啥

shá

HSK 2.0 Level 6 Very common

Definitions

1. dialectal equivalent of 什麼|什么[shén me]

Character focus

Stroke order

11 strokes

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Word relationships

Register variants

2 items

• 什么 shén me 什么 shén me what? 啥 is the colloquial/dialectal form used in northern China, while 什么 is standard Mandarin.: what?
• 何 hé 何 hé what 何 is the formal or classical Chinese equivalent of 啥/什么, often used in written language.: what

Related words

2 items

• 咋 zǎ 咋 zǎ dialectal equivalent of 怎麼|怎么[zěn me] 咋 (zǎ) is another northern colloquial interrogative, meaning 'how' or 'why', often used in similar informal contexts as 啥.: dialectal equivalent of 怎麼|怎么[zěn me]
• 谁 shéi 谁 shéi who 谁 (shéi/shuí) is an interrogative pronoun meaning 'who', useful for learners expanding question-word vocabulary alongside 啥.: who

Usage notes

Common mistakes

Learners often use 啥 in standard written Chinese, where 什么 is expected; 啥 may be perceived as regional or too casual.

Formality

啥 is highly informal and dialectal, typically used in spoken Mandarin in northern China; avoid in formal writing or professional settings.

Example Sentences

2 shown

你在说 啥 ？

What are you talking about?

啥 ？

Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 8463674)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 啥

• 啥子 啥子 shá zi: (dialect) what