Definitions

(interrogative pronoun) which; what
něi (interrogative pronoun) which
na (particle) emphatic final particle

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "哪" derives from the demonstrative "那", which originally conveyed both indicative and interrogative senses, creating a need for clearer differentiation in written language. By incorporating the speech radical "口" alongside the phonetic component "那", the character assumed a distinct left-right structure specifically designed to denote interrogative functions such as "which" or "where". This etymological shift, rooted in adding a semantic marker to an existing graph, allowed "哪" to specialize as a question word while "那" remained primarily demonstrative, illustrating a deliberate structural adaptation to refine meaning within the lexical system over time.

Example Sentences Hide

你在里?

Nǐ zài nǎlǐ?

Where are you?

你来自个国家?

Nǐ láizì nǎ ge guójiā?

Which country are you from?

你最喜欢一个季节?

Nǐ zuì xǐhuān nǎ yī gè jìjié?

Which season do you like the most?

些地方是你想去旅游的?

Nǎxiē dìfāng shì nǐ xiǎng qù lǚyóu de?

Which places do you want to travel to?

你知不知道这本书是位作家写的?

Nǐ zhī bù zhīdào zhè běn shū shì nǎ wèi zuòjiā xiě de?

Do you know which author wrote this book?

无论你遇到种困难,都要保持乐观。

Wúlùn nǐ yù dào nǎ zhǒng kùnnán, dōu yào bǎochí lèguān.

No matter what kind of difficulty you encounter, you should stay optimistic.

你打算用种方案来解决这个问题,一种更有效?

Nǐ dǎsuàn yòng nǎ zhǒng fāng'àn lái jiějué zhège wèntí, nǎ yī zhǒng gèng yǒuxiào?

Which plan do you intend to use to solve this problem, and which one is more effective?

他昨天说的那些话,一句是真,一句是假,我现在都分不清了。

Tā zuótiān shuō de nàxiē huà, nǎ yī jù shì zhēn, nǎ yī jù shì jiǎ, wǒ xiànzài dōu fēn bù qīng le.

I can't even tell now which of the things he said yesterday were true and which were false.