Questions with 谁

谁 (shéi) means who. Put it where the unknown person belongs.

If you do not know who someone is, ask 他是谁？ (Tā shì shéi?) If you do not know who does the action, 谁 can be the subject: 谁喜欢茶？ (Shéi xǐhuan chá?)

谁 lets you ask about a person you cannot identify — whether you want to know who someone is or who is doing something.

谁 vs 什么: 谁 (shéi) asks about a person — who. 什么 (shénme) asks about a thing — what. 你喜欢谁？ (Who do you like?) asks about a person; 你喜欢什么？ (What do you like?) asks about a thing. Don't mix them up just because both feel like generic "question words."

Structure

A + 是 + 谁？

他是老师。 (Tā shì lǎoshī.) He is a teacher. → 他是谁？ (Tā shì shéi?) Who is he?

谁 + Verb + Object？

他喜欢茶。 (Tā xǐhuan chá.) He likes tea. → 谁喜欢茶？ (Shéi xǐhuan chá?) Who likes tea?

Examples

谁是你的同学？ Shéi shì nǐ de tóngxué?

Breakdown: 谁 (who) · 是 (is) · 你的 (your) · 同学 (classmate)

→ Who is your classmate?

谁是你的孩子？ Shéi shì nǐ de háizi?

Breakdown: 谁 (who) · 是 (is) · 你的 (your) · 孩子 (child)

→ Who is your child?

医生是谁？ Yīshēng shì shéi?

Breakdown: 医生 (doctor) · 是 (is) · 谁 (who)

→ Who is the doctor?

谁是你的朋友？ Shéi shì nǐ de péngyou?

Breakdown: 谁 (who) · 是 (is) · 你的 (your) · 朋友 (friend)

→ Who is your friend?

谁是客人，谁是经理？ Shéi shì kèrén, shéi shì jīnglǐ?

Breakdown: 谁 (who) · 是 (is) · 客人 (guest) · 经理 (manager)

→ Who is the guest, who is the manager?

Common Mistakes

Fronting 谁 like English "who"

- Incorrect: 谁是他？ (Shéi shì tā?) - Correct: 他是谁？ (Tā shì shéi?) — Who is he?

English fronts the question word ("Who is he?"), so learners put 谁 first. Chinese keeps 谁 where the answer would go, after the subject.

Stacking 谁 with 吗

- Incorrect: 谁是老师吗？ (Shéi shì lǎoshī ma?) - Correct: 谁是老师？ (Shéi shì lǎoshī?) — Who is the teacher?

谁 already makes the sentence a question — adding 吗 on top doesn't work.

What Can You Say Now?

You can now ask who someone is or who is doing something — 他是谁？ (Who is he?), 谁喜欢茶？ (Who likes tea?) — by putting 谁 exactly where the unknown person belongs. Try asking 谁是...？ about people in photos or people around you.

Quick Summary

谁 replaces the unknown person: 他是谁？ / 谁喜欢茶？