哪儿 (nǎr)

The colloquial, northern-dialect form of "where," formed by adding the erhua suffix 儿 to 哪; it is interchangeable with 哪里 (nǎlǐ), but 哪儿 is more common in spoken Beijing Mandarin.

Meanings

[pronoun] Where (asking about location or destination).
[pronoun] Wherever (in an open or conditional sense).

Example Sentences

你去哪儿？ Nǐ qù nǎr? Where are you going?

你家在哪儿？ Nǐ jiā zài nǎr? Where is your home?

厕所在哪儿？ Cèsuǒ zài nǎr? Where is the restroom?

你从哪儿来的？ Nǐ cóng nǎr lái de? Where do you come from?

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
去哪儿 (qù nǎr)	going where
在哪儿 (zài nǎr)	located where
从哪儿 (cóng nǎr)	from where
哪儿都 (nǎr dōu)	everywhere, anywhere
到哪儿 (dào nǎr)	to where
哪儿的 (nǎr de)	from where (origin)

Memory Hook

哪儿 is simply 哪 (which) with an 儿 rolled on the end, like a Beijinger adding a casual curl to every word. Think of rolling your tongue and asking "where-r?" in a northern Chinese accent.