How to say “where are you from” in Chinese
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
Tone tip
Literally 'you are which-country person'. Answer with 我是…人, e.g. 我是英国人 (wǒ shì yīngguó rén), 'I'm British'.
In a sentence
你是哪国人？我是美国人。
Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén? Wǒ shì měiguó rén.
Where are you from? I'm American.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "where are you from" in Chinese?+
"where are you from" in Mandarin Chinese is 你是哪国人, pronounced nǐ shì nǎ guó rén. Literally 'you are which-country person'. Answer with 我是…人, e.g. 我是英国人 (wǒ shì yīngguó rén), 'I'm British'.
What does 你是哪国人 mean literally?+
你是哪国人 breaks down as 你 (nǐ) = you, 是 (shì) = to be, 哪 (nǎ) = which, 国 (guó) = country, 人 (rén) = person. Together it means "where are you from".
How do I get the tones right in nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?+
Literally 'you are which-country person'. Answer with 我是…人, e.g. 我是英国人 (wǒ shì yīngguó rén), 'I'm British'.
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