lǐ, "inside") supplies the place idea, so their combination asks for the place that fits the situation.

Usage tips

  • The same Chinese question word works for asking about a location and asking about a destination, so a movement verb supplies the travel meaning.

Other meanings

  • whereaboutspronoun
  • where topronoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word