谁 (shuí / shéi) — who
HSK 1 | pronoun | interrogative pronoun asking about a person's identity
谁 (shuí / shéi)
The interrogative pronoun meaning "who," used to ask about a person's identity; it can appear in any position where a noun referring to a person would appear. Both pronunciations shuí and shéi are standard and interchangeable.
Meanings
- [pronoun] Who (subject or object in a question).
- [pronoun] Whoever (in a relative or conditional sense: 谁…谁…).
Example Sentences
你是谁？ Nǐ shì shuí? Who are you?
门口站着的那个人是谁？ Ménkǒu zhànzhe de nàge rén shì shuí? Who is the person standing at the door?
谁知道答案？ Shuí zhīdào dá'àn? Who knows the answer?
这是谁的手机？ Zhè shì shuí de shǒujī? Whose phone is this?
Collocations
| Collocation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 谁的 (shuí de) | whose |
| 是谁 (shì shuí) | who is it |
| 谁都 (shuí dōu) | everyone, anyone |
| 谁知道 (shuí zhīdào) | who knows |
| 找谁 (zhǎo shuí) | looking for whom |
| 告诉谁 (gàosu shuí) | tell whom |
Memory Hook
谁 contains the word-radical 讠(speech/mouth on the side), because asking "who?" is the most basic question you shout out when someone knocks on your door.