么 ma / me / yāo — (interrog. part.); (interrog. suff.); one on dice; small
你想吃什么？Nǐ xiǎng chī shén me?What do you want to eat?
Common words: 什么 (shén me)、怎么 (zěn me)、怎么样 (zěn me yàng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "interrog. part."
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "interrog. part.", including 么 (ma / me / yāo), 与 (yú / yǔ / yù), 乎 (hū). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "interrog. part." covers 3 different Chinese characters — 么 (ma / me / yāo), 与 (yú / yǔ / yù), 乎 (hū) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span ma, me, yāo, yú, yǔ, yù, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 么 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 么 ma / me / yāo(interrog. part.); (interrog. suff.); one on dice; smallUseful words: 什么, 怎么
- 与 yú / yǔ / yù(interrog. part.); and; to give; together with; take part inUseful words: 参与, 与其
- 乎 hū(interrog. part.)Useful words: 几乎, 似乎
Common words for these 3 "interrog. part." characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 么 (ma / me / yāo) — so "interrog. part." turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
什么shén mewhat?; something; anything怎么zěn mehow?; what?; why?怎么样zěn me yànghow?; how about?; how was it?; how are things?参与cān yùto participate (in sth)与其yǔ qírather than...与日俱增yǔ rì jù zēngto increase steadily; to grow with each passing day几乎jī hūalmost; nearly; practically似乎sì hūit seems; seemingly; as if在乎zài huto rest with; to lie in; to be due to (a certain attribute); (often used in the negative) to care about
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "interrog. part.".
与 yú / yǔ / yù — (interrog. part.); and; to give; together with; take part in
健康与快乐最重要。Jiàn kāng yǔ kuài lè zuì zhòng yào.Health and happiness are the most important.
Common words: 参与 (cān yù)、与其 (yǔ qí)、与日俱增 (yǔ rì jù zēng)
乎 hū — (interrog. part.)
他似乎有点儿不高兴。Tā sì hū yǒu diǎnr bù gāo xìng.He seems a little unhappy.
Common words: 几乎 (jī hū)、似乎 (sì hū)、在乎 (zài hu)
All 3 characters
Open 么、与、乎 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.