问 (wèn): to ask
问 (wèn) is a Chinese character meaning “to ask.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 门 (phonetic) and 口 (semantic). It ranks #137 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 问 mouth. Its radical form 口 (mouth) appears in many related characters such as 口 (kǒu, mouth), 叫 (jiào, to call, to be called), 右 (yòu, (bound form) right).
Definitions
- to ask
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 问 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 问
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 问题noun | wèn tí | question | 1 |
| 请问verb | qǐng wèn | Excuse me, may I ask...? | 1 |
| 顾问noun | gù wèn | adviser | 6 |
| 询问verb | xún wèn | to inquire | 5 |
| 访问verb | fǎng wèn | to visit | 5 |
| 疑问noun | yí wèn | question | 5 |
| 提问verb | tí wèn | to question | 5 |
| 问卷noun | wèn juàn | questionnaire | 5 |
| 学问noun | xué wèn | learning | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 毫无疑问 | háo wú yí wèn | certainty |
| 问好 | wèn hǎo | to say hello to |
| 审问 | shěn wèn | to interrogate |
| 问候 | wèn hòu | to give one's respects |
| 盘问 | pán wèn | to interrogate |
| 问话 | wèn huà | to ask sb a question |
| 拷问 | kǎo wèn | to question via torture |
| 讯问 | xùn wèn | to interrogate |
| 成问题 | chéng wèn tí | to be a problem |
| 质问 | zhì wèn | to question |
| 问答 | wèn dá | question and answer |
| 问讯 | wèn xùn | interrogation |
| 追问 | zhuī wèn | to question closely |
| 过问 | guò wèn | to show an interest in |
| 发问 | fā wèn | to question |
问 appears in 100 compound words: 24 as the first character, 55 as the last, and 21 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 问 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (22)
to not bother to ask or to listen; to show no interest in; to be indifferent to
to grieve for the sick and the dying; to show great concern for people's suffering
if it's plowing, ask the laborer (idiom); when managing a matter, consult the appropriate specialist
lit. to be interested exclusively in the acquisition of estate (idiom); fig. to have no lofty aspirations in life
lit. to ask a blind man the way (idiom); fig. to seek advice from an incompetent
to grieve for the sick and the dying; to show great concern for people's suffering
lit. to be interested exclusively in the acquisition of estate (idiom); fig. to have no lofty aspirations in life
if it's plowing, ask the laborer (idiom); when managing a matter, consult the appropriate specialist
Showing 12 of 22 idioms containing 问.
Example Sentences
如果你有问题，可以随时问老师，老师会很乐意帮助你。
Rúguǒ nǐ yǒu wèntí, kěyǐ suíshí wèn lǎoshī, lǎoshī huì hěn lèyì bāngzhù nǐ.
If you have questions, you can ask the teacher anytime; the teacher will be happy to help you.
机器人春晚PK赛:热闹之余,多想三个问题 | 视频
jī qì rén chūn wǎn sài rè nào zhī yú , duō xiǎng sān gě wèn tí shì pín
Robot Spring Festival PK Match: Three Questions to Ask While You're Watching | VIDEO
东西问丨全球政要马年“集体说马” 背后藏着三重...
dōng xī wèn 丨 quán qiú zhèng yāo mǎ nián jí tī shuō mǎ bēi hòu zàng zhe sān chóng . . .
The world's leading politicians have been talking about the year of the horse for three years now.
千问“一句话下单”受年轻人追捧,00后占比超...
qiān wèn yī gōu huà xià shàn shòu nián qīng rén zhuī pěng , hòu zhàn bǐ chāo . . .
Qianwen's "One-Sentence Ordering" Gains Popularity Among Young People, with Gen Z Users Making Up Over...
用户报告多个网络服务出现问题
yòng hù bào gào duō gě wǎng lào fú wù chū xiàn wèn tí
Users report issues with multiple network services.
学习规划建议每日问答丨构建智能化军事体系
xué xí guī huá jiàn yì měi rì wèn dā 丨 gòu jiàn zhì néng huā jūn shì tī xì
Study Planning Tips: Daily Q&A丨Building an Intelligent Military System
我能问一些问题吗？
Wǒ néng wèn yīxiē wèntí ma?
May I ask a few questions?
“你感觉怎么样？”他问。
"Nǐ gǎnjué zěnmeyàng?" tā wèn.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
“以前我们没在哪儿见过吗？”学生问道。
"Yǐqián wǒmen méi zài nǎr jiàn guo ma?" xuésheng wèndào.
"Haven't we met somewhere before?" asked the student.
你会去访问其他国家吗？
Nǐ huì qù fǎngwèn qítā guójiā ma?
Are you going to visit any other countries?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 问 (wèn) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 问 and 答?
How many strokes does 问 have?
What is the radical of 问?
What are the components of 问?
What are common words containing 问?
What characters sound the same as 问 (wèn)?
Is 问 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 问 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.