什么 shénme what
How to remember 什么: 什 what (in 什么) + 么 question particle = what.
Characters
How it is used
- 'What' - 你想吃什么? (nǐ xiǎng chī shénme) what do you want to eat?
- Also 'some/any' in non-questions: 有什么事吗? is anything up?, 没什么 nothing much.
- Doubts/dismisses too: 什么! as an exclamation = 'What?!'. Reading is shénme (not shímme).
Example sentences
- 你在想什么？ Nǐ zài xiǎng shénme?What are you thinking about?
- 那是什么东西？ Nà shì shénme dōngxi?What's that?
- 你叫什么名字？ Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?What's your name?
- 你有什么意见？ Nǐ yǒu shénme yìjiàn?What's your opinion?