Looking up...
什么
shén me
what
你喜欢什么？
What do you like?
informal
Used to ask for information specifying something.
你在看什么？
What are you looking at?
这是个什么东西？
What is this thing?
Often used in questions to request details about a person, thing, or situation.
informal
Used to indicate that something is unspecified or unimportant.
我不在乎你说什么。
I don’t care what you say.
随便什么都可以。
Anything will do.
Common in statements to express indifference or lack of preference.
informal
Used in rhetorical questions to express surprise or disbelief.
什么？你不会吧！
What? You can’t be serious!
你说什么？
What did you say?
Often used to express shock or confusion in response to a statement.
Pro Tip
Combining with other words
什么 can be combined with time/place words to form specific questions: 什么时候 (when), 什么地方 (where), 什么人 (who).
Gold Rule
Question formation
什么 is typically used at the beginning or middle of a question to ask for specific information. It does not change form regardless of context.
Word Origin
From Old Chinese '甚麼' (shén me), combining '甚' (what) and '麼' (small/insignificant particle). The modern form evolved from the fusion of these two characters.
Usage Notes
什么 is one of the most common question words in Mandarin. It can be used alone or combined with other words to form more specific questions (e.g., 什么时候 'when', 什么地方 'where'). In informal speech, it can also function as a filler word to express disbelief or surprise.
Word Breakdown
甚
what (literally 'very' or 'extreme', but used as a question word)
root麼
particle indicating smallness or insignificance (used to soften the question)
suffix汉英词典