HSK 1
谁
shéi
who
Structure
Subject + Verb + 谁 / 谁 + Verb + Object
How it works
The word '谁' (shéi/shuí) is a question pronoun used to ask 'who' or 'whom'. In Chinese, the word order in a question remains the same as in a declarative statement; you simply replace the person you are asking about with '谁'.
Examples
他是谁？
Tā shì shéi?
Who is he?
谁是你的老师？
Shéi shì nǐ de lǎoshī?
Who is your teacher?
谁想喝茶？
Shéi xiǎng hē chá?
Who wants to drink tea?
Common mistakes
English speakers often try to move '谁' to the front of the sentence (e.g., saying 'Who you like?'), but in Chinese, '谁' stays in the exact position where the person's name would be in the answer.
Tip
To master '谁', first think of the answer (e.g., 'He is David'), then replace the name with '谁' to form the question.
More HSK 1 grammar
See 谁 in real Chinese
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