谁 (shéi/shuí) - Who

Chinese grammar is like a game of "Swap the Block." In English, we move the question word to the start of the sentence. We say "Who is he?" instead of "He is who?" Chinese is much simpler. You keep the sentence exactly as it is. You just replace the person's name with 谁. This is called "in-situ" question formation. If the answer is "David is a teacher," the question is "谁 is a teacher?" The word order stays frozen. It is like a grammar traffic light that never changes. This makes your life much easier. You do not need to learn complex inversion rules. Just swap the noun for the question word and you are done.

1. 1Creating a question with 谁 follows a very predictable three-step process:
2. 2Start with a basic statement: 他是张伟 (He is Zhang Wei).
3. 3Identify the person you want to ask about: 张伟 (Zhang Wei).
4. 4Replace that person with 谁: 他是谁？ (He is who? / Who is he?).
5. 5Another common pattern is asking about possession using 谁的 (whose):
6. 6Take a statement: 这是我的书 (This is my book).
7. 7Replace the owner: 这是谁的书？ (This is whose book? / Whose book is this?).

You will use 谁 in almost every social interaction. Use it when you are looking at old photos with a friend. Use it when someone knocks on your door. Use it at work to find out who is in charge of a project. It works for subjects: 谁想喝咖啡？ (Who wants to drink coffee?). It also works for objects: 你找谁？ (Who are you looking for?). It even works for ownership: 谁的手机在响？ (Whose phone is ringing?). It is the ultimate social detective tool. If a human is involved and you don't know their name, 谁 is your go-to word.

Do not use 谁 to ask about things or animals. If you see a cute dog, don't ask "谁 is that?" unless you think the dog is a person in a costume. Use 什么 (what) for objects. Also, do not use 谁 when you are choosing from a specific group. If there are three people and you want to ask "Which one is the boss?", use 哪个 (which one) instead. 谁 is for general identity. It is not for picking items out of a lineup. Using it for a choice can sound a bit vague or unnatural.

The biggest trap for English speakers is "Front-loading." You will want to put 谁 at the beginning of every sentence. Resist the urge! If you say 谁你喜欢？ for "Who do you like?", people will understand, but it sounds like a broken robot. The correct way is 你喜欢谁？ (You like who?). Another mistake is forgetting the 的 when asking about possession. If you ask 这是谁书？, it sounds like "This is who book?" Always add that 的 to show ownership. Even native speakers might slip up on tone, but as long as the word order is right, you are safe.

How does 谁 differ from 哪 (which) or 什么 (what)?

• 谁 is strictly for people.
• 什么 is for things, actions, or names of things.
• 哪 is for choosing from a set.

Think of 谁 as a VIP pass. It only applies to humans. If you are asking about a person's name, you can use 谁 or 什么名字. 他是谁？ asks for their identity. 他叫什么名字？ asks specifically for the name on their ID card.