Meaning
to ask
Chinese: 询问、问题。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “wen” becomes a different word in each tone. 问 is the 4th tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 问题wèn tíquestion; problem; issue; topic
- 请问qǐng wènExcuse me, may I ask...?
- 问路wèn lùto ask for directions; to ask the way (to some place)
- 访问fǎng wènto visit; to call on (a person or place); (computing) to visit (a website); to access (a network resource etc)
- 提问tí wènto question; to quiz; to grill
Example Sentence
我想问你一个问题。Wǒ xiǎng wèn nǐ yí ge wèn tí.I want to ask you a question.
我WǒI想xiǎngto think (about)问wènto ask你nǐyou一个yí gea问题wèn tíquestion。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
A door (门, also the sound) around a mouth (口): speaking up at someone’s gate. It means ‘to ask’. Simplified from 問.
A way to remember it
A mouth at the gate — to ask.