# Chinese Question Words Cheat Sheet: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How You put each question word where the answer goes, then ask the time, the way to the restroom and why a new friend is learning Chinese. Made for learners starting from zero, with every line on the free audio. Source: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/chinese-question-words-cheat-sheet ## At a glance - Level: Total beginner · HSK 1 - Format: Reference guide · PDF · 9 pages · US Letter (prints on A4) - Price: Free · free with a saymei account · updated Nov 4, 2026 ## Download Free with a SayMei account, on the workbook's page: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/chinese-question-words-cheat-sheet. SayMei emails a copy too. ## A line from the workbook 这个中文怎么说？ (Zhège Zhōngwén zěnme shuō?) — How do you say this in Chinese? ## By the end you can - Pick the right one of the ten question words. 什么, 谁, 哪儿, 哪, 几, 多少, 什么时候, 为什么, 怎么 and 怎么样 on one page, each with its pinyin, its meaning and a short question that shows where it sits. 这是什么？ (Zhè shì shénme?): What is this? - Ask by putting the question word where the answer goes. Keep the word order of the answer and drop the question word into the gap, with no 吗. Answer by swapping 你 for 我 and putting your answer in the same spot. 你几点下班？ (Nǐ jǐ diǎn xiàbān?): What time do you finish work? - Choose between 几 and 多少, and between 怎么 and 怎么样. Use 几 with a measure word for small numbers and 多少 for any number or a price. Use 怎么 for how to do something and 怎么样 for how something is. 一杯咖啡多少钱？ (Yì bēi kāfēi duōshao qián?): How much is a cup of coffee? - Ask a yes or no question three ways. Add 吗, say the verb twice with 不 in between, or add 是不是 when you think you know the answer. Answer with the verb, since Chinese has no single word for yes. 你今天忙不忙？ (Nǐ jīntiān máng bu máng?): Are you busy today? - Ask ten questions you'll need every day. Ask where someone is from, the time, a phone number, the way to the restroom or the subway, and whether you can pay with WeChat. 去地铁站怎么走？ (Qù dìtiězhàn zěnme zǒu?): How do I get to the subway station? - Keep a first chat going with a new friend. Ask a classmate their name, why they're learning Chinese, how long they've studied and where they live, then suggest a time with 怎么样. 你为什么学中文？ (Nǐ wèishénme xué Zhōngwén?): Why are you learning Chinese? ## What's inside - Question Words: The Ten Question Words · Put the Question Word in the Gap - Other Questions: Ask Yes or No Three Ways · Ten Questions for Every Day - Practice: Make the Question · Questions with a New Friend ## How to use this book Eight short pages: keep page 3 where you'll see it and work through a page a day. Play the free audio and say each question in the pause. Keep your tones: the question word or 吗 does the asking, so you don't need a rising voice. - Day 1: The ten question words. Page 3. Say each word and its short question with the audio, then pin the page somewhere you'll see it every day. - Day 2: Put the word in the gap. Page 4. Ask three questions about someone's day, then answer each one by swapping 你 for 我 and putting your answer where the question word was. - Day 3: Yes or no, three ways. Page 5. Ask the same question with 吗 and then as A-not-A, and answer with the verb: 忙 or 不忙. - Day 4: Everyday questions. Page 6. Pick the three you'll need first, like 洗手间在哪儿？, and say them until they come without thinking. - Days 5–6: Practise, then chat. Pages 7 and 8. Make the question for each answer, read the chat with a new friend, then answer Lin Hao's questions about yourself. The answer key is on page 9. ## Who it's for Total beginners who know a few words and want to start asking: who, what, where, when, why, how and how much. It works as a one-page reference beside any course, and for travellers who need to ask the time, the price and the way. Before you start: Nothing. Every question has characters, pinyin and English, and the free audio reads each line with a pause to say it back. The answer key is at the back. ## What's inside the cheat sheet? Eight short pages: the ten question words on page 3, where they go in a sentence, three ways to ask yes or no, ten questions for every day, a practice page and a first chat with a new friend. The answer key is on page 9. ## Do I add 吗 to a question with 什么 or 哪儿? No. The question word already makes it a question, so 你去哪儿吗？ is wrong. Page 4 shows the rule: the question word sits where the answer will go and the word order stays the same, as in 你在哪儿工作？ and the answer 我在医院工作. ## What's the difference between 几 and 多少? Use 几 for small numbers, with a measure word: 你有几个孩子？ Use 多少 for any number and for prices: 一杯咖啡多少钱？ The practice on page 7 has you choose between them, and between 怎么 and 怎么样. ## How do I say yes in Chinese? Chinese has no single word for yes. Answer with the verb from the question: 你忙吗？ gets 忙 for yes or 不忙 for no. Page 5 covers this alongside the three ways to ask a yes or no question. ## How does the audio work? It's free on this book's page on saymei.app, and the code in the book opens it. Each line is read once, then a pause gives you time to say it back. Keep your tones when you ask: the question word or 吗 does the asking, so you don't need a rising voice. ## What should I use next? Beginner Chinese Grammar Workbook: 24 Core Patterns starts with 是, 很, 吗 and question words, then builds up to 比, 因为…所以 and 吧, one pattern a page. ## Do I need a SayMei account? Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor. ## How do I print it? The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too. Version 2026-11, updated Nov 4, 2026.