How to say “what is this” in Chinese
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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
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这 and 是 are both fourth tones, so keep them crisp and separate rather than merging them. Then 什 rises and the 么 fades to neutral. In casual speech 这个 often comes out as zhèige.
In a sentence
Zhè shì shénme? Kàn qǐlái hěn hǎochī.
What is this? It looks delicious.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "what is this" in Chinese?+
"what is this" in Mandarin Chinese is 这是什么, pronounced zhè shì shénme. 这 and 是 are both fourth tones, so keep them crisp and separate rather than merging them. Then 什 rises and the 么 fades to neutral. In casual speech 这个 often comes out as zhèige.
What does 这是什么 mean literally?+
这是什么 breaks down as 这 (zhè) = this, 是 (shì) = is, 什么 (shénme) = what. Together it means "what is this".
How do I get the tones right in zhè shì shénme?+
这 and 是 are both fourth tones, so keep them crisp and separate rather than merging them. Then 什 rises and the 么 fades to neutral. In casual speech 这个 often comes out as zhèige.
More phrases like this
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What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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