Chinese word

问

Pronunciation

Pinyinwèn

Meaning

  • verbask

Example

我可以问你一个问题吗？wǒ ké yǐ wèn nǐ yí gè wèn tí ma

Can I ask you a question?

Illustration for 问 (ask)

More examples

请问，地铁站怎么走？qǐng wèn dì tiě zhàn zěn me zǒu

Excuse me, how do I get to the subway station?

Core concept

A bridge from not knowing to shared understanding, built by directing words toward someone or something.

Common phrases

  • 请问qǐng wèn

    excuse me

  • 问路wèn lù

    ask for directions

  • 问问题wèn wèn tí

    ask a question

Similar words

请问qǐng wèn: Used to ask for information in a polite and respectful way.

Definition in Chinese

向他人就某事提出疑问以获得说明、答案或指导的口头或书面行为。xiàng tā rén jiù mǒu shì tí chū yí wèn yǐ huò dé shuō míng dá àn huò zhí dǎo de kǒu tóu huò shū miàn xíng wéi

Word origin

问 (wèn, "ask") is built from 门 (mén, "gate") + 口 (kǒu, "mouth"); 门 is chiefly a sound component, and 口 connects the character with spoken questions.

Usage tips

  • Adding 一下 (yíxià, "a little") after 问 (wèn, "ask") makes a small request sound gentler, like "just" in English.

Other meanings

  • ask aboutverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word