谁

shéi

HSK 2.0 Level 1 HSK 3.0 Level 1 Pronoun Very common

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Definitions

1. who
2. also pr. [shuí]

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Character focus

Stroke order

10 strokes

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Word relationships

Related words

1 item

• 哪个 nǎ ge 哪个 nǎ ge which 口语中询问特定对象，如‘哪个是你的书包’: which

Synonyms

2 items

• 何人 hé rén 何人 hé rén who 书面语中询问身份，如‘何人敢来’: who
• 什么人 shén me rén 什么人 shén me rén who? 谁常用来问身份，什么人语气稍重，用于询问身份或性质。: who?

Usage notes

Common mistakes

注意‘谁’在句首做主语时常用于特指疑问句，不可与‘哪’混淆：‘谁去’意为Who will go，而非Which person。

Formality

‘谁’是中性词，口语书面语通用。其异读音‘shuí’较正式，‘shéi’更口语化。

Grammar

Guides that feature 谁

Jump into a full guide with fill-in-the-blank drills. Clicking will load the page and move you to the top.

3 guides

HSK 2.0 Level 3+ HSK 3.0 Level 3+ 7 min

Question Pronouns in Non-Questions

Learn Question Pronouns in Non-Questions with practical HSK 3 examples, focus vocabulary, common pitfalls, and targeted cloze practice.

Reading: shéi Open guide

HSK 2.0 Level 1+ HSK 3.0 Level 1+ 6 min

Question Words

Ask who, what, where, how, and how much without adding extra question machinery.

Reading: shéi Open guide

HSK 2.0 Level 4+ HSK 3.0 Level 4+ 7 min

Rhetorical Question Pronouns

Learn Rhetorical Question Pronouns with practical HSK 4 examples, focus vocabulary, common pitfalls, and targeted cloze practice.

Reading: shéi Open guide

Example Sentences

5 shown

你是 谁 呀？

Who are you?

请问， 谁 在门外？

Excuse me, who is outside the door?

我们通过抽签决定 谁 先开始。

We decide who goes first by drawing lots.

我认不出他是 谁 。

I can't recognize who he is.

他是 谁 ？

Who is he?

Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 347334)

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

Words Containing 谁

• 谁知道 谁知道 shéi zhī dào: God knows...
• 人谁无过 人谁无过 rén shéi wú guò: Everyone makes mistakes (idiom)
• 爱谁谁 爱谁谁 ài shéi shéi: (coll.) whatever
• 没谁了 没谁了 méi séi le: (coll.) nobody can beat that
• 谁人乐队 谁人乐队 shéi rén yuè duì: The Who (1960s UK rock band)
• 谁怕谁 谁怕谁 shéi pà shéi: bring it on!
• 谁料 谁料 shéi liào: who would have thought that
• 谁知 谁知 shéi zhī: who would have thought
• 谁笑到最后，谁笑得最好 谁笑到最后，谁笑得最好 shéi xiào dào zuì hòu , shéi xiào dé zuì hǎo: He laughs best who laughs last.
• 谁笑在最后，谁笑得最好 谁笑在最后，谁笑得最好 shéi xiào zài zuì hòu , shéi xiào dé zuì hǎo: He laughs best who laughs last.
• 阿谁 阿谁 ā shuí: who
• 鹿死谁手 鹿死谁手 lù sǐ shéi shǒu: lit. at whose hand will the deer die (idiom)