How to say “ask” in Chinese

询问
xúnwèn

ask, inquire

verb · HSK 5 · topic “Services and formalities”

“Ask” in Chinese is 询问, xún wèn: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke.

How to pronounce it

询问 is read xún wèn: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

xún — 2nd tonerising, like a surprised “huh?”
wèn — 4th tonesharply falling, like “Stop!”

How to write it

询
xún — inquire, ask

On the left, 讠 “speech”; on the right, 旬 xún hints at the reading.

问
wèn — ask

A 门 “door” with a 口 “mouth” in it.

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 “询问”.

More words from the lesson “Politely at the counter”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “ask” in Chinese?

“Ask” in Chinese is 询问, pinyin xúnwèn.

What does 询问 mean?

询问 (xúnwèn) means “ask, inquire”.

How do you write 询问?

询问 is 2 characters: 询 (xún) — inquire, ask; 问 (wèn) — ask. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 询问?

询问 is read xúnwèn. Tones: xún — second tone, wèn — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“ask” in the lesson “Politely at the counter”

This word is from the topic “Services and formalities” of HSK 5. 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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