How to say “why” in Chinese
why
“Why” in Chinese is 为什么, wèi shén me: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
为什么 is read wèi shén me: 3 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
Its second reading is wéi, “be, do”.
It almost never appears on its own, only in 什么.
A suffix with no meaning of its own, read with the neutral tone.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “为什么”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 为什么. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 你为什么没来nǐwèishénmeméiláiWhy didn't you come?
- 你为什么学汉语？nǐwèishénmexuéHànyǔWhy are you learning Chinese?
- 你昨天为什么没来上课？nǐzuótiānwèishénmeméiláishàngkèWhy didn't you come to class yesterday?
- 你为什么没来上课？nǐwèishénmeméiláishàngkèWhy didn't you come to class?
- 你为什么不吃饭？nǐwèishénmebùchīfànWhy aren't you eating?
- 你为什么这么难过？nǐwèishénmezhèmenánguòWhy are you so sad?
More words from the lesson “Why?”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “why” in Chinese?
“Why” in Chinese is 为什么, pinyin wèi shénme.
What does 为什么 mean?
为什么 (wèi shénme) means “why”.
How do you write 为什么?
为什么 is 3 characters: 为 (wèi) — for, for the sake of; 什 (shén) — part of “what”; 么 (me) — part of “what”. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 为什么?
为什么 is read wèi shénme. Tones: wèi — fourth tone, shén — second tone, me — neutral tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“why” in the lesson “Why?”
This word is from the topic “Studies and tasks” of HSK 2. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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